Village Stolen : Telford Live

	Web www.telford-live.com

A demountable mock village used by police to illustrate safety messages to thousands of Shropshire schoolchildren, has been stolen from a storage compound.The North Shropshire Safety Scene was launched in 1998 and has benefited more than 10,000 pupils from primary schools across North Shropshire and the Oswestry areas.The scene is based on a theatrical village created to "play act" safety messages to 10-year-olds from Year 6 classes. It is run by the police with support from the local community and the model village's components were purpose-build and partly paid for by public donations.But the project's future is now threatened following the theft of the village which was housed on a trailer stored at Excel Metal Forms Techniques Ltd. at the Wem Engineering Centre in Church Lane, Wem.The trailer was reported stolen this morning and may have been taken overnight although it is not known exactly when the thieves struck. They forced gates at the premises to hitch the trailer, whose doors were securely padlocked, to a vehicle.Detective Constable Glyn Teggin, who has been the driving forced behind the North Shropshire Safety Scene since its launch, said he was devastated and appealed for help in trying to trace the village.He fears the thieves may dump the wooden sections once they open the trailer. "The village is absolutely useless to anyone else but it has taken us many years to assemble and would cost around £20,000 to replace."It has no value to anyone else. It is used purely to put across safety messages to young children, highlighting all sorts of dangers and risks. There is no doubt that the annual week-long Safety Scene village in North Shropshire will have saved lives."I'm just hoping someone will come forward with information as to its whereabouts. Anyone with information which might help trace it should contact Wem police station on 0300-333-3000."DC Teggin said the large box trailer was very distinctive. "It is blue in colour and about 13-feet long, eight-feet wide and around 11-feet high with rear doors and twin axles. The doors were padlocked and it was also fitted with a hitch lock."The parts of the village, including hand-painted shop fronts, are made from canvass on wooden frames and will be ruined if they get wet. I just hope someone comes forward with information so we can get it back before it is damaged."This year's Safety Scene is due to run for a week at RAF Shawbury in October. It is also booked to be used in the Oswestry area a month earlier.DC Teggin added: "I would urge whoever has stolen our village not to destroy it and if dumped, to make sure it's kept in the dry. The whole contents of the trailer are used for the benefit of young children across the region. Without the set we will not be able to continue. Potentially, this material is a life-saving initiative."