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Rural South Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter

25 April 2012

DIANE's DIALOGUE:

SCAMS SCAMS SCAMS
One of my co-ordinators reports having had 2 recorded calls from a very well spoken English female voice inviting them to deal with any Payment Protection Insurance [PPI] mis-selling claims they may have. The voice invites you to speak to an adviser by pressing 5 or not (press 9). By pressing a number at this point it may connect you to a super-premium call phone at your expense. Please warn your neighbours never to press any number on their phone when they receive an unsolicited call in from outside.

If you think you have been sold a PPI that you did not want or ask for, then you should go back to whoever sold the policy to you or to the Financial Services Association [FSA] website. The original provider of the Payment Protection Insurance will almost certainly be helpful in identifying whether you have a potential claim or not.

PROPERTY MARKING – WHY DO IT?
Now you may not want your stolen goods back once you have received the insurance money for them, BUT: another benefit of marking and registering your property with Immobilise is that it can enable the police to catch a thief. At a recent public meeting, an SNT Sergeant told a meeting of the frustration officers feel when having to return goods that they are convinced were stolen, back to the thief because there was no way of identifying the goods as being stolen. So, mark your property and help to catch a thief!!"

MARK IT - Lost it, found it, GOT IT BACK [because it had my postcode on it]

POLICE WARNING ON CATALYCTIC CONVERTERS
Police in Bury St Edmunds are reminding drivers of 4x4s and commercial vehicles to take precautions to keep their catalytic converters safe, following further thefts in the area.

Catalytic converters were stolen from vehicles in Boldero Road at around 10pm on Saturday 21 April.

Sgt Davy Hill said: "We will continue to gather intelligence and remain visible in the community to identify and target offenders. We're urging anyone who sees any suspicious activity in the area to us immediately." "There are some simple steps you can take to make your vehicle safer. Parking parallel to another vehicle can make access difficult. It's best to keep your vehicle in a garage if possible, and ensure it is fitted with an alarm. "Security marking your catalytic converter can be very effective and can help to identify it as a stolen item. You can contact you local crime reduction officer on 101 for more information."

You can take the following steps to keep your vehicle safe:
• Private vehicles should be kept in a well-secured garage where possible, and if no garage is available, in a well-lit, public area.
• Vehicles can be parked in such a way as to make access to the catalytic converter difficult, or parallel with another vehicle if you own one.
• Commercial vehicles should also be kept in a locked building or compound.
• Use alarms, lighting and CCTV to deter thieves.
• Remove items of value from your vehicle whilst unattended and keep it secure at all times.
• Mark your catalytic converter - etching the part and spraying with heat-resistant paint. Contact your local crime reduction officer on 101 for more information

CABLE THEFT - How can you help?
There are a few things that are indicators of suspicious activity, keep a look out for things like:
· Work being carried out in streets and on roads by people not wearing hi-visibility vests and using unmarked vans, flatbed trucks and 4x4 vehicles
· Removed or disturbed cable box covers in the pavement or at the side of the road
· Any sites where there is a large quantity of cable in an unusual place, e.g. local scrap dealers
· Palls of unusual thick black smoke particularly seen in rural areas or an indication of unusual burning activity
What should I do if I see something suspicious?

If you see something suspicious and think it might be related to cable theft, please report it immediately to your local POLICE on 101.
…Or you can call the BT HOTLINE on 0800 321 999
…Or contact CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111.
A reward is offered for information leading to a conviction.

Don't let that thief affect your line!

OLYMPICS LOTTERY TICKET SCAM:
Suffolk Trading Standards Warn of Olympics Lottery Ticket Scam
Bogus Olympic lottery letters are being sent to unsuspecting Suffolk residents.

Suffolk Trading Standards is warning people to look out for the scam letters which illegally use the Olympic and London 2012 logos and tell recipients they have won a prize of £525,000.

The letters claim that all recipients have to do is return a payment processing form, by fax, with their personal details to receive the full sum of money. However, these personal details are actually being forwarded to criminal gangs operating abroad.

Any information residents send to claim their non-existent prize is used to carry out identification theft. The letters use false names and addresses, usually of large office blocks, and ‘0207’ telephone numbers purchased to give the impression they are based in London.

Suffolk Trading Standards is issuing the following advice and guidance:
• It is unlikely that London 2012 will be asking individuals to pay for goods or services, whether directly to it or through agents, other than ticket sales and official London 2012 merchandise. Therefore such lottery letters are almost certainly going to be bogus.
• Bogus Olympic information will typically use poor quality reproductions of the Olympic logos.
• Trading Standards do not know of any official lottery operators who ask for fees to collect winnings – any request for a fee payment is a good indication that someone is a fraud.
• Never respond to these lottery letters – this will only lead to further contact.

Colin Spence, Suffolk County Council’s portfolio holder for public protection said: “Sadly, in the next few months, it is very likely that Olympic related scams will be on the increase. With this in mind, it is vital that people remain extra vigilant around this time.

“Residents should not be afraid to discard any suspicious letters. It is important to trust your instincts as if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.”

About this Newsletter:
This update was brought to you by:

Diane Townsend
Community Watch & Safer Neighbourhood Team Liaison Officer
for St Edmundsbury & Forest Heath
Tel: 01284 774499

Contact your SNT:
Dial 101 and ask for them by name or collar number.

St Edmundsbury Rural South Safer Neighburhood Team Inspector:
PETER FERRIE - (based at Haverhill Police Station)

SNT Sergeant: Sgt 696 KEVIN JAY

SNT OFFICERS:
PC 704 RUTH HORTON
PC 18 PATRICIA SINCLAIR

PCSOs:

PCSO 3219 KAYLA PACKMAN
PCSO 3071 RYAN WILSON

Rural Villages Covered:

Barnardiston, Great & Little Bradley, Brockley, Cavendish, Chedburgh, Chevington, Clare, Cowlinge, Depden, Denston, Hargrave, Hawkedon, Hawstead, Hundon, Kedington, Lidgate, Ousden, Poslingford, Rede,
Stoke-by-Clare, Stansfield, Stradishall, Great & Little Thurlow, Thurston End, Whepstead, Wickhambrook, Great & Little Wratting, Withersfield, Wixoe

The following link takes you directly to the Suffolk Constabulary Webpage where you can get all the latest news in addition to accessing your SNT's Homepage.

Suffolk Police Website = http://www.Suffolk.police.uk
Click on the link below to take you to the
Suffolk Police Facebook page

KEEPING UP TO DATE WITH NHW
Please use the following link
http://www.mynhw.co.uk htm

POLICE DIRECT
Please encourage friends and family to sign up to Police Direct. News brought direct to you either by SMS text , Email or Landline. It costs nothing to join, and the messages are free also. Please use this link to sign up now.

HORSEWATCH
For further inforformation on Horsewatch please contact:
JULIE DENNIS, Community Safety Unit on 01473 613994
Email: horsewatch@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

FARMWATCH
For further information on FarmWatch please contact:
PHIL KEMP at Mid Suffolk on 01473-383388
Email: farmwatch@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM INFORMATION
Your Safer Neighbourhood Team based at Clare continues to work closely with partners and local communities to deal with problems highlighted by local people and providing a visible presence in the villages.

We want to hear your views on local crime and policing.

To help us with this we hold regular meetings where you can tell us your concerns and set our priorities.

All the information you might need about who the members of your local team are, where you can meet them plus a great deal more can be found by using the following links that takes you directly into the St Edmundsbury South Homepage. Links to Crime statistics, and Court Results, are also included. There really is a lot of useful information to be found there so click the link.

This link takes you directly into the SNT Homepage. Wealth of information can be found on the homepage with a full listing of all the up and coming engagements your SNT are due to attend.

Please check you local SNT website lest there be any last minute changes to the above engagements which may occur due to operational reasons

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
Please note the following direct link into the National NHW and Home Watch site
http://www.mynhw.co.uk/

SNT NEWS
More information regarding the SNT priorities and details of how we intend to police these problems, see your local Neighbourhood Policing web site http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/SaferSuffolk

Monthly statistics are available on the Suffolk County Council website. Just go into http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/ Put in the field Crime Statistics then click on interactive crime summary xls.

REPORTING CRIMINAL ACTS
Please dial 999 if immediate response needed.

If you wish to report criminal activity in your area anonymously please ring the Crime Stoppers number 0800 555111

The Police non emergency is 101 or you can e-mail your SNT.

CRIME REDUCTION AND COMMUNITY SAFETY
CRIME REDUCTION OFFICER & ALO
BERNARD PLUME
Tel: 01284 774141
Email: Bernard.plume@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

Community Watch & SNT Liaison Officer (CWLO)
Morva Wortley
Tel: 01284 774041
Email: Morva.Wortley@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

COMMUNITY WATCH & SNT LIAISON OFFICER
DIANE TOWNSEND TEL 01284 774499
Email: diane.townsend@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

Crime Updates

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