The Molesey, Dittons & Hinchley Wood Neighbourhood Watch Group Chairman – John Haberfield

Contact Tel 0208 398 5256 Email [email protected]

AUTUMN / WINTER 2014 The Newsletter Goes Digital Welcome to the first digital edition of our regular 6-monthly newsletter, and thanks to all of you for registering as members and providing your email addresses. The clocks have gone back and we’re now into the darker evenings, so time to remember some seasonal security points; keep your front and back doors shut and locked even when you are at home; set your burglar alarm every time you leave home; have security lights that come on at dusk and off at dawn; and make sure your house looks occupied even when it isn’t – use timers to turn interior lights on and off. John Haberfield

I’m OK; who needs Neighbourhood Watch? You may think that you have security covered. You have a burglar alarm, security lights, quality door and window locks, and your home is a fortress. Why would you need to do anything more; you’re safe. But are you? You don’t live in isolation; you’re part of a community, among other houses and neighbours. If the road you live in has security weaknesses it is at risk from burglars, conmen, fraudsters, vandals and other undesirables, and once they see opportunities in your road they will exploit them. In which case you’d better hope your security is better than your neighbours’, as they’ll pick on the easiest. And if your neighbours’ security is weaker than yours, it’s a good route into your garden, shed, garage and home. So what are these weaknesses? A few examples; refuse bins left where they can be moved to help someone climb over a wall; side gates left unlocked in darker areas away from the street lights; cars left unlocked in the driveway; garages and sheds left unlocked (can someone get easily into your neighbour’s garden, open an unlocked shed and take a spade, hop over into your back garden and lever open a window or patio door in your house?) When a couple of tradesmen knock at a neighbour’s door to sell something / offer to buy antiques / warn about loose roof tiles that need work and give them a calling card that has only a name and a mobile phone number on it, does your neighbour send them away, call you to warn you and phone 101 or Trading Standards to report it? Or is your door the next to be called at? The Neighbourhood Watch aims to inform you about the risks, including the ever more realistic cons and scams, so that you are informed and prepared should you encounter them. These can be from door step callers, phone calls or emails. Also about security measures such as arranging with a neighbour to put your bins out for bin day (even if they’re empty) when you are away and perhaps having them park a car in your driveway to make your home look inhabited. Advice about siting of security lighting, planting of shrubs to make climbing over walls and fences or accessing windows more difficult. Provision of door and window stickers and road signs to warn off potential miscreants. This only works properly if you and your neighbours work together; you need to be able to trust your neighbours’ security and they need to trust yours. Some of you neighbours may be elderly or infirm and their homes may appear to be easy targets; help them protect themselves and you’re also protecting your whole neighbourhood including your own home.

Recent reports of scams, cons etc. – just a few of the many reported Telephone Preference Service (TPS) scam: (from one of our members) Midday I was called: 'Telephoning from the Telephone Preference Service. Are you having troubles with scam calls? This service is coming to an end and we need to update your details'. I've learned to be wary so asked for the telephone number of the TPS, which she gave. When she embarked upon identity questions I said I don't reveal these over the telephone; I'll telephone you. Of course, I’ve checked the number she gave against the TPS telephone numbers and unsurprisingly it’s not there.

Genuine phone calls you shouldn’t respond to: (report from one of our members) I received a strange phone call from British Gas wanting to check my account details. She asked me to confirm my house number and postcode. During the conversation, she told me I was not registered for Nectar points with them to which I replied that I was. She asked if I had a nectar card and I sensed she wanted me to give her the number which I did not want to do but I assured her that I was receiving nectar points. She went on to state how much I was paying to British Gas per month at which point I told her that I was not happy with the content of the conversation and that I was terminating the call, which I did. After the call I checked via 1471 the number that had called which was 0800 1077473. When I entered this on Google it does appear to be a genuine British Gas number but why would they call when they have all my details on line? Increasingly, Sales & Marketing departments of major companies are calling their own customers to offer new products or services. By virtue of this existing relationship they will have customers’ personal details and probably financial information if customers have service contracts with them. So, when they call, they have to ensure that they are talking to the actual customer, otherwise they risk discussing customers details with someone else and infringe Data Privacy regulations. So, they ask for personal information to confirm against the data they hold for the customer. Here’s the ‘Catch 22’ situation; you, receiving the call, can’t tell whether they really are who they say they are, so you shouldn’t give them any personal information, otherwise you may be opening yourself up to a personal identity scam. What should you do? Well it depends whether you’re interested in what they’re offering. If you’re not, just tell them, and hang up. (It’s their problem, not yours!). If you are, ask them for their name and phone number so you can call them –BUT first check this is a valid phone number for the company, in case it IS a scam. Going away? Don’t advertise it! Earlier in the year there had been an increase in burglaries across Molesey and The Dittons, and a number had occurred when the occupants were on holiday. It’s possible that people are being targeted because they are known to be away, so please be careful not to advertise the fact that you are going on, or are on, holiday. It’s not a good idea to announce your plans on social media or to post messages and pictures while you are away! No matter how careful you think you may have been with on-line security, you cannot be certain that people other than your friends and relations have gained access to your postings. Better to wait until you return home, and then share you holiday pictures. And please be extra vigilant; if you see anything suspicious, particularly with any neighbour’s property where you know they are on holiday, call 999 immediately.

Our new Neighbourhood Community Safety Team Earlier in the year, Surrey Police Neighbourhood Teams underwent a review and restructure which resulted in new 'Community Safety Teams' being formed in April. Your local Neighbourhood Teams are still in place (West Molesey, East Molesey & Weston Green, The Dittons & Hinchley Wood), but in addition, there are now separate Community Safety Teams (one each for East, West and North Surrey Divisions respectively), which incorporate what previously had been separate, specialist operating units within boroughs. Each Community Safety Team now includes a mixture of police officers and civilian posts, and a broad array of different disciplines and skill sets with Youth Intervention Officers, Casualty Reduction Officers, Crime Reduction Advisors, and Licensing and Drugs Liaison Officers. Each specialism has undergone staffing changes with fewer experts covering a wider geographic area, and there are no longer any specialist PCSOs working alongside the police staff. This presents new challenges; keeping up to date with a broader range of procedural and legal changes, and specialist personnel with in-depth experience of one borough now learning afresh other boroughs in the Division. Our Northern Division Team of 11 staff are now centralised and operating from Runneymede council offices (the one building with the space available to accommodate them), with the exception of the Elmbridge Youth Intervention Officer (Phil Jebb), still located in Elmbridge Civic Centre, as we are lucky enough to have one such officer per borough. I am responsible for the Northern Team (covering the boroughs of Elmbridge, Spelthorne and Runnymede) and for the aforementioned officers but, in addition, I am also now the Neighbourhood Watch 'Point of Contact' for Surrey Police. Most of my 15 year police career to date has been proudly spent in 'Neighbourhood Policing', and so I am an avid supporter of Neighbourhood Watch and understand the benefits that NHW brings to communities and to the local policing teams. For those who don’t know me, I was the Neighbourhood Officer for Dittons & Hinchley Wood for 5 years prior to moving to Woking in Sept 2010 on promotion to Sergeant, then returning to Elmbridge as Neighbourhood Specialist Sergeant for The Dittons, Hinchley Wood, Claygate and Esher from Jan 2012. In October 2013 I moved to Spelthorne as Neighbourhood Sergeant for Ashford, before taking on my current role. I look forward to working closely with the local NHW teams across the region.

Andy Grapsas Community Safety Sergeant (Northern Division)

A note from our Crime Reduction Advisor Firstly, I would like to talk about the crime figures. Overall it makes fairly good reading with reductions in Burglary Dwelling, Theft Of & From Motor Vehicle. There are relatively small increases in Burglary NonDwelling & Criminal Damage. That being said, the crimes are down in all categories for the same period last year which is definitely a positive. My last comment is said with trepidation as such figures could lead to complacency and that is when we can become less vigilant and careless about security. Unfortunately the latter is still the case with insecure houses and vehicles accounting for a number of our crimes, particularly in respect of theft from motor vehicles. So how do we avoid complacency? Surrey Police throughout the year run a number of campaigns using a predictive calendar targeting the crime that is more likely to rise at that time of the year. As we approach Christmas with the darker evenings and houses often more obviously unoccupied then Burglary Dwelling’s can th increase; therefore, commencing 27 October in partnership with Sussex, Hampshire and Thames Valley, Surrey police are leading ‘Operation Candlelight’ and here is a flavour of what it is all about, including a burglar’s story :Surrey Police is urging all residents to consider the potential impact of burglary on their life. Once a burglar invades your home, they take much more than possessions, threatening your feelings of security, safety and even happiness. Burglars are astute – to understand what is going on in their head, and preventing them getting into yours, one rehabilitated offender explains: “I walked around just looking at people’s houses to see if there was an easy target – I just assessed people’s homes to see if I could get in, and as a career burglar I could do this in seconds. It was only when I met two of my victims face- to- face that it began to dawn on me what I had done – I had ruined many lives.” Don’t let them in … Lock it… Double check all windows and doors are securely locked before leaving home. Also, make sure sheds and gates are locked, and even that outside bins are not left where burglars could use them as a stepping stone. Light it… If your working hours mean that you don’t get home until after dark, please consider installing timed lighting within your property. List it… Register your valuables on immobilise https://www.immobilise.com/index.php. This will increase the chances of you being reunited with your property should it be stolen. Report any suspicious activity by calling 101 or in an emergency dial 999.

Elaine Burtenshaw Crime Reduction Advisor

CRIME STATISTICS 1st March 2014 – 30th August 2014 Previous 6 months figures in ( ) East Molesey & Weston Green

West Molesey

Burglary-Dwelling

19

(20)

6

(13)

19

(27)

44

(60)

51

Burglary-Non Dwelling

12

(10)

8

(7)

13

(13)

33

(30)

35

Theft Of Vehicle

2

(6)

2

(7)

4

(8)

8

(21)

12

Theft From Vehicle

16

(17)

7

(9)

21

(29)

44

(55)

61

Criminal Damage MA/

23

(13)

53

(44)

29

(36)

105

(93)

132

N/A

(2)

N/A

(0)

N/A

(2)

N/A

(4)

4

0 N/A 2 N/A 0 N/A 2 N/A * No Robbery statistics were submitted for the last newsletter so they are non-comparable.

0

Robbery-Person Robbery-Business

Dittons & Hinchley Wood

2013 Spring Totals

Totals

Neighbourhood Panel Meetings - Dates to put in your diary West Molesey

The Library, The Forum, Walton Road

East Molesey Thames Ditton & Weston Green Long Ditton Hinchley Wood

Refresh, 129 Walton Road Vera Fletcher Hall, Embercourt Road St Mary’s School, Sugden Road St Christopher’s Church Hall

th

– 8:00 pm, Wed 10 Dec 2014 th – 8:00 pm, Wed 11 Mar 2015 th – 7.30 pm, Wed 12 Nov 2014 th – 8:00 pm, Tue 11 Nov 2014 th – 8:00 pm, Thurs 20 Nov 2014 th – 8:00 pm, Thurs 11 Dec 2014

Numbers To Keep

Useful Websites

IMMEDIATE POLICE RESPONSE

999

POLICE NEW NON-EMERGENCY 101 Surrey Police www.surrey.police.uk CRIMESTOPPERS (anonymous) www.crimestoppers-uk.org

0800 555 111

CRIME REDUCTION ADVISER (CRA) ELAINE BURTENSHAW [email protected]

101+ 37350

ESHER POLICE STATION Monday-Friday: 8:45am to 5:00pm

101

TRADING STANDARDS via Citizens Advice consumer service

08454 04 05 06

ELMBRIDGE COMMUNITY SAFETY 01372 474398 Email: [email protected] Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElmbridgeBC# NOISE COMPLAINTS

01372 474750

ABANDONED VEHICLES, GRAFFITI, LITTER Clean Up Line 01372 474474 SURREY FIRE & RESCUE Home Fire Risk Check Contact Centre

01737 242444 0800 085 0767 03456 009 009

VOLUNTARY ACTION ELMBRIDGE

01372 463587

www.ourwatch.org.uk

www.banksafeonline.org.uk www.bba.org.uk www.cardwatch.org.uk www.communities.gov.uk www.crimeconcernuk.net www.getsafeonline.org www.homeoffice.gov.uk www.identitytheft.org.uk www.rightupyourstreet.net www.surreycc.gov.uk www.surreypa.gov.uk www.thisismoney.co.uk www.immobilise.com Residents Associations: www.esher-residents.com www.moleseyresidentsassociation.org.uk www.hinchleywood.org.uk www.residents-association.com (Thames Ditton & Weston Green) www.longditton.org

Crime Maps These can be found on www.police.uk then all you have to do is select ‘Crime map’ and type in your postcode

SelectaDNA Forensic DNA marking kits still available for the fantastic price of £18.00 – original price £49. To order: Email [email protected] or call John Haberfield.

www.vae.org.uk

TELEPHONE/FAX/MAIL PREFERENCE SERVICE To stop unsolicited sales or marketing calls Phone www.tpsonline.org.uk 0845 070 0707 Fax calls www.fpsonline.org.uk 0845 070 0702 Mail www.mpsonline.org.uk 0845 703 4599 To report suspicious activity call:  Crimestoppers  Anti-Terrorist Hotline

– 0800 555 111 – 0800 789 321

Or in an emergency call 999

Information for Residents About The No Cold Calling Sticker Scheme Fed up receiving visits at your home from cold calling traders? Concerned about rogue traders calling on your elderly or vulnerable neighbours, seeking work? If so, say "no" to cold calling doorstep traders with a Surrey Trading Standards door sticker. Contact your Crime Reduction Advisor or Elmbridge Community Safety

Neighbourhood Panel Meetings Visit www.surrey.police.uk, put in your postcode and view Meeting Points for any set dates. NHW SIGN INSTALLATION Tracey Spreadborough Tel: 020 8979 2660 Email: [email protected]

Keep Them Out!



Remember Burglars don’t like locked windows, because breaking the glass attracts attention



Remember Burglars don’t like security deadlocks on doors because they can’t open them from the inside, and have to leave through a window Remember Many burglaries take place during the day

 Remember Lock your car at all times when parking  Remember On winter evenings keep lights on at home when out  Remember With Christmas coming, keep wrapped presents away from sight of prying eyes  Remember Most burglars enter a premises from the rear 

YOUR NHW STREET CO-ORDINATOR IS:

