Neighbourhood Watch

Todwick Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter

October 2010

Welcome to all those who have signed up to the Todwick Neighbourhood Watch since our last quarterly newsletter in May 2010. We hope that you find these newsletters informative and useful and we always value your information and feedback.

Two in one crimes

We are advised by South Yorkshire Police that 2 in 1 crimes are starting to reappear in our area. Expensive motorcars are the prime target but to drive them away, the thieves need your car keys. The usual method is to break into your house (crime 1) and then take your car keys to drive away your car (crime 2). Whilst they are at it, they will take anything of value they find lying around - cash, plastic cards, jewellery etc. To emphasise the point a new £40,000 Audi car was recently found in Kiveton. The car had been stolen in Nottingham a few days earlier and luckily was returned to its owner in an undamaged state. But not all owners are so lucky!! The police advise you not to leave keys of any sort near doors. If you have garage space and a new car, best advice is to put the car away in the garage.

You've won!

Trading Standards tell us please don't be fooled by the old scam of winning the Lottery either here or in Spain. It could be up to £100,000 they say and all you have to do is send us 10 or 12% of your expected winnings for us to clear the money to you. It may be a letter or a phone call. If you do not have a ticket, you cannot have won.

Hello, who is it calling please? Hello? Hello?

Silent phone calls are a menace. They can be intimidating and worrying for the person receiving the call. Thanks to those people who have contacted me about these calls. Many of the calls are from a system called Power Dialling. For example 100 telephone calls are made at once, the first 50 people who answer are connected to a call centre - the remaining 50 get nothing! Using the 1471 number, this usually shows either the number has been with-held or they do not have the caller's number. To help yourself to keep this type of problem down, we recommend that unless you need to, do not complete questionnaires - your personal information is often on-sold and can continue to be used for 5- 6 years. Register with the Telephone Preference Service at no cost as this will also cut down on direct sales telephone calls (but not from abroad). For further help, please contact Norman.

Other telephone issues

We are still getting unexpected telephone calls to Todwick residents from a "crime adviser" asking about "crime awareness" and your home security arrangements. The caller may tell you that you are one of four homes selected for this telephone call. You may be offered a free burglar alarm or an alarm for £1 with 4 free visits. As always we advise NOT to discuss or divulge any information about your home security arrangements over the telephone, especially with someone who is not known to you. If you have any worries or concerns about your home security please contact 01142 202020, the South Yorkshire Police call centre and ask to be put in touch with your local Police Safer Neighbourhood Team.

Another telephone issue currently doing the rounds is that you may get a call from "Registered Unwanted Calls". They may say they are working for the Telephone Preference Service and for a fee of £30 for a year or £60 for 3 years they will ensure that unwanted telephone calls are stopped. Telephone Preference Service tell me they do not know this company and they advise caution if you are called.

Annual General Meeting

Our Annual General Meeting was held in July in the village hall. Sadly the attendance was disappointingly low. However, if anyone requires details of the meeting, these can be supplied on request by contact me. The secretarial role has now been taken over by Mrs Virginia Anderson who was elected unopposed. We are most grateful to our retiring secretary who felt that she now wished to stand down, having been in the role since inception. A token of our gratitude has been presented.

Fire!

As the dark nights are creeping onwards, now is perhaps a good time to do a check on your smoke alarms and general fire security. Unsure what to do? If you telephone 01142 532522 South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (previously known as the Fire Brigade), or 01142 532314 they will, by prior arrangement to suit you, conduct a totally free check for fire risks at your home. Advice is given free of charge and if you need a new smoke alarm, they will fit it free of charge. You have nothing to lose by asking for the check.

And whilst on the subject of alarms, we still have a few Carbon Monoxide alarms at the very competitive price of £18 per unit. Please contact Norman Anderson for details.

Crime statistics for Todwick June to September 2010 inclusive

We are grateful to South Yorkshire Police for their continued help, support and co- operation and for the following information on crimes committed in Todwick.

Burglary Dwelling	1
Burglary Non Dwelling	2
Theft in a Building	1
Theft from motor vehicles	4
Miscellaneous Theft	3
Criminal Damage Other Buildings	3
Criminal Damage Dwelling	1
Attempted Burglary Dwelling	1
Criminal Damage to Vehicles	2

Many thanks to all the villagers who have provided details of incidents in the village so we can alert others to these undesirable activities.

Thanks also to Sheila Pantry for ensuring our village website shows our newsletters.

Norman Anderson (chair)