South Ribble home SRNWA header

SRNWA logo

 

SOUTH RIBBLE

About Us
News
Crime Prevention
Meetings & Events
Contacts
Links

 

OLDER STORIES...

PERFORMANCE

30/4/08 - Yearly performance figures for South Ribble.  Newsletter
2007 Co-ordinators survey results.  Newsletter

------------------------------------------------

VALUABLE METALS

28/2/08 - There has been an increase in the theft of material such as copper and lead in the Southern Division policing area. The thefts are occurring at buildings such as churches, but also at private houses, during darkness and daylight hours. Please be aware of these crimes and report any suspicious activity to the Police. Please try to obtain any relevant registration numbers and descriptions. THINK! Is your neighbour really having a roof repaired or is someone stealing the lead flashing before your very eyes?

------------------------------------------------

PROTECT YOURSELF

18/12/07 - At this time of year it seems that scams increase, maybe because people are in the festive mood, happy to spend money and are a little less watchful. Criminals thrive on these things!
There are too many scams out there to list, most with several variations on a theme. The main things to remember are: Protect your identity - don't give out any personal information unless you are certain the person requesting is genuine. Protect your credit cards - keep receipts, check statements and never disclose card details (either card number or security information from the back of the card). Shred any documents before disposal. Reputable companies don't ask for security information - not even to "check" that your are being kept safe. In short, keep it secret!

Links to more information

------------------------------------------------

SAT-NAV WITH A TWIST

24/10/07 - Did you realise that if your Sat-Nav is stolen then thieves may have a direct link to your home? Police are urging motorists not to leave their journey home programmed into satellite navigation systems. If you must have a setting saved to get you home, only ever put in your town, to get you back to familiar territory. Don't use the postcode. The warning came after thieves stole a sat-nav from a car at Alton Towers theme park and used the device to find the owner's house in Shropshire. They then stole a £20,000 Saab convertible from the driveway.

------------------------------------------------

CO-ORDINATORS SURVEY

21/10/07 - A survey of co-ordinators, recently carried out, has produced some interesting findings. read more

------------------------------------------------

TELEPHONE SCAM

14/10/07 - This particular scam has been around for a while, but it's worth a reminder so that people don't fall victim. A call may be received from someone claiming to be an engineer needing to test your line (this could be a landline or mobile). You'd then be asked to press #90 or #09. Please, end the call immediately without pressing any keys. It appears that using these key combinations allows the caller to incur, what could be significant, charges on your account.

------------------------------------------------

HIGH VALUE VEHICLES

4/9/07 - Police are again warning of a crime trend across the area where high value motor vehicles are being targeted by thieves. The most recent crime occurred in Bamber Bridge over the weekend when offenders prised open the front door of a property specifically to steal the vehicle keys which were left on the kitchen worktop. They then drove off in the car which was a BMW 330 Sports car valued at £25,000. Please put vehicles in a garage where possible. Do not leave car keys on display near doors or windows. Please be extra vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the Police immediately.

------------------------------------------------

ALARMING EXPERIENCE

3/7/07 - Over recent weeks there have been reports of elderly people being targeted by an alarm company using aggressive sales techniques. Reports have been received from across the area including Longton and Penwortham. The company telephones elderly residents regarding installing a house alarm system, the residents are then visited the following day and almost forced to agree to the installation. A day later an engineer fits the system and charges a very high price for the system. One resident has paid £1400 for a basic alarm system. Remember, be very careful about who you let in to your home and do not sign or agree to anything you are unsure of. Free advice about home security is available from the crime prevention officer at your local Police station.

------------------------------------------------

PIN NUMBERS

Over recent weeks there has been a significant rise in the number of burglaries into houses in rural areas, usually into properties that have been left insecure. The main items stolen have been handbags containing credit cards. Shortly after the offence, the householders have been contacted by telephone, the caller claiming to be from their bank and asking for PIN numbers for the cards. Police point out that banks never request that information at any time. Please make sure that your neighbours are aware that these offences are occurring and pay particular attention to house security at this time. Make sure that PIN numbers are kept separate from credit cards, and handbags are not left on display near windows or doors. Remember, never divulge your PIN number to anyone. If you see anything suspicious, report it to the Police immediately.

------------------------------------------------

KIDS CLEAN UP

Children from Wellfield High school were encouraged recently to join their local Neighbourhood Watch scheme which covers where the school is located. In discussions with the local police and the co-ordinator of the scheme the children came up with the idea of a litter pick.

PC Rob Duerden, the local Community Beat Manager commented, ”We have been really impressed by the enthusiasm of the staff and children from the school to get involved.”

Jim McCreery, the co-ordinator of the Yewlands Neighbourhood Watch scheme commented, “Involving young people in community/neighbourhood watch activities such as this is one of the aims of the South Ribble Neighbourhood Watch Association.”

------------------------------------------------

   

 

Lancashire Neighbourhood Watch Forum are continuing to distribute these "Next of Kin" cards.

It's a simple principle; Fill in your details on the reverse, & carry the card at all times.

NoK

To obtain these cards free of charge,
please contact us.

 

 

Phone Reminder Sticker - Available FREE

 

-----------------------------------------------------

2007 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The SRNWA AGM took place at the Civic Centre on Thursday 13th September 2007. The evening was very well supported. The Deputy Mayor formally opened the AGM. Inspector Moore from the Air Support Unit gave an excellent presentation about the work of the Air Support Unit which was well received by all who attended.

Inspector Shead spoke in relation to the role of the Southern Communications Room which handles all the telephone calls from within the South Ribble Area. He then answered questions put to him from the audience.

Inspector Newton also addressed the meeting and spoke about the importance of Neighbourhood Watch, emphasising that South Ribble is one of the safest places to live.

Five new members were elected onto the SRNWA Executive Committee. I would like to welcome them.

On the evening, raffle tickets were sold in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice and £115 raised. A cheque was presented to St Catherine’s Hospice and a certificate has since been received with a letter of thanks.

I would like to pass on my thanks to Superintendent Copley and Alison Hatton from South Ribble Community Safety Partnerships who between them donated £50 towards prizes for the raffle.

Another feature of the evening was that Trading Standards / Crimestoppers / South Ribble Neighbourhood Watch Association / South Ribble Community Safety Partnerships and Lancashire Fire and Rescue all put out display stands on the night. The evening concluded with a closing speech from Mr David Borrow MP.

I have received some extremely positive feedback regarding this years AGM and I welcome any comments be it good or bad, so that I can work towards an even better event next year.

Beverley Warburton

-----------------------------------------------------

1st ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The AGM of the South Ribble Neighbourhood Watch Association took place at 7:30pm on Thursday 14th September 2006, at South Ribble Civic Centre. It was attended by about 50 - 60 co-ordinators together with visitors from a number of organisations. The theme of the meeting was how neighbourhood watch could work in partnership with various agencies and with people of all ages in society to make our community as safe as possible.

The speakers were introduced by Peter Tickle, who until recently had been the Community Crime Prevention Officer for South Ribble.

The first speaker was the Mayor of South Ribble, Councillor Dave Watts, and he opened the meeting by expressing his support for neighbourhood watch.

Peter Tickle then conducted the business part of the meeting. He said that thirteen people had expressed a wish to be members of the Executive Committee, these being the ten existing members together with Valerie Woodruffe from Bamber Bridge, Martyn Davidson from Penwortham and Peter, who is a co-ordinator at Walton-le-Dale. As this number was below the maximum of 21 permitted by the Constitution there was no need for a formal election and all the 13 would have a place on the committee.

Brian Edwards then provided the meeting with details of the accounts. These showed that at 31st August 2006 the balance was £300 although this would be reduced further by the very recent acquisition of some South Ribble Neighbourhood Watch Association promotional stickers.

The Chair of the association, Mrs Ann Bretherton, addressed the meeting and thanked all the co-ordinators and in particular the members of the Executive Committee for all their hard work since the association was formed in March 2005. She also thanked the South Ribble Community Safety Partnership and the Lancashire Partnership Against Crime for providing financial support to the South Ribble Neighbourhood Watch Association. She also said that the funding had been spent on launching a website and purchasing letter headed paper and promotional materials. Ann added that the association are actively seeking the support of sponsors to raise future funding.

Chief Inspector Andrew Murphy then spoke on behalf of the police. He told everyone at the meeting how impressed he had been with the South Ribble Neighbourhood Watch Association and in particular their desire to work with young people. He praised recent work by the Community Beat Manager at Walton-le-Dale, in which he had fully engaged neighbourhood watch co-ordinators in relation to a problem of young people consuming alcohol in public areas. He went on to speak about "neighbourhood policing" and the valuable part that neighbourhood watch co-ordinators can play. He also said that having 158 neighbourhood watch schemes covering more than 8000 households was a great achievement and he hoped that neighbourhood watch would continue to thrive.

The next speaker was Sam Brown, the Head Girl at Wellfield High School in Leyland. Sam explained very eloquently that the school had been working with the local neighbourhood watch scheme on Yewlands Drive and had recently taken part in a "litter pick". She also explained that she had been attending meetings of the Executive Committee of the South Ribble Neighbourhood Watch Association in order to help with community safety initiatives and that in the future she hoped to link in with other Head Girls/Head Boys from other schools in the South Ribble area. Sam's presentation was very well received.

Bamber Bridge Air Cadets gave the next presentation, led by Phil Thomas, their Flight Lieutenant. Four Cadets gave short presentations about various aspects of life in the cadets, including flying and drill, and Phil linked the four presentations and gave a slide presentation himself. The young Cadets gave an excellent account of themselves and received warm applause from the audience.

Peter Tickle then spoke about the good work done by the neighbourhood watch co-ordinators in South Ribble. He explained how many of them relay messages from the police to their members, produce informative newsletters or hold meetings for their members and generally promote neighbourhood watch, community safety and neighbourliness. Peter also praised those CBM's (Community Beat Managers) and PCSO's (Police Community Support Officers) who make communicating with neighbourhood watch co-ordinators part of their routine and enlist their support when dealing with crime and community problems. Peter went on to say that the vast majority of young people are not troublemakers but this is sometimes how they are portrayed. He added that the presentations from Sam Brown and the Air Cadets had been very refreshing and showed young people in a very positive light.

Peter thanked the following organisations for having display stands at the AGM; "CRIMESTOPPERS", "LANCASHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE", "TRADING STANDARDS", "AGE CONCERN" and "BAMBER BRIDGE AIR CADETS".

Peter also introduced the person who is now looking after the needs of neighbourhood watch in South Ribble, PC Lydia Hackett.

Caroline Hall and Ian McCondichie from AGE CONCERN each gave a slide presentation about two initiatives currently operating in the South Ribble area. Both initiatives involve bridging the gap between old people and young people and illustrated the fact that a lot of good work is going on but much of it is not widely known by the public.

ANCHOR STAYING PUT is an excellent local charity offering support to the elderly and disabled to enable them to continue living in their own homes. Glenys Bishop explained to the audience just how useful the charity could be to neighbourhood watch co-ordinators as they could refer anyone in need of practical support such as extra security measures, or small repairs, directly to them.

The final speaker was retired head teacher and now South Ribble representative on Lancashire Police Authority, David Winthrop. David gave an excellent and very lively speech encompassing many aspects, including young people, neighbourhood watch and neighbourhood policing.

The meeting concluded at 9:25pm.

-----------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

Say NO To Doorstep Callers

 

 

 

ICE

Add an emergency contact to your mobile's phonebook.

 

 

 

Find your mobiles' IMEI number
Record your phones' serial number to ensure it can be traced if stolen.