POLICE have urged people to be vigilant after a report of an unusual marking appearing on a house in Westbury.
A social media thread saw members of the local community warning each other about the possibility of burglars and dog thieves targeting people’s homes by marking them with chalk or wax.
Anti dog-theft group Murphy’s Army said, “There have been chalk marks reported in Trowbridge, Westbury and Bath and also a red ribbon in Frome. All these are used for purposes of dog theft and burglary. We also had a dog snatched in Willow Vale, Frome but luckily people were around so she got the dog back. Let’s all do something about this and make everyone aware.”
The photograph posted on Facebook showed a white wax marking on an external wall. The marking was a square accompanied by the letters ‘MYN’. The homeowner also noticed that their garden gate had been opened during the night.
Westbury Community Beat Manager PC Gavin Hucks said, “This is uncommon in the area; I generally go by what is reported to us and this appears rare, although I have heard such rumors in the past elsewhere. If suspicious signs do appear I would urge any of the community to report this to us, either by 101, local email (nptwestbury@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk), or via the new community messaging service.
“Reporting such suspicious signs would at least allow us to collate sightings so that we could priorities our patrols in those areas if a pattern begins to form. People must always be aware of any changes in their environment, and report so that we, the local police, can stay one step ahead of the criminal fraternity.”
