The quarterly Neighbourhood Watch newsletter for Surrey Heath Volume 2 Issue 45 Winter 2013 Editor Juanita West Back issues of HeathWatch can be downloaded from www.surreyheathnw.co.uk

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A Message from the Chairman With the continuing expansion of Neighbourhood Watch in Surrey Heath, we need to be able to communicate easily and quickly with Watch Representatives and members, not least to encourage the growth of existing Watches. Our new website helps in this direction, but the current social media, particularly Twitter and Facebook, suggest they may help in improving communication. Accordingly, the Neighbourhood Watch Support Group are evaluating the possible benefits of adopting these means of communication. Here is where we would like to enlist your help. If you have experience of using Twitter or Facebook and think they could meet our needs, please contact me to discuss this further ([email protected]). If there is sufficient response, I could foresee setting up a working group to assist in the deci-

Borough Commander's Report Thank you to Sergeant Corinna Last for writing the last Heathwatch article for me. She highlighted my relentless pursuit of drug dealers in the borough. Operation Nemesis has gained momentum, which has deterred drug dealers both resident in Surrey Heath and from out of the county, predominantly London. We continue to focus on drug use to signpost users to support for a better life and to reduce acquisitive crimes of theft and burglary. The harm drugs do to communities and your body cannot be underestimated and has resulted in a number of deaths, so please continue to let us know about anything suspicious in your communities.

This newsletter is produced by the Neighbourhood Watch Support Group with funding gratefully received from Surrey County Council

sion as to whether there is merit in adopting these communication aids. I make no apologies for reiterating the need for additional Neighbourhood Watch Support Group members (see my message of Spring 2013). There is a range of activities undertaken by the group, none of which would take more than a few hours per month. If you can help and would like to know more, please contact me – email address above – for more information. As this is the last edition for 2013, I’d like to thank you for your support of Neighbourhood Watch during the year. Finally, may I take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very happy, crime-free Christmas and New Year.

Mike Potter Chairman Surrey Heath Neighbourhood Watch Support Group

I must pay tribute to my team who continue to keep Surrey Heath a safe place and are working hard to achieve our ambitions. Corinna Last has achieved her substantive promotion to Sergeant and has left us to continue her career. We are joined by Sergeant Andy Crane who brings a wealth of experience to the team. I am privileged to have a hard working, dedicated team led by our experienced competent supervision body. We want to be accessible to you so do not hesitate to make contact with any of your concerns. Is it too early to mention the December holiday season and New Year festivities? My team are prepared to keep Surrey Heath an even safer place.

Martin Goodwin We are thankful for the regular help we receive from Safer Surrey Heath Partnership and from Surrey Police in the promotion of Neighbourhood Watch and the distribution of HeathWatch.

Crime Prevention Advice John Eldridge I have had a number of calls this quarter about cold call alarm companies and thought it might be useful to have a recap on how to identify the better companies out there in the market place. I visit many premises to give security advice and find that in many cases a well designed and installed alarm system can offer the best financial return in terms of security. There are a number of companies that cold call purporting to be selling alarms on behalf of Surrey Police as part of a crime prevention campaign. Surrey Police does not have this arrangement with any alarm companies. My experience of some of these companies is that their alarms are poor and the installation and maintenance costs extortionate. We recommend that you identify a local company by visiting The National Se-

curity Inspectorate web site www.nsi.org.uk. There you can do a post code search for an installer in your area; ensure you choose a gold accredited company. The NSI is the regulatory body for the security industry and you will find that the majority of the cold calling companies are not members simply because their products and services are not of acceptable standard. Another web site to visit is www.immobilise.com. Immobilise is a national property indexing service. The service is free and allows the account holder to register all their identifiable property onto the web site. Nationally, second-hand dealers and the Police use the system to identify recovered property or items offered for sale. Finally, as we enter the Christmas period, on behalf of Surrey Police, I would like to wish you a happy and safe Christmas. Remember, if you think something in your neighbourhood is not right it probably isn’t – ring us!

Latest scam alerts Surrey Police has launched an investigation following a number of reports from members of the public across the county who have received telephone calls from someone claiming to be a police officer or similar. They then attempted to convince victims to hand over large amounts of cash and bank cards. The offenders often claim to be an officer from the Metropolitan Police and use a variety of pretences including saying the victim's bank card has been used by somebody who was in custody. They then ask the victim to phone the bank to cancel the card and tell the victims that they will send a courier round to collect the card. Meanwhile the fraudster stays on the line and obtains the victim's bank details whilst they think they are phoning the bank. The courier then calls at the victim's address saying they have been sent by the police to collect a parcel - which is the envelope containing the card. Please protect yourself from this scam and others by using the following advice: ▪ Never give out any personal information about your bank account to anybody over the phone. ▪ If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their identification number, police force and their telephone extension. ▪ Hang up the call, and advise that you will call them back using the 101 number. ▪ Use a different phone line to call back if possible, i.e: a mobile phone if the call was received on your landline. ▪ If you have given out information which could compromise your bank account security in any way, telephone your bank up to cancel your cards as soon as possible. ▪ Never hand over money to someone at the door to be sent off elsewhere.

Scrap Metal laws come into force We have focused on scrap metal theft in previous issues. Now, under new laws designed to stamp out metal theft, rogue traders who buy and sell scrap metal for cash will face a £5,000 fine. All scrap metal dealers will need to apply to their local council for a licence to operate under new rules which came into effect on the 1st October 2013. The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, which clamps down on rogue traders, will also give local authorities and police new powers to inspect premises where they suspect illegal activity. Magistrates will be able to issue fines of up to £5,000 to scrap metal dealers who trade in cash. As well as having the power to issue licences, councils will be able to refuse or revoke licences if a dealer is deemed unsuitable. The new scrap metal laws will also mean:

▪ All scrap metal dealers must verify the name and address of the seller at the point of sale, which is recorded and retained by the dealer. ▪ The cashless offence will apply to all scrap metal dealers including ‘mobile collectors’ who collect door to door. ▪ There will be a single national publicly available register of all scrap metal dealers.

Staying safe whilst shopping online With Christmas approaching, using the Internet to purchase goods or services saves considerable time and effort – and also presents you with the widest choice. There are however risks associated with online shopping and you need to take care about what you are buying, from whom, and how you pay for your purchases.

The Risks ▪Fraud resulting from making payments over unsecured web pages. ▪Bogus online stores/shops – fake websites and email offers for goods and services that do not exist. ▪ Buying fake goods intentionally or unintentionally - finding they are of inferior quality and also possibly funding more serious crimes in the process. ▪ Receiving goods or services which do not match the advertiser’s description. ▪ Being offered prices based on information gathered about your online habits and websites visited.

Safe Shopping ▪ Choose reputable shopping sites. ▪ Ensure the website is secure before entering payment details. ▪ Ensure that any online retailer unfamiliar to you is reputable by researching them. Establish a physical address and telephone contact details. Remember that the best way to find a reputable retailer is via recommendation from a trusted source. ▪ Remember that paying by credit card offers greater protection than with other methods in terms of fraud, guarantees and non-delivery. ▪ Double check all details of your purchase before confirming payment. ▪ Do not reply to unsolicited emails from companies you don’t recognise. ▪ Before entering payment card details on a website, ensure that the link is secure, in three ways: 1. There should be a padlock symbol in the browser window frame, which appears when you attempt to log in or register. Be sure that the padlock is not on the page itself - this will probably indicate a fraudulent site. 2. The web address should begin with ‘https://’. The ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’. 3. If using the latest version of your browser, the address bar or the name of the site owner will turn green. ▪ Some websites will redirect you to a third-party payment service (such as WorldPay). Ensure that these sites are secure before you make your payment. ▪ Safeguard and remember the password you have chosen for the extra verification services used on some websites, such as Verified by Visa. ▪ When making a payment to an individual, never transfer the money directly into their bank account but use a secure payment site such as PayPal, where money is transferred between two electronic accounts. ▪ Check sellers’ privacy policy and returns policy. ▪ Always log out of sites into which you have logged in or registered details. Simply closing your browser is not enough to ensure privacy. ▪ Keep receipts. ▪ Check credit card and bank statements carefully after shopping to ensure that the correct amount has been debited and also that no fraud has taken place as a result of the transaction. ▪ Ensure that you have effective and updated antivirus/antispyware software and firewall running before you go online. ▪ Where possible, check that the price listed by the retailer on your browser is the same as that quoted on other people's browsers, to ensure you are not being monitored and overcharged.

Membership Secretary’s Report Future Watch Representatives’ Meetings: 26th November 2013; 11th March 2014; 10th June 2014; 16th September 2014; 25th November 2014.

Don’t forget our new venue: Pine Ridge Golf Club, Old Bisley Road Frimley, Camberley GU16 9NX

Welcome to the following new Watches, Representatives and members New Watch /Ward

Representative

Willow Close, Mytchett

Diana Hammond

New Watch Representatives Arethusa Way 2, Bisley

Abi Brown

Shrublands Drive/Myrtle Close Lightwater

Richard Magnay

Chantry Road/School Lane Bagshot

Susan Macleod

Watch Representative Quarterly Meeting Attendance Meeting Date

Active Watches

No of Attendees

Attendance %

Sept 2012 Dec 2012 Mar 2013 Jun 2013 Sep 2013

263 268 275 287 290

92 105 121 108 116

35% 39% 44% 38% 40%

The Neighbourhood Watch crime prevention trailer at the Rural Crime Day held at Langshot Equestrian Centre, Gracious Pond Road, Chobham, on the 28th September. The event was organised by PC Anna Whiteside who was security-marking saddles and tack. Bookings for the trailer in 2014 should be made with Mike Davis: 01276 63846, [email protected].

Neighbourhood Watch Coverage September 2013 Active Watches

Homes Covered

Coverage %

Camberley

57

2376

22%

Frimley

120

3512

28%

Lightwater

113

3104

25%

Total

290

8992

25%

Useful Websites Surrey Heath Neighbourhood Watch Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network Surrey Police Surrey Heath Borough Council Safer Surrey Heath Partnership Lost Property Reporting minor crimes www.police.uk Property Register Most Wanted National Fraud Intelligence Bureau Surrey Police - Twitter

www.surreyheathnw.co.uk www.ourwatch.org.uk www.surrey.police.uk www.surreyheath.gov.uk www.safersurreyheath.info www.virtualbumblebee.co.uk

www.immobilise.com www.crimestoppers-uk.org www.actionfraud.org.uk twitter.com/surreypolice

Neighbourhood Watch Area Coordinators Camberley, St Pauls, Old Dean, Town, St Michaels & Watchetts: David Hacker, 01276 686088, [email protected] Frimley, Parkside, Heatherside, Deepcut, Frimley Green & Mytchett: Stephanie Edwards, 01252 835099 [email protected] Lightwater, Bagshot, Bisley, Chobham, West End & Windlesham: Mike Potter, 01276 474231, [email protected] Surrey Heath Police Neighbourhood Team Coordinators: 01483 639880 Surrey Heath Police Crime Reduction Advisor, John Eldridge: [email protected] , 01483 631622 Published by Surrey Heath Neighbourhood Watch Support Group, Police Offices, Surrey Heath House, Knoll Road, GU15 3HD