NEW 13th February 2010

Latest newsletter from St Edmundsbury SNT Rural South added  - see menu on right

10th February 2010 - Unexplained Death - Hundon

9th February - Interference with motor vehicle in Hundon

7th January 2010 - Helping Suffolk stay safe in bad weather

ST EDMUNDSBURY RURAL SOUTH SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM
NEWSLETTER Added 21st August 2009 - see right menu
FARM WATCH section updated 21st August 2009

Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service Home Fire Safety Check
For eligible households the Fire & Rescue Service is now carrying out FREE Home Fire Safety Checks to identify any areas of concern within your home; we fit FREE 10-Year Smoke Alarms as part of the safety check.

Advice can be offered on:
Smoke alarm testing and maintenance;
Escape plans;
Kitchen safety; and
Electrical safety

Members of the Fire and Rescue Service who all carry photo identification carry out these Safety Checks.

To receive FREE Home Fire Safety Advice and to check your eligibility for a free Home Fire Safety Check please contact Community Fire Safety Department on the number below.

Tel: 01473 260586

Is your electric blanket safe?

Free electric blanket test are being carried out through out the county on the dates below:

Felixstowe 28th September
Newmarket 29th September
Martlesham 30th September
Stowmarket 1st October
Ipswich 2nd October
Sudbury 5th October
Haverhill 6th October
Bury St Edmunds 7th October
Lowestoft 8th October
Bramford 9th October

To arrange your free test call 01473 260586 to book an appointment
 

AVOID THE SCAMMERS!
Lock Stop Chain and Check

Could be the words of a song, but in this instance timely safety advice. Recent television and radio coverage has brought into focus the problem
of rogue traders active in the area and the work being done by Trading Standards in regard these people. Best advice is to say “No thank you”
to doorstep traders. Please remember: -

LOCK – Keep your front and back doors locked, even when at home.

STOP – Before you answer the door, stop and think if you are expecting anyone. Check that you have locked any back door and taken the key out.
Look through the spy-hole or the window to see who it is.

CHAIN – If you decide to open the door, put the door chain or bar on first. Keep the chain or bar on while you are talking to the person on the
doorstep. (Normally when the door is shut and locked, leave the chain or bar off in case you need to get out in an emergency.)

CHECK – Check their details and identity before you let them into your home. Do not agree to any work being done or sign a contract until after
you have talked to someone else. If it is someone looking for help only go out to help if you have someone else with you. Don’t worry if you chose
not to go to help – it’s not rude or unfriendly. If it is someone claiming to be an official, ask for and carefully check their identity card, make sure the caller’s name and picture are the same as on the identity card, even if the visit is pre-arranged. Re-assure your customers that a genuine caller will
be happy to make an appointment to call and will carry an identity card with a photograph. They won’t mind waiting if you want to phone and
confirm their identity. Remember there is the facility in place for the utility companies to have a password to use when visiting

If you want work done then ensure you employ a reputable person, Trading Standards are in the process of drawing up a list of ‘Trusted Traders’,
but word of mouth can also be a good indicator. Get at least three estimates, from traders that you are able to ascertain a landline phone number
and an address, before making up your mind

There are of course the ”perennial favourites” as used by scammers the world over. For instance you have won the ‘lottery’ or ‘a holiday’ please
forward ‘x’ amount of money so we can process your winnings. Another, recently circulated, involves persons claiming to be from a money
collection service (in this instance BT) in an attempt to obtain credit card details. Another that does appear to be an attempt to get a person away
from the premises by claiming that a friend or relative has been involved in an accident and has been taken to hospital. The final one is again an
old scam usually aimed at businesses looking for payment or donations for including some form of advertising in a booklet or wall-chart or similar,
often claiming to be a charitable society, In this instance the caller requested the date of birth of the person he was speaking to then used this as
an order number when demanding payment.

In all these cases the advice would be: -
Do not provide ANY personal information to anybody who phones you.
Check the information provided by the caller, obtain the name and address of the company, the name of the caller, and include a phone number.
These can all be checked independently.
If you have not nor have any recollection of agreeing to an advertising contract, question the caller and ask for proof or put these points in a letter.
If it is to do with a debt you know nothing about request that they forward to you a copy of the contract.
Lotteries DO NOT ask for payment to process winnings

If you have access to a computer there are several web sites that may be of use to you, two are listed here: -
www.spamlaws.com
and
www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk
both with long lists of scams old and new. Another good way of checking a particular suspected scam is to
select some words or phrase used in the communication add the word ‘scam’ after it and carry out a ‘google’ search. . Remember if it sounds too
good to be true, it probably is!

Is your property secure?
Suffolk Police are reminding householders to keep their homes and vehicles secure at all times, as the temperatures continue to rise.

Senior Crime Reduction Officer Dave Gilson says homes and cars often are left insecure at this time of year. With the recent warm weather windows and doors get left open, often overnight or when people have left the room or vehicle. An open window or door is an invitation for a thief to enter your property. Anything of value left on display can be quickly and easily taken. In the summer it's tempting to leave doors and windows open, but we would advise you to only do so if you're in the room. Otherwise keep them locked and keep the burglars out. If you're working in the garden, lock your house and your garage or shed,

It doesn't matter what time of day it is, it only take a few seconds to steal a bag or a wallet through an open window or door during the day, or some tools from a shed. Burglars don't just come out at night they will take any opportunity presented to them. This includes reaching through open windows of cars in car parks or in the street, or trying door handles. Always lock your vehicle and remove items of value from display.

Items stolen as a result of insecurities tend to be smaller things such as cameras, laptops and mobile phones, or tools and cycles and lawnmowers from sheds or garages. Owners are encouraged to record serial numbers and postcode mark items of value, and take photos of them this helps police identify items if they are recovered and can help prove cases of burglary.

Items with a serial number can also be registered with Immobilise, the national online property database www.immobilise.com when things like mobile phones, iPods, laptops and sat navs with serial numbers are recovered, officers can check the database and if it's registered find its real owner.

People are also reminded not to leave items of value near doors and windows where they are on display and easily accessible. This includes keys, as in a number of burglaries cars have been stolen from driveways when offenders have taken keys from a handbag or hung up near a door.

Do not write down the PIN for credit and debit cards and keep it with them, as if a burglar takes your bag or wallet, they'll also be able to get into your account.

Any suspicious persons, vehicles or activity should be reported to police, taking note of vehicle index numbers and descriptions - officers, including your local Safer Neighbourhood Team, can be contacted on 01473 613500 or you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If a crime is in progress call 999 immediately. More information on keeping your property secure can be obtained from your local Crime Reduction Officer on 01473 613500.

Police Direct Team


National Drugs Week Message
Police and partner agencies are encouraging you to take crime prevention measures, such as ensuring your home is secure and not leaving any valuables in your vehicle, as part of National Tackling Drugs Week. The links between drugs and crime are well established with drug users often committing opportunist burglary and theft offences to help fund their addiction.
As the warmer weather arrives more people leave doors and windows open - please make sure your lock up your home and be more security conscious about leaving valuable items out of view of passing oportunist criminals.

Please click HERE to pass any useful information to Suffolk Police about crime in your area

DO NOT USE THIS LINK IN AN EMERGENCY OR IN A SITUATION THAT REQUIRES AN IMMEDIATE POLICE RESPONSE WHEN YOU SHOULD RING 999.
Thank you
The Police Direct Team
 

DISTRACTION BURGLARY
Two males called at the door of a woman in her 80s. They pushed past the elderly lady saying there was a water leak and they needed to check the pressure. They went into the kitchen with her but ran out of the house through the front door when a relative of the woman arrived.

Householders are reminded to check the ID of callers, not to let anyone in if you are unhappy and call police.

Bogus Callers & Rogue Trader alert
On 26th April there have been two instances where bogus officials have gained entry to a persons house and stolen money, both instances have involved people claiming to be from one of the utilities and in both though with differing claims both still used the word 'board' as the company. In one instance the offender did have a badge with a company name on it.

The best advice that can be given is still 'STOP, LOCK, CHAIN AND CHECK'. Check the identity of a caller before letting them in - Lock them out until you have phoned the company to check who they say they are.

There have also been two instances involving Rogue Traders in the west of the county, one in Newmarket, the other in Stradbroke. People offering to carry out work at a cheap rate but when it comes to it the bill is way above the quoted price or below standard.

There have also been two instances, one in Ipswich and another in Felixstowe when there have been claims made that roofing work has been done when it has not and attempts have been made to obtain many hundreds of pounds.

In many instances it is an offence for anyone to offer services or work with a quote above £35 without a written contract, which includes a period for cancellation. The advice would always be not to enter into these agreements but if work is needed ensure you get at least three quotes from reputable companies or people you know are reliable.

How Secure is YOUR Home?
New home security pages have been launched on the Home Office website which will offer a single source of information and advice on home security - Click HERE for details

Want to find out how secure your property is? Try this handy, three-minute online scorecard to find out how your home stacks up. Click HERE


Suffolk Constabulary have received the following report and would like to hear from anyone who believes they or a relative may have been approached by a bogus caller claiming to be from an NHS service

"Please be aware that elderly residents appear to be the targets of persons, purporting to be from the hospital or local surgery or otherwise NHS-related, saying that they have come to give them their 'flu vaccination. It is not routine for such a service to be provided and there are important clinical reasons why patients are invited to attend NHS premises for their vaccinations. A few incidents have been reported to GP practices where patients have rightly made contact to check before letting these strangers indoors. NHS staff usually call ahead and always carry identity cards when visiting patients at home, which can be checked by telephone if you are unsure."

Please remember to always check the identity of callers to your door.
Use a directory to obtain a company phone number.
Ask the caller to wait outside whilst you check, a genuine caller will be happy for you to do this.
Please contact your GP surgery or Patient Advisory and Liaison Service (PALS) if you wish to check the identity of a visitor claiming to be from the NHS.
To report an incident to Suffolk Constabulary please call 01473 613500
OR
Please click HERE to pass any useful information to Suffolk Police .

DO NOT USE THIS LINK IN AN EMERGENCY OR IN A SITUATION THAT REQUIRES AN IMMEDIATE POLICE RESPONSE WHEN YOU SHOULD RING 999.
Police Direct Team
 

KEEP CHRISTMAS PRESENTS SAFE WITH IMMOBILISE

Suffolk Police are reminding people to register their Christmas purchases and presents with the online property database Immobilise, to help keep property safe and reunite stolen items with their rightful owners.

Many items of identifiable property are either lost or stolen each year. Immobilise is the worlds largest free register of possession ownership and searchable register of stolen goods and blocked mobile phones. If you register your property at www.immobilise.com and the police recover it, you will get it back.

Almost any item with a serial number can be registered, including 
Mobile phones
Ipods, other MP3 players and games consoles
Laptops, computers and PDAs
Sat navs and in-car equipment
Bicycles

Watches, jewellery, art and antiques can also be registered. Users who upgrade can also add photos and certificates of ownership to their account.

Community Safety Inspector Ben Cook says, Many items we recover from criminals are not given back to their owners, as without information on serial numbers or property marking we do not know who they belong to. Equally, if when we search a property we suspect an item of being stolen but the serial number does not indicate to us that the goods don't belong to the person who possesses them, we cannot take that item away.

Spending five minutes registering details of your Christmas gifts and other valued possessions on www.immobilise.com means their details are instantly available to us and all other forces across the country. If an item is stolen you can update your record to tell us, so if we or any other force find your MP3 player, sat nav or bike, we have proof it belongs to you.

With the credit crunch affecting many people this Christmas, registering your presents with Immobilise is an easy way to safeguard your property that doesnt cost a penny. If you want to include the details of Immobilise with your gifts, leaflets are available from police stations, mobile police stations or your local Crime Reduction Officer.