Neighbourhood Watch

Todwick Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter

September 2015

Welcome to all those villagers who have signed up to the Todwick Neighbourhood Watch since our last newsletter in June 2015. We hope that you find these newsletters informative and useful and we always value your information and feedback. We never publish anyone’s name, address or any other private details.

Annual General Meeting

Our Annual General Meeting was held at Todwick Village Hall on Thursday 25th June 2015. All the officials were re-elected. Thanks to all the people who attended this annual event.

Nuisance Telephone Calls

These days there are quite a number of items on the market to combat nuisance calls. One of the latest machines is the BT8500 cordless telephone. This equipment will allow you to block up to 1000 numbers. You will need to have the “caller display” facility from your phone provider before buying a new telephone. There may be a charge for this service. Every caller is asked to identify themselves and you have 4 options – to take the call – to block the call – take the call and add their number to the “Safe list of callers” – or send the call to the answering machine.

There are also other pieces of equipment you can plug into your system between the handset and the telephone wall socket. Some are relatively inexpensive, others more expensive. So you can decide the level of control you want to exercise on your telephone.

Cyber Bullying and Related Issues

The problems of cyberbullying and other related abuse on the internet are currently fairly high profile. For those who have vulnerable (particularly young) people responsibilities the following web site may be of interest to you. www.internetmatters.org Certainly worth a look to see what can be done to minimise the impact, stop & address these issues.

The darker nights are creeping onwards

Before we change the clocks on 25th October when summertime officially ends, it may be worth considering looking at your home security. Do you have sufficient outside lights that are switched on when outside movement is detected? Do you have a burglar alarm and if so is it working or ready for a service? Perhaps consider a CCTV system. There some good DIY systems available on the market – quite competitively priced. Have you sufficient timers to switch lights on and off automatically in your home? You can buy 7 day timers or 24 hour timers at very little cost. This is a very useful facility particularly if you are going away for a few days as it makes the house look occupied.

And finally...

Be on your guard for scam letters. It is always worth a reminder about this menace as they can look genuine until you scratch the surface. Look out for basic errors in the language used. Look out for large sums of money being mentioned. And have you actually bought a lottery ticket? If you are in any doubt, please let Norman know.

Contact Information

S. Y. Police non-emergency calls to report crime or give information dial 101

S. Y. Police / Ambulance / Fire & Rescue emergency dial 999

Crimestoppers to give information about crime (you do not have to give your name) dial 0800 555 111 open Mon-Fri 8 am to 10 pm & Sunday 10 am to 4 pm

Action Fraud this is the government run reporting centre for fraud. Calls can be made on 0300 123 2040 anonymously or text on 0300 123 2050

Streetpride part of Rotherham Borough Council. For most general problems with bin emptying, damaged bins, street lighting, potholes & other problems associated with roads & pavements 01709 336003

Electricity emergency 0800 375 675

Crime Statistics

The reported crime statistics for Todwick for June, July & August 2015 inclusive, kindly provided by South Yorkshire Police are as follows:

Burglary – Dwelling	1
Nuisance vehicle	2
Rowdy Inconsiderate Nuisance	1
Anti social behaviour	1

Thanks to all the villagers who have provided details of incidents and issues.

Thanks also to Sheila Pantry for ensuring that our village website www.todwick.org.uk shows our newsletters.

Norman Anderson (chair)