Spring Park
Neighbourhood Watch
Latest Information Message No. 82 - 15th May 2009
Many of you will have heard about the 2 burglaries in the early hours of Thursday 11th June in the Spring Park area. This is a reminder to ensure side gate and alleyways are locked. Draw your curtains at night and most of all if you see anyone lurking about, please report it and look after your elderly and vulnerable neighbours. The police’s Operation Minstead team are investigating and their long-time suspect is described as a light-skinned black man, in his 40s, Height 5ft 10ins to 6ft, an athletic build and a well-spoken soft voice. Ring them on 020-8721-4640 if you have any information
Police Contact: in an emergency dial 999 for non emergency dial 0300 123 1212
News
CROYDON COUNCIL BRINGS IN 24/7 REPORTING FOR ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
The frustration of witnessing or experiencing anti-social behaviour and not being able to tell someone when it’s actually happening is now over in Croydon.
This month Croydon Council has introduced a 24/7 reporting arrangement with a new dedicated line for overnight and weekend calls. Residents can report instances of anti-social behaviour (such as excessive noise, vandalism, threatening behaviour, fly-tipping, illegal parking etc.) via a phone line and/or text service which can both be used in these cases.
Daytime calls, from 8am, should continue to be made to the council’s contact centre on 0208 726 6000.
After 5pm (until 8am) and at weekends the number to call is 0208 760 5565.
There is also a new text reporting facility for those wanting to report a problem but who may be fearful of identifying themselves. Text messages, charged at standard network rate, should be sent to 60660 with the prefix ASB together with a description and location of the concern with no more than 160 characters (including spaces and punctuation).
This is not a replacement for 999 or Police Services. If necessary, members of the public should always call 999 if they think a crime is taking place or somebody is in danger, or to call the Met's non-emergency number 0300 123 1212 for any other police-related calls.
Out of hours calls will be handled by the council’s CCTV control room staff and every call will be personally answered without obliging people to leave a message. Depending on the nature of the incident, staff may be able to despatch a council mobile enforcement unit with a dog; alert police; or take details and organise prompt follow-up attention. Noise nuisance calls will be passed to the night duty noise pollution officers. During daytime, neighbourhood enforcement officers will be notified of urgent situations and deployed as appropriate.
Said cabinet member for community safety and cohesion, Councillor Gavin Barwell: “Anti-social behaviour can be very disturbing and can make people feel unsafe. It can range from things like vandalism, threatening behaviour, playing loud music and letting off fireworks to nuisances like fly tipping, illegal parking and faulty burglar alarms. Allowing residents to speak to someone about this kind of problem, wherever and whenever it occurs is, we believe, another helpful step in clamping down on this problem and making sure it doesn’t escalate.
“Experience shows that residents are reassured if they know their complaint will be taken seriously and if they can actually speak to someone rather than dictating a message to a recording machine. For those who fear retribution, the new text service allows anonymity - but to follow up with legal proceedings we really do need witnesses to identify themselves. We will always investigate situations reported to us to confirm the facts.”
Extracted from “The Guardian” newspaper – March 2009
Burglars’ secret codes revealed
A gang of distraction burglars (bogus callers) are marking houses on Purley’s Webb Estate to show the ease in which they can be burgled. The Purley Safer Neighbourhoods team has released drawings, similar to those used by travellers, so people can see if their properties have been marked.
It is thought that the symbols are chalked on people’s wall and fences to indicate how fellow burglars should go about stealing from the property. Victims are said to be distracted by burglars pretending to be roofers or builders while their accomplices break in and steal valuables.
The symbols are not only reserved to chalk signs and can include anything from stones placed outside to small items indication that a house has been burgled before. Croydon Police would like to tell people that if they do see something unusual placed against a house or written on it to get in touch and let us know on 0300 123 1212.
Meet Your Local Police Team
Shirley Safer Neighbourhood Team |
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Team Members: |
Address: |
Contact: |
Sgt Rob Smith |
Shirley Team |
Phone: |
Protecting Yourself contains over 50 articles written by experts who continually update and and new content. ProtectingYourself was formed to offer a unique reference point on defending your property and yourself against criminals.
Community Group Website
A new website called 'Community Group' has been formed to offer a unique reference point on creating and uniting communities. The site contains information which can help make communities and neighbourhoods a safer, cleaner and more enjoyable place to live. The site can be accessed at http://www.communitygroup.co.uk/
Crimestoppers Launches Website for Young People
The charity Crimestoppers has launched shadow CS, a website that allows children and young people to engage with issues surrounding crime.
Shadow CS is a fun, interactive website aimed at young people aged 11 – 16+ all about crime.
It allows young people to get involved in discussions about crime and the everyday things that affect them and gives them the option of seeking advice if they don’t know what to do. The site can be accessed at www.shadowcs.co.uk
Are you worried about finding the right company when needing work done in your home and garden? Do you hope for the best when searching the phone book? Here is an answer:-Through TrustMark, the Government, the building industry and consumer groups are working together to stamp out rogue traders.
- The approved scheme operators have checked the fir’s technical skills, trading record and financial position.
- The firm has signed up to a code of practice that includes insurance, good health and safety practices and customer care.
- Their work is continually monitored for quality, trading practices and customer satisfaction.
- The firms are expected to advise you about any building regulations you need to meet and provide the requisite certificates.
- A user-friendly complaints procedure to help sort out problems and if the firm does not provide insurance cover, you will have the option to buy a warranty in case it goes out of business.
Visit this website for further information:
www.trustmark.org.uk
- Read the “Essential Advice” before you hire a tradesperson.
- Click on “Find a registered firm”.
- Choose the trade, e.g., plumber, electrician.
- From the list of trade associations etc, click on any name of an operator, click on their details to move to the approved scheme operator’s own website. Then use their own database to find a TrustMark registered firm near you.
Or, for consumer advice telephone: Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.
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Safeguard your mobile phone
Your mobile phone is important to you. It helps you to keep in touch with friends and family and can be used in emergencies. To protect it and other property in the future visit www.immobilise.com and register your items FREE. You will need your IMEI number, usually printed on a label found behind the phone’s battery. Otherwise simply key in the following on the handset and the number will be displayed on the screen. *#06#
Incident Reporting Log
To help residents record all the relevant information about an incident, a handy Incident Reporting log has been produced to keep handy for jotting down details when something happens. Also available in PDF format here>>
The Met Police requires your help and vigilance in keeping Londoners safe, see the advice information page for more details
If you suspect it, report it Don't touch, warn others, move away and dial 999
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