A CARDBOARD police force may be recruited in the fight to combat criminal activity in Uplawmoor.

There has been growing concern over a recent spike in petty criminality and suspicious behaviour in the village.

And the introduction of cardboard cut-outs of police officers was just one of the preventative measures considered at the latest meeting of Uplawmoor Community Council.

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Residents have been reminded to lock their vehicles after a number of cars were ransacked overnight from February 13 to 14.

Unknown thieves stole two sports bags from unlocked cars in Mure Park. Both of the bags – one of which was said to contain sweaty gym clothes – were recovered from neighbouring gardens the following morning.

The middle-of-the-night mischief continued at the weekend, as a seating bench and other items were rearranged between gardens in Neilston Road, while a number of cars were “interfered with,” although no damage was done on those occasions.

Tensions were further heightened last week when a suspicious black van was reported to be seen across the village, with the driver offering to sell items of garden furniture he claimed to have picked up at the Uplawmoor Hotel – even though the hotel denied all knowledge.

Residents reported the matter to police and, while there was no evidence of a crime being committed, community council members have expressed their concern.

The activity all happened in the wake of more serious incidents, when two work vans and a house in the village were broken into.

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Community council members have agreed to work with Neighbourhood Watch, police and East Renfrewshire’s community wardens to help make a crime-prevention action plan for the area.

Chairperson Rob Williams said: “We need to do something. People want local CCTV set up and monitored by East Renfrewshire Council but it’s not going to happen in Uplawmoor.

“I think it would be the wrong road to go down. There’s not really the need for it. We’re not a crime hotspot but we could be making more of the Neighbourhood Watch scheme, which is lying dormant.”

Community council secretary Ross Leggatt added: “If enough people in Mure Park got a doorbell camera or a wifi camera pointing out their front window, it would cover pretty much all the area.

“We don’t necessarily need the police to patrol more regularly but more visits from the community wardens would help.

“We can request them to come to a meeting to give us more advice.

“I think it’s worth getting Neighbourhood Watch signs, not just for Mure Park, but also for the whole village. They can act as a deterrent. There are some with reflective eyes that can catch people unaware and make them think twice.

“You can also buy cardboard cut-outs of police officers. They’ve got one in Central Station that I thought was real the first few times I saw it.”

Setting aside the question of who in Mure Park would be willing to have a cardboard police officer on their property, members agreed to find out the price for five Neighbourhood Watch signs.