Neighbourhood Watch

Todwick Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter

March 2016

Todwick Neighbourhood Watch for your Community

Welcome to all those villagers who have signed up to the Todwick Neighbourhood Watch since our last newsletter in December 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 will be held this year at Todwick Village Hall on Thursday, 7th July 2016 at 7.30 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The lighter nights are now upon us

Now that the worst of the winter is over, it’s probably time to start thinking about a bit of gardening, maybe digging over the vegetable patch? Maybe even sorting out one or two of those outside jobs that have not been done over the last few months. When you have finished the jobs for the day, don’t forget to put all tools, stepladders etc safely away & out of sight. Anything left out can either be stolen or potentially used for burglary. Since our last newsletter the theft of power tools, particularly from vehicles has risen in the borough. It’s not just the loss of the tools, but the cost of repairing the damage caused in stealing them. If you are working outside, please lock the house door & put the key in your pocket to prevent distraction burglars.

Are you really switched on?

There are many products on the market these days to help you to protect your home at nominal cost. Probably one of the cheapest is plug in timers to switch lights on and off automatically. Even if you are not at home, it creates an impression that you are there and they are so easy to set up. They each cost about £5. Using energy saving bulbs, the cost of running these lights is negligible. If you like one or more of these timers, please let me know.

Also, we are still getting reports of burglaries where locks on external uPVC doors have been “snapped” or “bumped”. If your lock is over 3-4 years old, you are probably vulnerable. If you are not sure of its age, look at the colour of your lock on the outside. If it is not bright and shining, then you may probably need a replacement. Please contact me for further information. Please don’t be the next victim.

Carbon Monoxide Gas

It is some years since we did our promotion of carbon monoxide alarms to protect you against this invisible and very dangerous gas. We recommend that anyone with a CO alarm checks it now to ensure it is properly working as they do have a limited usage life of 5, 7 or 10 years. If you are in any doubt or require a replacement please contact Norman.

Community Announcement

Do you know someone who is registered blind, partially sighted, or otherwise visually impaired, who may be unable to read a printed newspaper through age or physical disability? Then the Rotherham Talking Newspaper may be of help to them. This free service can be obtained by telephone 01709 522429 Monday – Thursday 9 am to noon. Recordings come by audio cassette, CD, or memory stick. They will even provide special players Free of Charge for those who require the service by memory stick. Interested? Give them a call 01709 522429.

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 freephone 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 telephone 01709 336003

Electricity emergency 0800 375 675

Crime Statistics

In the past we have been able to provide you with the up to date crime and antisocial behaviour figures for our village. Because of the funding cuts to our local police, sadly we are currently only able to provide information for December 2015.

Anti social behaviour	2
Burglary	1
Criminal damage and arson	4

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)