Farnborough Police Safer Neighbourhood Team Monthly Newsletter

J u ly
Introduction and Local news Welcome to this months Farnborough Newsletter. The Summer Holidays have truly begun schools are closed closing and students having commenced their 6 Week break. The recent spell of warm weather has been a blessing and a curse for policing with an increase of Anti-social behaviour, burglary and car crime. What you can do to help stop ASB Let us know If anti-social behaviour is affecting your quality of life, or making you fear for your safety or the safety of others, contact the police and file a complaint. Advice for parents - ASB If you have children under the age of 18 please help us by following this advice: PS Kevin Futers Before they go out, find out what your children are doing, where they are going, and when and how they will be getting home. Often children do not need to buy alcohol, they take it from home without their parents' knowledge. Keep alcohol in a safe place and keep a check on how much you have so that you will know if any goes missing. Burglaries - Summer In the summer, due to the hotter weather, windows that have been left open whilst people are in are often still left open when people leave their homes. Ensure that when you leave your property you have closed all your windows so no one can gain access. Get into the routine of checking your home before bed, close and lock all downstairs windows and doors before you turn in for the night. Going away If you are going away from your property for an extended period, try to make your home look occupied - cancel milk and newspaper deliveries, get a friend or neighbour to collect your post and draw your curtains and use timer switches to turn the lights on in the evening, move valuables such as laptops, games consoles etc out of view. Buy a small safe and secure it to floor and store your jewellery and other valuables remember there are some things money cant replace. This is also a good time to ensure you have up-to-date building and contents insurance and have checked for any specific requirements relating to security. Describe it Can you describe all your jewellery and heirlooms? Do you know the serial numbers to your bicycle, I-pad, mobile: Then how do you expect the Police to recover it? Go to http://www.immobilise.com now! It is free to register your valuables and you can include photos of your jewellery, Farnborough SNT do regular property sessions and will help you register your items see crime reports for details.

2 0 1 3

Contact the Police

999 - emergencies 101 - non emergencies

Page 2

EMPRESS & TOWN CENTRE WARD - Your SNT team is PC Rob Dunster and PCSO James Charlton. In the Month of July we have had two Burglaries in the Empress Ward from Houses where the offenders have force entry to the property. The offenders have taken Jewellery and electrical items such as phones and laptops. Please keeps valuable items hidden and out of sight especially when you are not at home. To increase the security of your homes you could consider a device called a Glass Minder/ Vibration Sensor which is a stuck to the door or window and will activate an audible alarm if someone tries to or does force the door/window open. These can be obtained from most DIY/Security shops or from the internet. We also recommend that you record your valuable property on Immobilise.com like Mobile Phones and other electrical items and also items like jewellery which you can also upload photos of. This is a national website which is the world's largest FREE register valuable items and together with its sister site the Police's NMPR, forms a very effective tool in helping to reduce crime and help recover personal property to its rightful owners. For more information please visit www.immobilise.com. PC Dunster

CHERRYWOOD WARD - Your SNT team is PC Mark Ranola, PC Ian Stewardson, PCSO Lynn Anderson, PCSO Gordon Pengilley and PCSO Rai. PCSO Charlton Noise As the sun is finally out, and we all want to fully enjoy it while its there, however, please consider other fellow neighbours and community while celebrating out in open. We have received approximately 10-12 noise complaints within this month. If you experience similar problems, we recommend you get in touch with the Environmental Health Department at Rushmoor Borough Council as they deal with noise nuisances and will be able to offer you with necessary advice and support. Burglary Incidents A house and a shed were broken in to, whilst occupants were away for the weekend. Offender gained entry in to one of the propertys rear garden via an insecure gate, items were taken. Another offender gained entry to a house but luckily no items were taken. Please ensure your fences and locks are in good repair. Do not leave any valuable items and tools on display. We would also like to suggest security lighting and burglary alarms be fitted to homes. Lastly, do not forget to mark your belongings with postcode and house number and register your property for free with www.immobilise.com. Theft from Vehicle There were two incidents this month where items were also stolen from vehicles. One of the cars was parked on the driveway and another at the residential car park. These kinds of offenders are mostly opportunist, if valuables are left on show inside a vehicle these criminals are most likely smash windows to gain entry. Therefore, if you have your own garage, park inside it, or at least park in a well lit area. We all are human beings and do tend to forget things, so do keep reminding yourself to not to leave anything on display in your vehicle. If you can, consider fitting an alarm or immobiliser to your car as an extra prevention method.

Contact the Police

999 - emergencies 101 - non emergencies

PC Ranola

PCSO Pengilley

PCSO Rai

PC Stewardson

PCSO Anderson

Page 3

COVE & SOUTHWOOD WARD - Your SNT team is PCSO Michelle Curtis.
Thefts from vehicles A number of vehicles have been targeted, some of which were left insecure. With the hot weather, people have been leaving vehicle windows open making them an easy target for thieves. Sat navs have been stolen from glove boxes and in one case an attempt was made on a stereo. Please ensure that your vehicles are left secure and there is nothing of value inside a good tip is to also leave your glove box open. Burglaries Southwood Church has been targeted again and a lawnmower was stolen from the shed. Unfortunately nobody saw anything suspicious and there are no lines of enquiry. The church have been supplied with a PIR sensor / alarm for their shed but this is a reminder to keep your sheds secure and consider alarms if you have anything of value inside. Whilst on this subject, a bicycle was stolen from a garage on Southwood. The garage was secure and the bike was locked inside. Bolt croppers were used to cut the lock. Farnborough Safer Neighbourhoods Team have a supply of Kryptonite D Locks which is what we recommend is used. We are selling them at a cost price of 20 and making no profit. Cold callers There has been a number of reports of people cold calling. Some people have been told that they are in the area to do roof surveys / inspections or have made offers of work to driveways. We have also been told about representatives from Battersea Dogs Home and it has been reported that they have been quite pushy asking people to sign direct debits there and then. For those not in a 'No Cold Calling Zone', you can find out more information at the following link as to how to set one up. SNT endorse the Trading Standards Buy With Confidence link. These website provides an extensive list of trades and businesses that are thoroughly vetted by Trading Standards on a regular basis. If you need any improvements done to your home, we recommend that you have a look at this site first. No Cold Calling Zones - http://www3.hants.gov.uk/tradingstandards/tradingstandardsnocoldcalling/nccz/setup-nccz.htm Buy With Confidence - http://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/sitepages/bwchome.aspx

PCSO Curtis

FERNHILL WARD - Your SNT team is PC Martin Cole and PCSO Mitch While.
Recent speed checks have been conducted on Sandy Lane on 30/04/13, 10/06/13, 03/07/13 and 11/07/13. During these checks, 1274 vehicles were monitored and 23 vehicles were found to be exceeding the speed limit at enforcement level. The drivers of these vehicles have all been notified by way of a warning letter.

PC Cole

Joint patrols conducted by Farnborough SNT and Councillor Ken Muschamp on 08/07/2013. Everything in order no illegally parked vehicles. The no waiting restriction between the pinch points is still being monitored and will remain until 24/07/2013. During the school holiday the no waiting restriction will be lifted. This will be re-assessed prior to the new term. Due to the current closure of Fernhill Road, a main route linking North Farnborough to Central Farnborough, traffic has been diverted along Sandy Lane. This closure has significantly increased the flow of traffic along Sandy Lane and has raised concerns and tensions around the permanent traffic calming measures outside of Guillemont School. Obviously these measures are not suited for this volume of traffic during peak times and with the added obstruction of parked vehicles between the pinch points just adds further issues to the problem. The Local SNT have at peak times attempted to assist the traffic movement through this stretch of road to no avail, finding the parked vehicles within the pinch points obstructed the flow. With this knowledge, it was decided on 02/07/13 to trial a temporary no waiting restriction between the pinch points and this was monitored during school finishing time. This trial significantly improved the traffic flow, reducing the concerns of persons attending the school and relieving the tensions of the drivers passing through. It has been decided therefore, that this temporary no waiting restriction will remain until Wednesday 24th July 2013. A letter to residents (as attached working sheet) has been delivered to all affected households from numbers 183 to 201 Sandy Lane, giving a full explanation for this temporary measure. Several residents home at the time of the letter being delivered have been spoken to in person and seem to understand the necessity for these measures.

PCSO While

Page 4

KNELLWOOD & ST MARKS WARD - Your SNT team is PC David McDonald and PCSO Jenni Lawrence.

This month we have noticed an increase in acquisitive crime. There have been 5 burglaries in total, two on Albert Road, two on Church Road West and one on Waverly Road. Items were taken from all the houses. Please make sure that each time you leave the house all windows and doors are secure and valuables are not left on display. Consider using timer switches on lamps and radios to give the appearance of the house being occupied. If you are going away on holiday consider telling a trusted neighbour so they can keep an eye on the property. You can also use www.immobilise.com to register your property in case of loss or theft. There have also been a number of reports of thefts from vehicles in the last month, most of which are from car parks in the local area. Each vehicle was secure and so forced entry was gained. Our advice is to remove all valuables from vehicles so there is no temptation for opportunist thieves.

PC McDonald

Contact the Police

999 - emergencies 101 - non emergencies

PCSO Lawrence
ST JOHNS WARD - Your SNT team is PC Lee Jeffers and PCSO Lisa Attwood. Are ball games a problem? Ball games are a lot of fun for the young people playing them, but can become a source of disturbance for others and so can cause a lot of friction in neighbourhoods that would otherwise be very peaceful. Children have a right to play as well as a need to enjoy physical exercise and interaction with other youngsters. Play is crucial to a child's development as a social, confident member of society and should be encouraged. However, everyone has a right to enjoy their home and know that their property is safe and have a right to be treated respectfully. Football and other ball games are NOT anti-social behaviour. In most of the complaints we receive it is not the playing of ball games that is the problem, rather the manner in which they are conducted. The key to tackling this conflict is to reach a compromise that satisfies everybody. Younger children playing a game of football with a SPONGE FOOTBALL are less likely to disturb others because they are quiet and unlikely to cause damage. For example, if an eight-year old accidentally kicks a sponge ball at a parked car, annoying though this may be, it is unlikely to cause damage. However, if a twelve year-old hits leather football at a car or window there is a risk of damage and any victim would, understandably, be upset. Action that residents can take. We expect residents to accept that young people should be allowed to play outdoors in their local area and encourage them to do so. But, if residents are to be able to live without worrying about damage to their property, then it is reasonable that parents of older children and those playing with leather or heavy balls should encourage their children to take their games to larger, more appropriate green areas or playing fields, where they can play ball without upsetting others. Some parents are concerned that their children are not safe when away from the house unsupervised. One solution could be to set up a rota so that concerned parents take it in turns to go to a nearby park or playing field with the local children. Your local St Johns SNT have so far seized 5 leather footballs from children who have ignored initial warnings and continued to play with heavy footballs in the street.

PC Jeffers

PCSO Attwood

Page 5

WEST HEATH WARD - Your SNT team is PCSO Harry Collins-Hardman . Anti Social Behaviour: There have been a number of reports of youths causing a nuisance in the West Heath Ward, PCSO Harry Collins-Hardman continues to patrol the affected areas in an attempt to catch and deter those responsible. There has been a rise in recent weeks in reports about motorbikes/mini motos riding up and down the Brook. There have been numerous reports of these youths riding along footpaths and cycle paths being a nuisance and causing a danger to the public. One youth has been identified and spoken to and no further reports have been received so far in relation to his bike. Please contact Police on 101 if you see any motorbikes being ridden on the footpath. Theft/Burglaries: The ward has recently suffered from Burglaries Non-dwelling such as sheds, storage and businesses. In the hot weather please ensure all windows and doors are locked at night and when leaving your property, most thieves are opportunist and an open window or unlocked door is an open invitation to a would be burglar! Also for sheds and storage make sure all property is secured and in particular bicycles are locked with a decent lock, currently Farnborough Police can supply a Kryptonite D-lock at a cost of 20.

Contact the Police

999 - emergencies 101 - non emergencies

PCSO CollinsHardman

MONTHLY STATISTICS - JULY 2013