A POLICE initiative in Bridgwater aiming to make people aware of the need to keep their personal possessions safe during the Christmas period has been hailed a success.

As part of Operation Relentless, police officers and PCSOs took to the streets with a range of personal safety initiatives.

More than 100 people visited an information stand set up by police in Angel Place that offered people advice on how to register the valuable possessions they may receive this Christmas, such as iPods, mobile phones, laptops and games consoles on a national database.

PCSOs were showing interested people how to navigate the Immobilise website, a Government-backed database that records the serial numbers of any possession in your home in an attempt to cut crime and make it easier for police to retrieve stolen items.

A number of PCSOs also took to car parks around the town to check if drivers were leaving personal belongings and even presents on the back seats of their vehicles as part of a vulnerable vehicle scheme.

PC Andy Jenrick said: “Operation Relentless was a brilliant day and we have managed to promote the Immobiliser website in mobile phone shops, jewellers and even the bigger electrical stores such as Currys and Comet.

“More than 100 people came to make enquiries about how to register their personal items in Angel Place and the vulnerable vehicle scheme was also successful, with PCSOs finding between 80 to 100 potential targets of crime.”

To find out more about Immobilise, visit this story on our website at bridgwatermercury.co.uk/news