Welcome to LNWA Newsletter - Issue 58 - produced to maintain your contact with LNWA and e-mailed to all 32 Boroughs plus the City. Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) are regularly updated so, if you are receiving it for the first time, it’s because you are identified as the Neighbourhood Watch Contact for your Borough. LNWA, is anxious information reaches the "grass roots" so please ensure everyone in a Watch in your Borough is encouraged to read this Newsletter which is also accessible via our website, http://www.lnwa.net/
NEIGHBOURHOOD & HOME WATCH NETWORK
The July edition of the Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network newsletter is now available at: http://www.ourwatch.org.uk/uploads/general/ourwatch_July2012.pdf
DIAMOND CHAMPIONS
The ‘Diamond Champions’ campaign is a nationwide search, spearheaded by The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, seeking to reward and acknowledge wonderful contributions made to society by volunteers over 60 years of age. The campaign is on the hunt for unsung heroes, aged over 60, who volunteer to help others in their communities. People across the country are being encouraged to nominate those in their local areas who really make a difference to their communities. You may want to nominate someone in your Neighbourhood Watch scheme or someone you have met in the course of your Neighbourhood Watch work. For more information on how to nominate and the campaign more generally, visit: www.wrvs.org.uk/get-involved/diamond-champions
Hurry, the closing date is Friday, 27th July!
HOME OFFICE
The Home Office has added new content to its website. Aimed at Community Safety Partnerships, is a new Award Programme for initiatives designed to reduce crime and improve community safety. If you recently completed (or are due to complete) an innovative, successful crime/community safety initiative, it could win an award that would recognise your hard work. The page details national, international and local award programmes of interest to organisations in the crime and community safety arena. To see if your work fits into the wide array of categories, go to: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/partnerships/Other-award-programmes/
More interesting content can be found under Crime and Policing News and the latest update can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/police/crime-police-news-2012/crime-pol-news-jun-2012?view=Html
CRIME PREVENTION NEWS
The latest from Crime Prevention News can be found at: http://www.crp-news.com/
HOW SECURE IS YOUR HOME?
Some of you will have seen this but Bromley Police sent a pamphlet entitled “How Secure Is Your Home”. It’s a PDF so, rather than attaching it as a “link” to that the Met. Police firewall may reject, you can find it on the new Bromley Neighbourhood Watch Association website: http://www.bbnwa.co.uk/joomla/index.php/breaking-news
Just click on the underlined link to “Latest police home security pamphlet”
OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING – DOORSTEP SELLING CAMPAIGN
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has just launched a campaign against doorstep selling and campaign materials are now available to download from the OFT website; go to: http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/consumer-protection/campaign11-12/doorstep/;jsessionid=DE24EDB0A37F477BCD820B26CB79AD10
SCAM
We published a warning about the following scam in Bromley and found a resident of the Borough had been caught in the same way in the City. Here are the details as we received them so that you can pass on the warning:
“I was walking on Blackfriars Bridge Road and a man was walking in front, slightly slower. As I passed, he bent down to pick up a “gold” ring. He looked at me and asked if it was mine. I said not but he had me look at it and asked if I thought it was gold. He wanted me to take it from him but I wouldn't. He said he was from Yugoslavia and had no job, so I said it was his lucky day, to hand it in to the police and maybe earn a reward, or keep it if no one claims it. He then said he had no documentation so couldn't hand it in, pushed the ring into my hand and told me to do it. As I took it, he tried to engage me in conversation. All the time, we were walking; I didn't slow down or stop. He tried putting his arm round my shoulders so I pushed him away and guessed I was being scammed; maybe he was after my wallet. Then he asked for cash for lunch. I refused but he stepped in front of me and became increasingly agitated. I gave
him £2 and told him to leave but that made things worse. He became angry and demanded more cash but enough was enough. I made that clear and he left. The ring didn't look like gold but it had a “hallmark” inside so, on the off chance it was genuine, I handed it in at Charing Cross police station where they confirmed it was a scam.
The usual ploy is to attempt to pass the ring as gold and sell it to the passer by with a sob story. It’s actually highly polished, brass with a fake hallmark and worth a few pence. The scammers have pockets full of them. Sometimes, a similar scam takes place at an ATM. After you type your PIN, someone behind points out a dropped fiver or a 'gold' ring off to one side. As you're distracted, they reach behind you and press the button for the maximum amount of cash. When the cash comes out, they grab it and run. Whilst it’s, perhaps, what you would expect, this time they don't want your card or PIN, just the cash.”
DOCUMENTARY ON NOISE POLUTION
Blast! Films (http://www.blastfilms.co.uk/), based in North West London, is developing a documentary for Channel 4 about noise pollution, specifically residential noise pollution. The company is looking for interesting stories to interview victims, neighbours and perpetrators. For some of stories, Blast! Films will happily interview Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators, if involved in the issues. If you are interested in taking part, contact Roslyn Keiza, Assistant Producer at Blast! You can reach her on 0207 267 4260 (Ext. 220) or at rkeiza@blastfilms.co.uk
LIVING STEETS
The charity, Living Streets has asked for help to promote a new campaign to set people walking in London during 'the games'. An “Ice Cream” calculator has been created together with a series of challenges. Living Streets is looking for bloggers to write about the Ice Cream calculator and its quest to set Londoners walking. You may have been donning waterproof jackets, rather than sunglasses, in recent weeks but Living Streets hopes to bring a bit of sunshine. Enter how far you’ve walked to find out which ice cream treat you’ve burned off. There’s even a prize draw to win an instant lolly maker! To enter, go to: http://bit.ly/ICwalk or check out the press release at: http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/for-londoners-the-daily-commute-during-the-games-could-be-a-walk-in-the-park
MY CRIME PREVENTION
This month’s Links to the My Crime Prevention website centre on the recently released Crime Figures (published by the Office for National Statistics) where there is an “info graphic” identifying key trends. Headlines in National Media have focussed on levels of homicide being low, however a number of crime types that affect all of us have actually increased. These areas such as Bike theft have not received so much publicity. The graphic and source code can be found at http://www.mycrimeprevention.co.uk/home-garden-security/home-security/crime-figures/crime-figures-for-2011-12
Finally, on a lighter note, forget Miss World and Miss Universe, in Fiji they vote for Miss Crime Prevention: http://www.mycrimeprevention.co.uk/home-garden-security/home-security/miss-crime-prevention-what-we-can-learn-from-fiji
That’s all for this month. As usual, on behalf of LNWA, thank you for your work and support.
NEIGHBOURHOOD & HOME WATCH NETWORK
The July edition of the Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network newsletter is now available at: http://www.ourwatch.org.uk/uploads/general/ourwatch_July2012.pdf
DIAMOND CHAMPIONS
The ‘Diamond Champions’ campaign is a nationwide search, spearheaded by The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, seeking to reward and acknowledge wonderful contributions made to society by volunteers over 60 years of age. The campaign is on the hunt for unsung heroes, aged over 60, who volunteer to help others in their communities. People across the country are being encouraged to nominate those in their local areas who really make a difference to their communities. You may want to nominate someone in your Neighbourhood Watch scheme or someone you have met in the course of your Neighbourhood Watch work. For more information on how to nominate and the campaign more generally, visit: www.wrvs.org.uk/get-involved/diamond-champions
Hurry, the closing date is Friday, 27th July!
HOME OFFICE
The Home Office has added new content to its website. Aimed at Community Safety Partnerships, is a new Award Programme for initiatives designed to reduce crime and improve community safety. If you recently completed (or are due to complete) an innovative, successful crime/community safety initiative, it could win an award that would recognise your hard work. The page details national, international and local award programmes of interest to organisations in the crime and community safety arena. To see if your work fits into the wide array of categories, go to: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/partnerships/Other-award-programmes/
More interesting content can be found under Crime and Policing News and the latest update can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/police/crime-police-news-2012/crime-pol-news-jun-2012?view=Html
CRIME PREVENTION NEWS
The latest from Crime Prevention News can be found at: http://www.crp-news.com/
HOW SECURE IS YOUR HOME?
Some of you will have seen this but Bromley Police sent a pamphlet entitled “How Secure Is Your Home”. It’s a PDF so, rather than attaching it as a “link” to that the Met. Police firewall may reject, you can find it on the new Bromley Neighbourhood Watch Association website: http://www.bbnwa.co.uk/joomla/index.php/breaking-news
Just click on the underlined link to “Latest police home security pamphlet”
OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING – DOORSTEP SELLING CAMPAIGN
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has just launched a campaign against doorstep selling and campaign materials are now available to download from the OFT website; go to: http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/consumer-protection/campaign11-12/doorstep/;jsessionid=DE24EDB0A37F477BCD820B26CB79AD10
SCAM
We published a warning about the following scam in Bromley and found a resident of the Borough had been caught in the same way in the City. Here are the details as we received them so that you can pass on the warning:
“I was walking on Blackfriars Bridge Road and a man was walking in front, slightly slower. As I passed, he bent down to pick up a “gold” ring. He looked at me and asked if it was mine. I said not but he had me look at it and asked if I thought it was gold. He wanted me to take it from him but I wouldn't. He said he was from Yugoslavia and had no job, so I said it was his lucky day, to hand it in to the police and maybe earn a reward, or keep it if no one claims it. He then said he had no documentation so couldn't hand it in, pushed the ring into my hand and told me to do it. As I took it, he tried to engage me in conversation. All the time, we were walking; I didn't slow down or stop. He tried putting his arm round my shoulders so I pushed him away and guessed I was being scammed; maybe he was after my wallet. Then he asked for cash for lunch. I refused but he stepped in front of me and became increasingly agitated. I gave
him £2 and told him to leave but that made things worse. He became angry and demanded more cash but enough was enough. I made that clear and he left. The ring didn't look like gold but it had a “hallmark” inside so, on the off chance it was genuine, I handed it in at Charing Cross police station where they confirmed it was a scam.
The usual ploy is to attempt to pass the ring as gold and sell it to the passer by with a sob story. It’s actually highly polished, brass with a fake hallmark and worth a few pence. The scammers have pockets full of them. Sometimes, a similar scam takes place at an ATM. After you type your PIN, someone behind points out a dropped fiver or a 'gold' ring off to one side. As you're distracted, they reach behind you and press the button for the maximum amount of cash. When the cash comes out, they grab it and run. Whilst it’s, perhaps, what you would expect, this time they don't want your card or PIN, just the cash.”
DOCUMENTARY ON NOISE POLUTION
Blast! Films (http://www.blastfilms.co.uk/), based in North West London, is developing a documentary for Channel 4 about noise pollution, specifically residential noise pollution. The company is looking for interesting stories to interview victims, neighbours and perpetrators. For some of stories, Blast! Films will happily interview Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators, if involved in the issues. If you are interested in taking part, contact Roslyn Keiza, Assistant Producer at Blast! You can reach her on 0207 267 4260 (Ext. 220) or at rkeiza@blastfilms.co.uk
LIVING STEETS
The charity, Living Streets has asked for help to promote a new campaign to set people walking in London during 'the games'. An “Ice Cream” calculator has been created together with a series of challenges. Living Streets is looking for bloggers to write about the Ice Cream calculator and its quest to set Londoners walking. You may have been donning waterproof jackets, rather than sunglasses, in recent weeks but Living Streets hopes to bring a bit of sunshine. Enter how far you’ve walked to find out which ice cream treat you’ve burned off. There’s even a prize draw to win an instant lolly maker! To enter, go to: http://bit.ly/ICwalk or check out the press release at: http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/for-londoners-the-daily-commute-during-the-games-could-be-a-walk-in-the-park
MY CRIME PREVENTION
This month’s Links to the My Crime Prevention website centre on the recently released Crime Figures (published by the Office for National Statistics) where there is an “info graphic” identifying key trends. Headlines in National Media have focussed on levels of homicide being low, however a number of crime types that affect all of us have actually increased. These areas such as Bike theft have not received so much publicity. The graphic and source code can be found at http://www.mycrimeprevention.co.uk/home-garden-security/home-security/crime-figures/crime-figures-for-2011-12
Finally, on a lighter note, forget Miss World and Miss Universe, in Fiji they vote for Miss Crime Prevention: http://www.mycrimeprevention.co.uk/home-garden-security/home-security/miss-crime-prevention-what-we-can-learn-from-fiji
That’s all for this month. As usual, on behalf of LNWA, thank you for your work and support.
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