Burglaries

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Over recent months there have been a growing number of burglaries in the area. Please lock your house securely and let neighbours know if you are going to be away. To keep the area safe and free from crime, please keep watchful at all times and report any suspicious activity to the police immediately. To help catch the criminals, make a note of any suspicious vehicles ie. make/colour, registration number, and any description of the people involved. We can all help each other and bring the perpetrators to justice as quickly as possible. Thank you.

 

If you need immediate police assistance always dial 999. You should dial 999 when life is threatened or people are injured, or if there is a crime in progress or an immediate police response is necessary. In other cases, dial 101. 

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Scams

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Be on you guard for phone calls purporting to be from 'BT Security Department', 'Openreaach' or 'Ofcom' claiming that your router is reporting high number of errors. These are SCAM calls by criminals and are a variant of the previous Microsoft or Windows Security scam. If you receive one of these calls, terminate the call immediately or alternatively just say SCAM in a loud voice and ring off - they will soon get the message! 

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Beware of telephone scams, for instance you have won the 'lottery' or a 'holiday' and please forward 'X' amount of money to 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 attempts to get a person away from the premises by claiming that a friend or relative had been involved in an accident and has been taken to hospital. The final scam reported recently is 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 an an order number when demanding payment.

 

In all these cases the advice is;

 

(a) Do not provide ANY personal information to anybody who phones you.

(b) 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.

(c) 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.

(d) If it is to do with debt you know nothing about request that they forward to you a copy of the contract.

(e) Lotteries DO NOT ask for payment to process winnings. Remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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Home Security

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• Have good window security

• Secure all doors - remember a chain or bar, ensure all the doors and frames are strong. If you have glass panels replace them with laminated glass. Fit mortise bolts to the top and bottom. Never hang a key inside the letterbox.

• Never leave a spare key in a convenient hiding place such as under a door mat.

• Remember the distraction burglar, check identification carefully and put on the chain

• Good outside lighting can put off or draw attention to a thief

• Make it look like you are at home when you are out, don't leave curtains closed during the day. Use time switches to turn on light, radios etc.

• Cancel milk, newspapers, cut the lawn before going away etc.

• Consider a Burglar Alarm as many burglars will avoid breaking into a property with an alarm.

• Mark you belongings with your postcode, and take pictures of valuable objects.

• Empty boxes left outside your house tell burglars that you have brought something new.

• Never buy property that you think might be stolen

• Join the Neighbourhood Watch

 

Garden and Shed Security

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Ensure that the building is in good condition and look to improve its security by:-

• Fixing mesh or bars on the inside of the windows

• Fitting good locks to all the doors. Padlocks should be at least 6cm/2.5 ins wide, hardened steel, have at least 5 pins and be close shackled type (reduces risk of being forced)

• Fittings should be bolted through the door and reinforced at the back with a steel plate or washer: hasps should have concealed screws.

• Fittings additional locks to up-and-over garage doors.

• Considering an alarm - either a battery-operated alarm or upgrade house alarm which includes the shed or garage.

• Secure all items that could be easily removed - they could be used to break into your house

• Security Mark property such as Lawnmowers, furniture and tools with your postcode and advertise the fact that they are marked. Keep a note of serial/make/model numbers.

• Take photographs of any valuable garden ornaments. Ensure that bicycles are security marked and have additional devices to secure then inside the shed or garage.

• Consider installing security lights

• Keep shrubs bushes hedges etc cut back as they provide a hiding place

• Check all boundary fences and gates are all in good repair

• Ask your neighbours to keep an eye on your garden.

 

Theft from Motor Vehicles

• Make sure your car is locked

• Take valuable items with you

• Make use of your garage to make your vehicle more secure

• Fitting an alarm or immobiliser to your vehicle

 

Suffolk Safe Key Scheme

Suffolk SAFEkey is the new keyholder service offered by Suffolk Constabulary. The service is essentially a database containing detailed information, supplied by you about your home and keyholders.
A keyholder is someone you trust such as a friend or family member who lives nearby to you and has access to your property in your absence.
More details on www.suffolk.safekey.org.uk

Useful Contacts

Crime reduction www.crimereduction.gov.uk
Security www.securedbydesign.com
Resonsible drinking www.drinkaware.co.uk/
Crimestoppers on freephone 0800 555 111
NSPCC 0808 800 5000
Childline 0800 1111
Drugs - Suffolk freephone helpline 0808 800 1122
Office of Fair trading www.oft.gov.uk/