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Home Neighbourhood Watch 
Neighbourhood Watch Archive
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Neighbourhood Watch ArchiveCopies of Earlier Reports & News ItemsIndex:
Dear Residents, Can you help Hampshire Police in relation to the following crimes: If you saw anyone in the vicinity or perhaps on the roof of the school or anything in relation to the attempted break in and/or damage to the parked card, please call the Police or PC Reid. Please remember the importance of gathering and sharing information, it really is vital in the fight against crime that we do just that. Horse Thieves, 5 June – thieves stole a number of horses from the fields surrounding Mortimer, Heckfield and Grazely. Vehicles were spotted in Beech Hill including a white Murder of a young female, Dummer – the police have established that it was a young Polish female who was murdered at Dummer; her burnt body was found by a local dog walker. A man was arrested in I cannot reiterate enough to you all, if you see anything that YOU deem suspicious, a strange vehicle, a person, an incident etc, jot it down and call the Force Control Room or PC Reid or any of your neighbourhood beat officers. As you can see the results from such simple actions - please, if you have concerns CALL THE POLICE immediately. SMARTWATER – an effective deterrent to thieves! Supplies at a reduced price ie £15.00 instead of £40.00. You can protect your property forensically by marking it with just a small dab of SMARTWATER which in turn leaves a unique genetic coding - police can use this to reunite you with any recovered property. Please do consider marking your valuables! Please give me a call if you are interested in purchasing. If anyone has concerns about their home security, PC Reid would be happy to provide advice. Hannah Houstin-Lacey June 2008 Dear Residents, Hampshire Police would like to appeal for information regarding the following horrendous crime: Murder of a young female on Thursday, 8 May – whose badly burnt body was found on the PC Reid would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your help, co-operation and understanding – he and his colleagues greatly appreciated your support. Thefts of domestic oil – the police have asked that we raise awareness regarding the security of oil tanks - there have been several reports, some locally, of thefts of domestic oil. What started six months ago as a few isolated incidents has turned into a countrywide crime wave with rural households/farmers being hit. Residents are asked to be on their guard and take extra precautions. Particularly at risk are properties in isolated locations, where crime has traditionally been low. The police suggest that we must always be vigilant about the possibility of theft, ensure any tanks or containers are secured and not an easy target! Owners of tanks are urged to check tanks and review security by locking tanks, if possible. Consider securing premises with gates, fences and padlocks and for tanks which are visible from the road, possible relocation or camouflage. Valves can be padlocked but they can be cut or pulled off, which can lead to other problems. The oil can leak into the ground and cause pollution or the tank has to be replaced, which costs more than replacing the oil. SMARTWATER – an effective deterrent to thieves! Supplies at a reduced price ie £15.00 instead of £40.00. You can protect your property forensically by marking it with just a small dab of SMARTWATER which in turn leaves a unique genetic coding - police can use this to reunite you with any recovered property. Please do consider marking your valuables! Please give me a call if you are interested in purchasing. Home Security – Hampshire Police are urging residents to ensure their homes are properly secured at all times to avoid becoming a victim of crime. Homeowners are reminded to ensure all doors and windows are locked over night and if they leave the house. Residents whose properties have UPVC doors should be aware that these types of doors can often be easily opened if they are not locked with the key from the inside. Simply lifting the handle does not completely secure the door – it is important to realize that these doors have to be double locked to be property secured. If anyone has concerns about their home security, PC Reid would be happy to provide advice. Dear Residents, PC Reid wishes to appeal for information regarding the following incidents and warn, especially older residents, about the following incident in Herriard. Southrope Green, Herriard – Monday, 7 April at approximately NB: this type of incident is extremely rare within our area - I understand the first such crime for many years, so not a regular occurrence! However, please consider using your door chain, put it ON until you know who it is at your door! Church Farm, Cliddesden – during the nights Sunday, 30th and Monday, 31st March criminals forced locks on three sheds stealing a compressor and flip saw. Down Street, Dummer – criminals attempted to force rear windows and a rear door of a large detached house. Fortunately, good security locks on windows and door kept the criminals out! Rogue traders – a team of men touting for business in the Basingstoke area, offering power cleaning services, in particular removing moss from roofs, using a van that is sign written "1st Call Property Services". There is no indication that they are likely to come out to our area but it may happen – please, therefore, be mindful of previous advice given reference cold callers. Chalk markings – a number of suspicious chalk markings have been found recently in the roads in front of buildings within Hatchwarren area. Criminals have in the past used this to identify vulnerable properties as well as properties to avoid due to high security! It is not the intention to alarm anyone, but if you see any similar markings, please photograph them and notify the police. Dog Napping – sadly, this is one of the fastest growing crimes in the Scanning devices on cash-point machines – recently there have been a number of incidents at cash-point machines in Some good news – during April, 18 men, mostly from If anyone has concerns about their home security, PC Reid would be happy to provide advice. Hannah Houstin-Lacey
Dear Residents, PC Reid wishes to appeal for help from all readers in relation to the following: Widmorr Cottage, Ellisfield - a burglary took place on Wednesday, 12 March around 13.15hrs – entrance was gained via the garage and some items of antique furniture were stolen. However, the garden equipment was not taken! Professional Burglaries – there are a number of very professional burglary’s currently targeting affluent areas of the Preston Candover, theft of a horse coat – on Saturday, 8 March between 08.00-11.00hrs. If anyone saw anything suspicious please advise PC Reid. Please consider marking the leather with your postcode. Property Marking – please do consider marking your valuables – there are a number of different products on the market that allow you to do this safely ie SMARTWATER, Permanent UV Markers etc. Remember to keep serial numbers in a safe place which in turn would allow identification of ownership and return of the stolen items. Hampshire Constabulary, Safer Homes Advice:
If anyone would like more advice on how to secure their property, PC Reid would be happy to visit your home and advise (call him direct - 07768 776844 or 01256 389050), or alternatively the local Safer Neighbourhood Watch Team would on 0845 045 45 45 would gladly assist. Dear Residents, PC Reid and I wish to provide the following: Nutley, Friday, 8 February – a house was broken into around 8.30pm – if you were on the B3046 in Nutley around this time and saw any car parked in or around the farm buildings (nearest Axford) or by the cemetery, please contact PC Reid. The police are aware that a silver Skoda Octivia was seen in the area at Bogus Callers – PC Reid would like to remind all residents, especially the elderly, about bogus callers, and asks you not to let suspicious callers into your home until you are satisfied with their identification – if the caller is genuine, they will wait outside until you have made the appropriate check(s) with the supplier. If you are unsure and they appear suspicious then please call the Police on 999. The following are 3 recent examples:
Burglary offences to sheds and garages An unsecured garage in Upton Grey - thieves stole around £600.00 of garden equipment! Spring will soon be with us; PC Reid wishes to highlight that sadly there is always a market for garden equipment! You are urged to please be vigilant and ensure all garages and garden sheds are securely locked when not in use. Think about fitting a shed alarm or sensor lights – thieves do not want to be seen and like a quick get away! Hampshire Constabulary, Safer Homes Advice:
High Price of Metal in the UK – currently the price of metal in the UK is very high and with this in mind PC Reid would like to ask all residents and, especially those who live locally to our wonderful churches, to please keep an ‘eye open’. Items such as manhole covers, bus shelters, road signs, lead, copper wire, basically anything metal is highly sought after for scrap value. Mindless criminals have been targeting churches, schools, village halls, farms and generally anywhere there is any form of metal. Please call 999 if you see anything/anyone suspicious – the police need to know about it! Scamnesty - advice from Trading Standards – Hampshire County Council Trading Standards is calling on residents to help in the fight against scams by taking part in a national campaign ‘scamnesty’ which is being run by the Office of Fair Trading. 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 which use the branding belonging to banks and ask for people to confirm their account details. Scamnesty boxes will be in all Hampshire County Council libraries for individuals and businesses to drop off any scam mailings or e-mails that they may have received. 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 to discard scam mailings or to delete them but residents are being asked to use the boxes or send them to Trading Standards at the following e-mail address scamnesty@hants.gov.uk which will help ascertain the variety and volume of scams operating in Hampshire. As with the postal scams the Office of Fair Trading are using this information for intelligence purposes and will only contact the sender if further information is required. Please note you can also send your scam mailings to Hampshire Trading Standards Service, Montgomery House, http://www3.hants.gov.uk/tradingstandards/tradingstandards-scamsawareness.ht 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 Hannah Houstin-Lacey Dear Residents, Happy New Year - I know it is February but while writing this in January, I thought it would still be appropriate! PC Reid would like to bring the following to you attention: Suspicious car seen in Cliddesden, Unknown Intruder at the Old Manor, Ellisfield 7 January – a man posing as a milkman looking for customers. Description 6ft 2ins, late 20’s, stocky build, dark wavy hair, local accent, wearing a black coat and matching trousers, coloured scarf and carrying a flat black zip up bag under his arm – no vehicle could be seen in the immediate vicinity of the property. If anyone has any information, please contact PC Reid. Rogue Traders - although it is appreciated that this is out of our area, however it may happen, so please be on your guard and pass the message around. Hampshire Trading Standards have issued a warning concerning rogue traders known to be operating in the Tarmaccing Gangs – in July 2007 PC Reid advised that a number of rogue gangs were working in the area. The gangs charge extremely high amounts of money and are plainly ‘criminals’. They often claim to have been doing work for the Highways Agency or claim that the work is necessary when it is not. This action amounts to an offence under The Fraud Act. As such these matters are not Civil Debts as there are other legal requirements placed on those that cold call. Failure to comply with legal requirements is also a criminal offence. For instance, every person that cold calls offering goods or services to the value of £35.00 or more must serve a form on the householder explaining that they have 7 days in which to change their mind (i.e. a cooling off period similar to when taking out a credit agreement etc). Failure to serve this form constitutes as a criminal offence which albeit would ordinarily be dealt with by the Trading Standards authority, can equally be dealt with by the police. Failure to serve the form explaining the householders’ rights means there is no contract in law and the householder is not obliged to pay a single penny even if the work has been completed. These are very much Police matters and I ask all residents if they encounter such problems to dial 999 a.s.a.p. in order that police can deal with the matter efficiently. The occasions where this type of incident would perhaps fall into the civil debt criteria is when the householder has actively canvassed the trader (perhaps from Yellow Pages or an advert in a shop window) and invited them to come and carry out the work but, there then follows a dispute over the standard of work/cost etc. In these cases the householders’ do not have the protection of the 7 day cooling off period. Therefore, this is not likely to be a police matter but would certainly still be of interest to Trading Standards. PC Reid would like to ask all residents NOT TO EMPLOY THESE PEOPLE IN THE FIRST PLACE, if you want a drive tarmacced etc, call a professional established company. Details of reputable traders can be obtained using the Trading Standards "BUY WITH CONFIDENCE SCHEME" via www.buywithconfidence.co.uk or by ringing 01962 833620. Crime 2007 – PC Reid reported that crime was down on 2006 and overall crime within the North and North East Hampshire is also down. Chief Superintendent Chatterton at The following crimes were reported: Ellisfield 4 (2006-4), Cliddesden 20 (06-22), Dummer 11 (06-12), Farleigh Wallop 0 (06-5), a reduction in most parishes on this beat during 2007. Ellisfield NW Scheme Changes – NW Scheme 090 and Scheme 299 Roger Coleman who managed NW Scheme 299, Lower area of Colin Balkwill has kindly agreed to join the team and manage NW Scheme 090, NW Information packs – you should have received the NW Information Pack recently – if you have any queries or comments, please don’t hesitate to feedback to myself or one of the other Scheme Co-ordinators – we look forward to hearing from you. General Guidance from Hampshire Constabulary as part of the safer community initiatives to assist the police in their endeavours to protection us: Suspicious Persons - If you see someone acting suspiciously around a house/building/vehicle please try to ascertain the following information: 1) Male/female - how many 6) Approximate weight/s 2) Approximate age/s 7) Type of footwear 3) Hair colouring/s 8) Clothing labels 4) Approximate height/s 9) Distinctive markings 5) What they are wearing 10) Ethnicity * Please remember that tackling criminals yourself is not a good idea. Please do not approach criminals or become involved but maintain observation from a safe distance and note as many details as possible until the police arrive.
Suspicious Vehicle - If you see a suspicious vehicle please try to ascertain the following information: 1) Registration number 4) Colour of vehicle 2) Make of vehicle 5) Old/new 3) Model of vehicle 6) Any other markings Other Information If you overhear a conversation, or if you see something which doesn’t fall into the categories above but relates to crime or disorder, this could be concerning local community tensions between groups of people or individuals then please try to ascertain the following information: 1) What was said/done 4) Where it was said/done 2) When it was said/done 5) Why it was said/done 3) Who said it/did it Calling the Police – 0845 45 45, 999 (in an emergency) and advise: Who you are, what service is need, why you are calling and where you are form, give a brief and precise explanation, and advise if you need to see a beat officer. Hannah : Landline: 01256 381 863, Mob: 07956 308 456 Dear Residents, PC Reid wishes to appeal for help from all readers in relation to the following: Tractors and other agricultural equipment – farm equipment from all around the South; several items have been stolen from this area (Lower Wield, Alresford, Bighton, Ropley and Theft of Horse Tack, PC Reid and PC Coleshill would like to remind horse owners to keep their tack and equipment secure at all times - marking your property with a postcode will make it much easier for the police to return stolen items to the rightful owner(s). Hampshire Constabulary equine liaison officers on 0845 045 45 45 and Hampshire Horsewatch (www.nfed.co.uk/horsewatch ) can advise on how to mark tack – marking kits are available for Hampshire Constabulary or Hampshire Horsewatch, free to members of the Horsewatch scheme. POSTAL SCAM - a postal SCAM is currently operating! Royal Mail is concerned and asks residents to be aware. Please, therefore, especially with Christmas fast approaching, note the following: a card may be posted through your door suggesting a Company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) were unable to deliver a parcel and that to allow delivery to be made to you, you should dial 0906 661 1911 (a premium rate number). DO NOT call this number – this is a mail SCAM originating from
Burglary Crime Prevention, Cliddesden Village Hall, 17th December at Neighbourhood Watch News Bulletin, additional circulation – I am pleased to say that the news Bulletin will also be published in the Cliddesden monthly magazine. Simple advice from Hampshire Constabulary as part of its Safer Homes initiatives: Burglary to your homes at this time of the year often increases as the nights draw in and burglar's will spot unoccupied houses and be on the look out for Christmas presents. Please take these simple steps:
If anyone would like more advice on how to secure their property, PC Reid would be happy to visit your home and advise (call him direct - 07768 776844 or 01256 389050), or alternatively the local Safer Neighbourhood Watch Team would on 0845 045 45 45 would gladly assist. Finally, PC Reid would like to thank everyone who has assisted him during the year with various enquiries, witness appeals etc. – he can not be successful without you support and snippets of information. Also, we would both like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Hannah : Landline: 01256 381 863, Mob: 07956 308 456 Dear Residents, An update from PC Reid in relation to a burglary in Cliddesden and some general points for your information: Burglary, POSTAL SCAM – currently operating! Royal Mail is concerned and asks residents to be aware. Please, therefore, especially with Christmas fast approaching, note the following: A card may be posted through your door suggesting a Company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) were unable to deliver a parcel and that to allow delivery to be made to you, you should dial 0906 661 1911 (a premium rate number). DO NOT call this number – this is a mail SCAM originating from If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will have already been billed £15 for the ‘phone call. If you do receive a card with these details, please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 0207 239 6655 or ICSTIC, the premium rate service regulator, at www.phonepayplus.org.uk Neighbourhood Watch Social Evening - our thanks must go to Beat Officer PC Andy Reid and Sgt Brearey, along with other members of Hampshire Constabulary and Basingstoke & Dean Neighbourhood Watch Association, who hosted our NW social evening on Friday, 5 October. The meeting was well attended with attendees from Ellisfield, Herriard, Lasham, Dummer, Cliddesden and Farleigh; an indication of the strong feeling of the importance of local security in our fight against crime, collectively and individually, clearly accentuating the importance of crime prevention. Sgt Brearey’s presentation on how ‘Operation Shutout’ works, in partnership with local organisations and members of the public, clearly showed how these initiatives can help to achieve a safer environment for all, and the many advantages of a working scheme as well as reiterating how the gathering and sharing of intelligence can assist the police in their endeavours to protect us! The evening certain gave locals much food for thought! Also, deemed such a success that Cliddesden will now hold their own evening meeting – date tba. Neighbourhood Watch News Bulletin, additional circulation – please note the news Bulletin, as well as being posted on the Ellisfield website, is now also accessible on the Parish Notice Boards, and posted on the Notice Boards in the Fox Inn, Green Lane and the Farleigh Club. Neighbourhood Watch Signs, additional signage – Ellisfield NW Group are currently reviewing existing signage and considering if additional signs or replacement of existing signs is required for the village. Hampshire Trading Standards, 0845 603 00 81 - ifyou are the subject of cold callers trying to sell things at the door, please note that HTS can assist you. They offer a first rate advice service and will attend if they can. (Please remember that if you agree to purchase items for a price you could become involved in a civil contract.) Distraction burglary - Hampshire Constabulary offers the following ‘Safer Homes’ advice to avoid becoming a victim of this sort of crime:
Basingstoke Gazette article, “Time for more Watches” – PC Paul Green, police community safety officer for Basingstoke and Dean district is urging more residents to get involved and take a stand against crime. “Being part of a NW scheme has many benefits and it encourages communities to report problems and any suspicious information.” If anyone would like more advice on how to secure their property, PC Reid would happy visit your home and advise (call him direct - 07768 776844 or 01256 389050), or alternatively the local Safer Neighbourhood Watch Team would on 0845 045 45 45 would gladly assist. Please note: if I can be of assistance, don’t hesitate to contact me - I have various NW leaflets and packs - if anyone would like any information, please let me know. Hannah : Landline: 01256 381 863, Mob: 07956 308 456, email: laconsult@btinternet.com
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