| 15/02/08 | Neighbourhood
Watch in Context letter from Chief
Constable, Hertfordshire Constabulary.
Neighbourhood Watch in Context briefing paper
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| 14/02/08 | Subject: Advice on
Scamnesty month from Trading Standards From: "Doorstep Crime" Hampshire County Council Trading Standards is calling on residents to help in the fight against scams by taking part in its scamnesty. The Scamnesty is part of a national campaign being run by the Office of Fair Trading, and has designated February as Scam Awareness Month. The number of scams circulating is continually increasing - there are now bogus sweepstakes and lotteries, get-rich-quick schemes, fake health cures, and on-line dating schemes to name a few. The techniques used to trick people are becoming more sophisticated too, for example emails that use the branding belonging to banks and ask for people to confirm their account details. From 1 February Scamnesty boxes will be in all Hampshire County Council libraries for individuals and businesses to drop off any scam mailings or emails that they may have received. At the end of the month Trading Standards will use the mailings it has received to gain a more accurate idea of the scale of the problem in Hampshire and to inform its intelligence on scams that are currently in operation. Normally the advice is just to throw away scam mailings or to delete the email but for February we would residents to drop them in our scamnesty boxes or send them to Trading Standards to help us ascertain the variety and volume of scams operating in Hampshire. Anyone who feels they or someone they know may have fallen victim to a scam should contact Consumer Direct on 0845 04 05 06 for advice. As part of the scamnesty you can also send your scam mailings to Hampshire Trading Standards Service, Montgomery House, Monarch Way, Winchester, SO22 5PW. More information can be found on the following link - http://www3.hants.gov.uk/tradingstandards/tradingstandards-scamsawareness.ht If you no longer wish to be part of this early warning network, please reply to this email and include the contact details you wish to be removed From: Forrow, Joy Subject: Scamnesty Further to my e-mail last week, I have now set up the following for e-mail scams - Scamnesty@hants.gov.uk Any Hampshire resident can send scams to this address. Whilst it for Scams rather than spam but I appreciate that it can be hard to differentiate so we won't refuse anything! As with the postal scams we are recording these for intelligence purposes and will only contact the sender if we need further information. If someone has fallen for scam and/or needs specific advice or help they should contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or via their website www.consumerdirect.gov.uk Joy Joy Forrow Community & Business Development Team Leader Hampshire County Council Trading Standards Service |
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| 13/12/07 | Warning
from Trading Standards, Bogus lottery scams
Hampshire residents beware: bogus lottery scams on the riseFollowing a recent upsurge in the number of complaints received, Hampshire
County Council’s Trading Standards Service is warning residents to beware of
bogus overseas lottery letters and emails telling them they have won large
amounts of money. The majority of the letters appear to originate from Spain. Names being
used include El Gordo, La Primitiva, El Mundo, Euro Millones, International
Lotto Corporation and International Lottery Board. Although El Gordo is a
genuine lottery in Spain, the address given is not their correct address and
the logo is used without their permission. Hampshire residents may also get letters from the Australian Lottery
Corporation based in Canada, National Bank based in the USA, but posted in
Canada, and the Australian On-Line Lottery in Spain. Some of the mailings have
UK stamps affixed and often UK postmarks.
People who receive the letters are being asked to provide identity details
and money, usually said to cover the cost of handling fees. Having paid the
fee, recipients are then pestered for more money, but the prize never
materialises. Some ask for money to cover taxes that need to be paid before
the winnings can be claimed. Recipients are being sent cheques to cover these
expenses, however it is most unlikely these will be honoured. Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber, said: “It
is shocking how much money some people have lost because of these bogus
lotteries. In some cases residents have lost thousands, even as much as
£95,000. Some residents have been groomed over months, befriended by the
caller who, having gained their confidence, has then conned them out of their
life savings. “Because many of these fraudulent letters and emails originate from
abroad it is much more difficult for Trading Standards to investigate, which
is why our advice to residents is to ignore all prize notifications on any
lottery or draw that they have not entered and never give away personal
details or part with money. A genuine lottery would never ask a winner to pay
for anything.” Anyone contacted about a lottery prize or draw can report it to Consumer Direct South East on 08454 04 05 06. Emails should be reported to internet service providers who can filter them and anyone who has parted with money to claim a lottery winning should contact their local police. |
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| 15/11/07 | Important Police announcement re keyholder registration
To all Neighbourhood Watch organisations in Hampshire and IoW: please pass on to your members. Hampshire Police have recently made a significant announcement which will
affect the majority of householders who have Type B (audible) intruder alarms
installed at their homes and/or office premises and have registered keyholders'
names with the Police. The announcement does not apply to
premises with Type A (communicating) alarms, for which keyholders' names are
registered with their monitoring company.
The full text of the announcement can be read on the Hampshire Police web
site, www.hampshire.police.uk
- see press release dated 9 November 2007: Police
launch new alarms record system - residents invited to register their
details.
In summary, the announcement states that a great many of the existing
60,000 keyholder records on the database are believed to be out of date and
worthless. To establish a new, clean database the following actions are
being taken:
Records originating before 2001:
these will be deleted without notice to their originators. There are
believed to be 55,000 records in this category: many of them will be
Neighbourhood Watch members. Householders in this category will need
to re-register their details with the Police: a copy of the application form is
attached. It can also be downloaded from the Police web site; printed
copies are available from all Police Stations in the two counties.
Records from 2001 to December 2004:
these will be deleted
unless the originators confirm their details. They will receive letters
informing them how to do this.
Records from January 2005 onwards:
these will be retained
on the system. The originators will receive letters assigning them new
reference numbers.
Once their records are on the new system every originator will
be required to confirm or update their details every two
years.
Hampshire Neighbourhood Watch Association asks all its constituent NW
organisations in the two counties to make every effort, either by email or via
their newsletters, to ensure that this information reaches every member
household likely to be affected by the above.
Many thanks for your assistance in this.
Guy
Smales,
Hon Secretary
Hampshire Neighbourhood Watch Association
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| 14/08/07 | Aggressive
Cold Callers
We have received reports from the North of the county of cold callers purporting to be from a charity, targeting older people and asking for bank details. Whilst, at this stage, we have no evidence that they are not who they say they are, we are concerned about the persistent and at times aggressive nature of these callers. Should you hear of such incidents we would be grateful if you could pass on the details to us. If at any time a resident feels threatened by a caller who is on the doorstep or returning for payment they should call our Quick Response Team on 01962 833666. Community Projects Team
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| 02/07/07 | Counter Terrorist Briefing - Partner Agencies
Dear All, I have received the email hghlighted in blue from DCI Pearson of Territorial Operations, Hampshire Constabulary. Dear Partner Agencies This briefing is designed to raise awareness of our partner agencies and request extra vigilance and high visibility amongst patrolling staff. You will be aware that the national counter terrorism threat level has been raised to CRITICAL. This means that an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK. Recent events: On Friday 29th June two Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs) were discovered in London, neither of which detonated. On Saturday 30th June a vehicle was driven into the doors of the passenger terminal at Glasgow International Airport. The key features of ALL of these VBIEDs was the presence in the vehicles of gas cylinders and containers full of petrol. There is a significant possibility that there other attacks of a similar nature could be attempted anywhere in the UK. It is also apparent that whilst some of those involved have been detained, there are likely to be others involved who have not yet been identified and traced. It is clear from recent events that intervention by police officers and members of the public have prevented serious loss of life. It is therefore vital that all staff engaged either on dedicated counter terrorist patrols or carrying out normal policing duties, do so positively, and with a view that their actions could genuinely prevent a terrorist attack. It is requested that the key contacts in your agencies are briefed in respect of these issues and asked to make sure their staff are patrolling with a heightened vigilance. Any suspicious incidents should be reported to the Hampshire Constabulary Control room using the 0845 045 4545 number unless an emergency response is required, when 999 should be used. Please could you ensure that ALL your members are informed that anything they see or hear that is suspicious is reported IMMEDIATELY. Please confirm back to me that members have been made aware of the situation - it is vital that we work together on this. Thank you for your help. Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind regards Sue Sue Gibson
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| 25/06/07 | Doorstep
Crime Dear All, Please find attached an article from Simon Theobalds reference doorstep crime. I thought you may like to use it in your newsletters or for general dissemination. Kind regards Sue Gibson |
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| 10/11/06 | Rogue
Traders Nearby
It
has come to our attention that rogue tarmaccers are operating in the
Waterlooville and Cowplain areas. They are cold calling and not giving
cancellation rights.
Residents are advised never to agree to this type of work offered at the door. If you have already agreed to work done or have further information please call our quick response team on 01329 316215. Please pass on this warning as widely as possible within this area Joy
Forrow
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| 18/07/06 |
Official NW sign
supplier for Hampshire PCMI Signs & Engraving
Type A, for lampposts
Postage & packing: Type A:
one sign £5.00, two £7.00 and three £9.00 price when ordering
Type B:
one sign £2.00, two £3.00, three £4.00 and four £5.00
Terms: Cash with order. Cheques should be made
payable to Portsmouth City Council.
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| 31/03/06 |
Hampshire
Horsewatch Details of the scheme which has been running since 2000 can be found on the web site. The scheme has over 1750 members and networks across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and nationally. The scheme works in partnership with Hampshire Constabulary through its voluntary Equine Liaison Officer scheme. The aims and objective of the scheme is crime prevention and reduction within the equine community but using the membership to extend beyond to other individuals.
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| 03/11/05 |
PCSO
gets on his bike thanks to Neighbourhood Watch
North East Hampshire Police Community Support Officer Simon Porter can now get around his Blackwater beat more easily thanks to support from Neighbourhood Watch and Halfords. Blackwater Neighbourhood Watch Group raised £300 to buy PCSO Porter a bicycle, with Halfords at Farnborough Gate Retail Park supplying the cycle and servicing for three years. Chief Inspector Neil Sherrington, Deputy Commander of North East Hampshire, said: "The generous donation from Neighbourhood Watch means there will always be a bike available for PCSO Porter to use to be a visible and reassuring presence on his beat, which can take many hours to patrol on foot. He may also be able to respond to reports of minor antisocial behaviour more quickly, rather than us having to take a police officer away from emergency response duties. It's really good to see the
community joining with us in this way to contribute to something which
can only improve our visibility in the area, deterring crime and
antisocial behaviour".
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| 21/09/05 |
Hampshire
Constabulary reorganisation (project codename Forward Together) The Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary has announced the re-organisation of the Force’s territorial boundaries with the aim of ensuring we are fit to meet all the policing challenges that lie ahead To read more see details | |||||||
| 08/09/05 | Identity
Theft
A campaign to alert public to Identity Theft and various prevention measures. As detailed on Home Office website- http://www.identity-theft.org.uk/
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| 08/09/05 |
STATEMENT ON PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH ON ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR FROM
THE NATIONAL NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH ASSOCIATION
National Neighbourhood Watch Association Chairman Roy Rudham has welcomed Prime Minister Tony Blair's announcement today to do more to clamp down on anti social behaviour by beefing up powers to impose new orders on bad parents.
Mr Rudham said:"A recent survey conducted by the National
Neighbourhoodwatch Association revealed that dealing with yob culture
was the number one concern. There is a second war on terror that needs
to be fought in Britain today and that is the fight against the yobs
who bring terror to doorsteps and high streets across Britain.
"Along with tougher legislation we need a strong dose of 'people
power' in order to restore respect in our communities. We will be
meeting with Home Office officials later this month to discuss ways in
which neighbourhood watch can do more to make our communities safer
and more secure."
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| 29/08/05 |
Scams
Where you and I can be conned out of our money - are estimated to cost us in the UK *1 billion per year… There are hundreds of types - fake lotteries, prize draws, incredible schemes to make money quickly, fake investment plans, work from home schemes…the list goes on. To protect yourself against scams - stop and think about what you are being offered and, above all, be sceptical . If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you discover a scam or have been a victim of one, alert your family and friends and report it to the police, your local trading standards service or your local citizens advice bureau. The people behind the scams want to steal your money - don't let them get away with it. The Office of Fair Trading is running a campaign on how to recognise scams and avoid falling for them. Call 0800 389 3158 for a free leaflet or go to http://www.oft.gov.uk/Consumer/Scams/default.htm for further information or to download a copy.
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| 27/02/04 |
Underage Sales
Trading Standards has a responsibility to enforce laws designed to protect the health and wellbeing of children and young people from harmful and damaging products. | |||||||
| 20/12/03 |
Doorstoppers project
Anyone can be targeted but the elderly are particularly vulnerable and there have been cases where people have parted with thousands of pounds. The linked press release from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) gives all the details. If you come across people who have been victims please ask them to phone our advice line on 0845 603 0081 and we can pass them over to the OFT. | |||||||
| 20/12/03 |
Christmas Crime
The holiday season is a time when many people are away visiting family and friends or simply getting some winter sun. Unfortunately, burglars love Christmas as much as we do | |||||||
| 22/07/03 | It is a lot safer if strangers know nothing about you, so don't put your name by your door bell. | |||||||
| 09/07/03 | The Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service are continually looking to improve their services to the public, if you would like to know more about home fire safety visit their website. | |||||||
| 04/04/03 | Stop, Chain and Check - How to beat the bogus caller is an advice leaflet, with information and guidance to protect yourself and vulnerable members of your family. Get a copy of the leaflet from the Crime Reduction Website. | |||||||
| 07/03/03 | When you park your car do not leave anything on display. To check how safe your car is check on www.secureyourmotor.gov.uk. | |||||||
