Police are investigating a high value break-in to a house in Glencaple sometime between 1100 hours and 2200 hours on Thursday 8 December 2011. A substantial amount of cash, a quantity of jewellery and a number of football medals were taken in the raid. Police are keen to hear from anyone who was in the Glencaple area on Thursday 8 December and who may have seen anything suspicious.

Anyone with any information on this crime is asked to contact police on 0845 600 5701 or any police officer. Information can also be left with the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or online at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court. Crime prevention advice can be found on our police website www.dg.police.uk

Police making enquiries into bogus workmen type thefts in the force area arrested three men at the weekend. The men, all from the Falkirk area will appear at Dumfries Sheriff Court on Monday 12 December 2011.

Police reiterate their warning to the public in relation to allowing people into their homes without first of all seeing identification. Those who have a need to visit people at home and gain entry always carry identification and are used to being asked for it. Never be embarrassed about asking for identification, particularly if you do not know the caller. Anyone who suspects that they have had any suspicious callers at their door are asked to call police on the usual 0845 600 5701 number. In an emergency, always use 999

Police in Dumfries are making enquiries into the theft of a large quantity of drums of cable from the British Telecom premises at Greystone Crescent in Dumfries, sometime between 1700 hours on Thursday 8 and 0700 hours on Friday 9 December 2011. The cable is valued at over £18,000 and would have involved the use of a large vehicle to remove the drums.

Anyone with any information on this crime is asked to contact police on 0845 600 5701 or any police officer. Information can also be left with the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or online at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court. Crime prevention advice can be found on our police website www.dg.police.uk

Severe gales are continuing to hit our region and current conditions are expected to continue into this evening. Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary is still advising people not to travel and a severe weather warning will be in place until 9pm on Thursday 8th December.

Chief Constable Patrick Shearer commended the response from the public so far, he said, ‘This is one of the first occasions we have had a level four warning which specifically asks motorists not to drive. We understand the inconvenience and disruption this causes but I would thank communities throughout the region for working with us to keep the roads as safe as possible and for sharing information local to their area. Driving conditions throughout the evening will continue to be difficult and communities again asked to avoid driving wherever possible.’

Communities in our region are being affected with some areas experiencing power cuts and there is potential for further outages throughout the evening. If you experience a power cut it is likely you will be without power overnight and everyone in the area should make a plan.

Everyone in the area is being encouraged to cook a hot meal if they have

power, have candles and battery operated torches ready and keep an eye out for their neighbours, particularly elderly or vulnerable neighbours to ensure they are managing to keep warm. If you are in an area without power and have a gas cooker you may be able to supply neighbours with hot food and drink. This advice should only be taken up if it is safe to do so. If you currently have power you should to charge your mobile telephone now in case of an emergency later on in the evening.

The Chief Executive of Dumfries and Galloway Council Gavin Stevenson commented, ‘We have been working with all agencies across our region to minimise the impact of this severe storm which has taken hold across Scotland. We have a number of communities without power this evening and are working with Scottish Power to restore these homes as quickly as possible. Our schools will be open as normal tomorrow morning and parents should check local circumstances by using our Council website calling us on 030 33 33 3000 or by tuning into local media.’

For the most up to date information you should tune into local radio, if your power goes out plan ahead and use battery operated or car radios if available or check www.dumgal.gov.uk/readydg.

If you have any concerns you should contact our Council Call Centre on 030 33 33 3000.

For more details on the severe weather warnings go to:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_warnings.html

Police are making enquiries into the theft f a substantial amount of money from an elderly lady at a house in Eastriggs on Tuesday 6 December 2011. At around 1400 or thereabouts the 77 year old lady answered the door at her home in Pretoria Road to the following described man who said that she required urgent attention to the roof of her house. The man was given access to the house and when he left the money was found to be missing. The man entered a white coloured van, not further described and drove off. There may have been a passenger in the van at the time. The man is described only as having short brown bushy hair, and was wearing grey trousers and a grey jacket.

Police are appealing to anyone who may have been in the area at that time to get in touch if they saw anything suspicious. In particular they want to hear from anyone who may have had a similar call from this man on the pretence of carrying out repair work to their home. The importance of never letting anyone into your home without seeing some form of identification cannot be over stressed.

Anyone with any information on this is asked to contact police on 0845 600 5701 or any police officer. Information can also be left with the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or online at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court. Crime prevention advice can be found on our police website www.dg.police.uk

All schools across Dumfries and Galloway will not be opening today (8th December) due to the severe weather forecasted.

Severe gales are expected to hit Dumfries and Galloway around 10am on Thursday 8 December. Gusts of up to 90mph are expected and a severe weather warning will be in place until 6am on Friday 9 December.

Winds will increase during Thursday morning with severe gales developing across many northern and central parts of the UK. Heavy rain and hill snow are additional hazards that will accompany the gales. Police are advising that conditions for travel will be extremely poor and that travellers are likely to experience significant delays.

To avoid the need for people to travel, Dumfries and Galloway Council has cancelled the 3 committee meetings due to take place on Thursday 8 December:

;Audit & Risk Management Committee; Police, Fire & Rescue Committee; Stewartry Divisional Licensing Board.

The risk of disruption is considered highest across central and southern Scotland. Winds should tend to ease from the west on Thursday night with the severe gales becoming confined to NE Scotland by the early hours of Friday. As it isn’t possible to exactly predict weather conditions, the exact location of the most damaging winds is still uncertain. If you have to travel, please check the latest forecasts before setting off.

During severe and extreme weather incidents you can get up to date information on weather, river and road conditions from:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_warnings.html

http://www.readyscotland.org/

http://trafficscotland.org/

http://www.sepa.org.uk/

Police report a crash has just happened on the A75 just west of Newton Stewart at Barskeoch.

A lorry and a 4 x 4 are involved and police report that the road is very dangerous in that area because of ice which has formed on falling sleet and snow. Police are in attendance and it may be that diversions will be put in place. Motorists are asked to avoid the area if possible, and to take care if caught up in the traffic.

Police in Dumfries and Galloway report that the icy roads this morning caused traffic disruption on a number of the region’s roads. A number of crashes across the region highlight again the need to take extra care on the roads during winter. The latest met Office forecast indicates that rain, snow and sleet moving across Scotland will clear during this evening, however there is a risk of widespread ice forming shortly afterwards. Again roads will be affected and drivers should again take extra care when driving in these conditions.

Police are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of a 17 year old girl who went missing on Thursday 1 December 2011. Emma McDougall went missing from the Johnstonebridge area where she was staying and the last positive sighting of her in the Dumfries and Galloway area was of her getting a train from Dumfries to Glasgow that evening along with another female. Emma comes from the Glasgow area however has been reported as missing. She is described as being about 5’ tall, thin build with blond hair and a pale complexion. When last seen she was wearing blue jeans, a green jacket and white trainers. Police ask that anyone who may know the whereabouts of Emma gets in touch with police on 0845 600 5701.

Police in Dumfries and Galloway are advising drivers to exercise extra caution on the regions roads over the next 24 hours or so. The region has seen a combination of snowfall and ice on roads since late Sunday evening and as a consequence road conditions have proved to be difficult. A number of minor road crashes have occurred over this period from Stranraer in the west through to Gretna in the east. Many roads have been affected by this weather and the winter weather is expected to continue.

Winter driving is a question of common sense and drivers should ask themselves if they really need to travel when conditions are poor. If you have to travel on the roads then checks should be carried out to ensure that vehicles are adequately prepared for the conditions making sure that you have sufficient fuel supplies. Warm clothing, food and water should be considered in the event you are delayed for several hours. Is your mobile phone fully charged and have you planned your journey. Listen to media broadcasts and check your route with www.travelscotland.org or call them on 0800 028 1414.

The Met Office forecasts that widespread icy stretches will affect untreated roads across the area overnight and well into Tuesday morning especially where wintry showers have fallen. There is also a high risk of freezing rain occurring after midnight tonight and throughout tomorrow morning. This can lead to widespread black ice and effectively reduces the influence of any salt already spread on the road.

The Council will be treating Primary Routes within the Local Road Network in preparation for travel tomorrow morning, however, the public are advised to drive carefully and not to assume that because a road has been treated that it is safe.

More information on the Council’s treatment of the Local Road Network can be found at www.dumgal.gov.uk/winter