.......there are  vacancies on the committee for area co-ordinators.

We need your help to combat crime.

To join us, Send an email from the 'Contacts' page

Last month a “modern” crime caused a lot of distress to a personal friend when his car was broken into, while parked outside a pub after he had spent the day out walking in Derbyshire.  After reporting the crime to the police and spending a lot of time going over the details and loss of belongings, he finally got home looking forward to a cup of tea, a hot shower and a bit of peace and quiet.  Instead he walked into a crime scene!  The criminal who had attacked his car had found his address on documents in the car and, realising the victim would be delayed, had taken the opportunity to ransack the house.  The best advice is not to leave documents with your name and address in a parked car.  If you have a Satnav, do not leave it ready-primed with your home address. Thieves have been known to steal the keys to a parked car and use the Satnav to drive to the house, banking on finding it unoccupied.  If the bunch of keys includes a house key as well, their task is that much easier. 

 

Please bear in mind that criminals are looking forward to Christmas just as much as the rest of us, but for very different reasons.  They know that the season of goodwill and festive merriment can be a prime time for opportunistic crime.  A few basic precautions can help ensure a happier celebration. 

ü      Never leave a pile of attractively wrapped presents where they can be seen through a window.  They can attract the wrong person.  

ü      Never store expensive presents in a shed or garage until the 25^th.  Perhaps your neighbour will oblige? 

ü      Car parks are danger spots!  Thieves watch from a parked vehicle to see who is putting stuff into the boot, either on arrival in the car park (for safety!) or as a first load before going back for more.  It takes about five seconds to break into the boot of the average car.

ü      Leaving items on view in a parked car is sheer folly.  They about as safe as a wallet left under a goldfish bowl on the pavement. 

ü       Try not to get distracted at this busy time.  Build up a safe routine with bank cards, always making sure they are stowed securely before moving on to the next job.

ü      Cash machines need special care.  Always examine the card slot carefully to guard against the clever extra attachment which can clone your card.  Beware of strangers offering help, or suggesting you have dropped something.  They may be genuine, but they may be trying to distract you.  Stop the transaction if someone gets too near.

ü      Goodwill to all does not apply to burglars!  Keep doors and windows locked.  Nationwide a third of all burglaries occur via unsecured entry points.   

 

We had a successful morning at the shopping precinct on Saturday 26^th

 

September, selling a selection of alarms and security equipment and providing our annual free postcoding service to cycle owners in Ravenshead.  Ten more Ravenshead cycles are now clearly post coded and that bit more secure.  Cycles stamped with a postcode are identifiable, less likely to be stolen and, if recovered after a theft, they can be returned to the owner.

If you happen to own a really valuable cycle, you may be interested in the latest “high-tech” gadget to protect your machine.  The Datatag Security System consists of both visible and invisible identifiers, including a Datatag transponder that gives the bike a unique electronic fingerprint.  Using a scanner, police can identify a machine instantly and check the owner’s details on a database.  The system normally costs £11, but PCSO Chris Shaw at the Ravenshead Contact Point has a limited number of FREE Datatag kits for Ravenshead residents.  They can also be used on mobility scooters.  Please call in at the Contact Point during opening hours for more details.  First come, first served! 

The number of burglaries in our village is a worrying feature at present.  Burglars seem to know when a house is unoccupied, even if it’s only for a short period. 

ü      Always try to make it look as though you’re in when you’re out!  Lights, and a radio or TV in the front room can help. 

ü      Nationwide about one third of all burglaries occur on insecure homes, when a window or door is left unlocked. 

ü      Very few houses with a working burglar alarm are broken into. 

ü      Most burglars are opportunists and look for an easy way in, where they can work unobserved.  Rear windows, doors secluded behind shrubs, or a dark corner are their favourite entry points. 

ü      Please phone the police to report any casual door knockers, i.e. people calling on some pretext such as tree felling or drain maintenance.  They may be honest folk, but burglars often knock at doors to find out whether the house is occupied.  A description of any vehicle and the direction the caller is heading would be very useful. 

 

NOTICE: The phone number to contact Notts County Police Control Room has been changed.  From now on, to contact the police for any reason other than an emergency, the number to use is               0300 300 99 99         0300 300 99 99.  In an emergency, e.g. suspicious behaviour or a criminal act, dial the usual 999.  While on the subject of phoning the police, remember what to do if a neighbour’s burglar alarm is triggered.  Because there are many false alarms the general rule is that the police will not routinely attend an incident where the alarm is sounding, unless there is evidence of criminal activity.  On hearing an alarm, if it is possible to do so without undue risk, take a look round the property for signs of forced entry or anything unusual.  Phone the police only if there is clearly something seriously wrong.

 

Patio doors or French windows, opening on to the garden or a conservatory, are usually regarded as an attractive and useful feature of a house. It is an unfortunate fact that so often they also provide an easy entry into our homes for the opportunist burglar.  French windows should have strong bolts top and bottom on both sides, and be fitted with hinge bolts if they open outwards.  Sliding doors should be equipped with anti-lifting locks, and can be made more secure by placing a stout piece of timber of the right length along the track to prevent the door being forced open when the house is unoccupied.  

 

Most of us are well aware that it is a basic crime prevention measure to keep ladders locked away.  A burglar could always use them to break into our house, or a neighbour’s.  The same rule applies to garden tools.  A spade or garden fork is a handy implement for someone anxious not to be found going about carrying tools to be used for burglary.  Please treat all tools as potential burglar equipment and, like the ladders, keep them securely locked away when not in use.  For the same reason, it is not a good idea to leave garage doors open when driving off, even for a quick trip.  Not only does it betray the fact that you are out, tools in the garage could possibly help a burglar to break in.   

 

Finally, if our home is secure and a burglar is hesitating about trying his luck, a further deterrent is the knowledge that property in the house is marked.  An ultra violet pen, available from your Street Coordinator, is a cheap and easy way to mark valuables with your postcode and house number.

Use Smartwater, whereby valuables are marked with a unique identifier. The registration system records the owner of any marked property and allows it to be identified and returned, if it is recovered after a theft. .  For more details about Smartwater, please ask at the Contact Point.   Notts Police also work in partnership with the Immobilise Property Registration Scheme.  Items registered on a database can be returned to the owner if recovered, and the police can actively search to compare recovered property with the items on the register.  More details can be found at www.immobilise.com   Whichever system is used, it is important to place a sticker in an obvious place, to advise that property is marked.  A burglar will hesitate before breaking in if he knows the goods are traceable.

 

  Call the police on               0300-300-9999         0300-300-9999 if you have any suspicions.