www.crimealerts.org.uk

The CrimeAlerts website was launched in November 2008. It provides information on local crimes in and around Melton Mowbray.

The idea for the site came from Waltham residents David Stirling and Rob Pilkington.

David lives and works in the village as a web designer. Rob is a serving police officer with over 20 years' experience. He is also Waltham's Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator.

For about a year Rob has been sending out email alerts on local crimes to a growing list of subscribers. They've proved very popular with around half the households in the village signing up.

David was one of Rob's subscribers. Arriving home from a week's family holiday in France earlier this year, David discovered his house had been broken into.

The police think they know who the burglar is - a young man who has been offering to clean cars around the village. He already has a record for house burglary, and is suspected of stealing from cars that he cleaned.

One of Rob's previous email alerts had warned villagers not to accept work from cold-callers. But it seemed the advice came to late for David.

The experience prompted David and Rob to work together to try and improve the email alert service. As well as holding records of a wide range of crimes in the area, the site also offers advice on how to protect your home and possessions.

To subscribe, simply go to www.crimealerts.org.uk.