On this page – Latest News – What it's all about –
How to make contact – Crimestoppers – It's Magic!! –
Avoid Distraction Burglaries – Credit Card Scam – Stolen uniforms

Latest News Four new Warnings 1.  This is a message from Northamptonshire West Police to all areas... On Sunday May 4th a blue rectangular plastic storage box containing a quantity of gunpowder and other material of a hazardous nature was stolenuring the night from a shed in the Braunston area. If anyone finds this box, they are advised not to touch the contents and to all the police immediately on 999 quoting the crime reference no. WB3577/08. 2.  This is a message from Northamptonshire West Police... Please be aware of a company, claiming to be Group 4, who are cold calling by phone to sell "free" burglar and smoke alarms. The particular caller reported to the police was female and had a strong Birmingham accent, although this will not necessarily always be the case. Anyone agreeing to have a "free" alarm will ultimately have to pay a high installation fee !!! The Group 4 Security Company assure the police that they never cold call. The police advice is to NEVER EVER buy anything from anyone who knocks on your door or phones you without invitation.

3.  We have experienced harassment by the bus stop gang over the last couple of days. First of all anonymous telephone calls threatening to set our barn on fire, then our sheep. Obviously reported to police. Last night our field was accessed, and they tried to get in the barn - unsuccessful and not much damage. Our field is located at the top of Spinney Hill/Ashby Road, the first field on the right after the garages. This has obviously been reported to the police. We are concerned about the arson threat - and if alcohol/drugs involved then this is more likely. And we do have a large number of vulnerable sheep and lambs.

If you have any contacts in this area, can you alert them to what is going on. The "gang" were this evening at the bus stop with a couple of bags full of fosters lager, so we perhaps are expecting more trouble.

Should you have any information on this matter, or anyone wants to call us to tell us if they are in the area of our field, our telephone number is ****** . It will not now accept calls from people who withhold their number!

Thanks, Lynne & David White

4.  This is a message from Northamptonshire West Police to all Neighbourhood Watch members.

We are informed that residents in the county are receiving communications from various countries, informing them that they have won a monetary prize in a lottery or draw that they know nothing about. In order to receive this prize, they are required to either send a cheque to cover postage or give their bank details so that the prize may be deposited into their account. Should you receive a letter such as this, you are advised by Trading Standards to simply put it in the bin and ignore it. In short, these are scams... you cannot win a prize in a lottery or draw that you have not entered.

Please be aware also of a damp proofing company calling themselves the 'Damp Advisory Service' who are claiming to offer a 'free' service and seem to be using the usual tactics to make you sign up with them. We are advised that they have recently been phoning residents in the county.

Trading Standards have already been notified of this company.

Please remember, nothing is for free in this world. If it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is!!

Doorstep Crime
Older and more vulnerable adults are more at risk from becoming victims of bogus cold calling or rogue doorstep sellers.
Although some businesses who sell at the door are genuine, a proportion of these are rogue doorstep sellers selling services such as home improvements and repairs, security systems, mobility aids, gardening services etc.

These doorstep sellers appear to be trustworthy and genuine but once you have let a doorstep seller into your home, they will be expecting a sale - and they won't give up easily. Rogue doorstep sellers will usually insist on starting the work the same day and will often ask for cash upfront. They may offer to take you to the bank or building society so you can get the money out. These are some of the phrases they may use:
"We are only in the area today"
"We were doing a job in the area and we have some materials left over"
"I noticed you've got a few loose tiles on your roof..."
"There have been a lot of burglaries in the area recently......"
"This cut-price special offer is only available if you sign today...."
"If you pay by cash we will give you a discount".
If you are in any doubt just say.. No, sorry I don't buy at the door.. and close the door.

The police advice is to never ever buy from a cold caller, either at the door or by phone.

Please see useful links for more information:
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/watch_out/scams/doorstep-selling
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consumeradvice/landline/changing/exdirectory/

Thefts from sheds and vehicles

Recently there have been a series of burlaries from garden and allotment sheds (including lead from their roofs) and from vehicles. Keep your eyes open and report any suspicious behaviour immediately. Don't leave valuables on view in your car!

What it's all about

Our village has set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, sponsored by the Parish Council, to help the Police combat crime. The scheme is not run by the Police but by volunteers in the village led by a chairman and committee. It costs nothing to belong and costs nothing to help. It does provide helpful advice to us and we are all encouraged to keep our eyes open and report anything unusal.

At present (December 2007) the sheme is very new and will take time to get fully functional with local "Street Contacts" for groups of houses/roads. They will be able to pass on information to you about local concerns and what, in particular, to look out for. If you are reading this you almost certainly have an email address and if you pass this to the chairman, Nick Brookman, he will be able to get information (and other interesting news) to you more quickly.

He would love to hear from you if you would be prepared to become a "Street Contact" for one of the following:- Ashby Road, Church Road, Greenways (from Countryside towards the Church), Archer Avenue or Nibbetts Lane. It really doesn't take up too much time and your help would be greatly appreciated. Our community is important to us all, we need to help each other and most of all communicate with each other. That way we can succeed in our goal to keep Braunston the quiet, picturesque village we all know and love.

How to make contact

If you see a crime actully being committed then always dial 999 at once.

If you see anything suspicious, unusual or the result of a crime then phone the special Neighbourhood Watch number (manned 24/7) 01604 432 436 asap – i.e. now, tomorrow may be too late. This, once again, is not manned by the Police but the information will be passed on to them – you will not have to give your name unless you want to be kept informed about the progess. If you prefer, you can email the Daventry Police instead of phoning them (but it is slower).

The Crimestoppers (see below for more details) number is 0800 555 111

For matters concerning our Neighbourhood Watch email the chairman.

Northamptonshire CRIMESTOPPERS

Crimestoppers enables peole to get information passed to the Police without revealing their identity. It doesn't matter why they wish to remain anonymous. Perhaps they are concerned for their safety. Perhaps they have nformation about the activities of someone close to them. All information is valuable and can lead direcly to offenders being arrested and charged.

It's Magic!!

It's SmartWater which you can paint (or dab) onto any of your valuable possessions. It can only be seen under ultra-violet light and so a thief will not notice it but, when caught, the Police will. Each batch is different and registered to you. This helps the Police prove that the goods are stolen and also helps to get them back to you, the righful owner.

There is a very special deal for members of any Neighbourhood Watch scheme. The initial cost is reduced to just £15 + VAT (=£17.63) and the annual registration cost is waived altogether.

Avoid Distraction Burglaries - Advice from the Police

With the start of the New Year it’s a chance for people to get into good habits to try and avoid becoming the victim of distraction burglaries.
The number of distraction burglaries in the county as a whole has fallen in the last year but police want to see the number lowered even further.

With New Year resolutions no doubt falling by the wayside, Northamptonshire Police would like to see every householder keep one – If you are not sure, don’t open the door.

From January to December 2006 there was 234 distraction burglaries in Northamptonshire compared with 211 for the same period of 2007.

A police spokesperson said: “We treat distraction burglaries very seriously and good preventative work and good investigation are both equally important.

“We would encourage people in the community to pass on the message that distraction burglars can be beaten. Rogue workmen and distraction burglars rely on engaging someone in conversation as the fist step towards getting into their home. If people can remember not to open the door if they are not expecting someone to call, we can help cut the number of people who become victims of this callous crime even further.”

There is some clear guidance for people with regard to avoiding becoming the victim of distraction burglars.

- If you are not sure, don’t open the door.
- Keep your front door, back door and windows locked at all times – even if you are expecting someone.
- Fit a spyhole so that you can see who is there. Choose one with built-in intercom or speak to callers through a window to find out what they want.
- Don’t be tricked. Only open the door if you know the caller – or if they have made a written appointment to see you. Genuine callers won’t mind.
- ID cards are easy to reproduce so don’t trust them. Never use phone numbers printed on ID cards to verify the callers ID.
- Set up a password with utility companies. If the caller doesn’t know your password then they aren’t genuine.
- Don’t use tradesmen who call offering to do work. Good quality workmen will be too busy to look for business this way.
- Don’t keep large quantities of cash at home – use a bank account instead.
- Avoid buying or selling any goods or services at the door.
- Ring Police if you have received a visit from anyone you are suspicious of – you may prevent your neighbour from becoming a victim.

Write down the vehicle number / telephone number but . . .

. . . let us know if you have any suspicions. Genuine businesses won't mind being spoken to & checked out, as these criminals ae taking business away from them. Please do not place yourself at risk at any time. You can pass on any details or concerns in a number of ways (see above).

Advice about Bargain Auctions and Sales
"Think before you buy" is the message from Trading Standards Officers when it comes to bargain sales or auction events, which sometimes have offers that are too good to be true.
These sales can be described as liquidation sales, cancelled contracts or emergency auctions and are usually advertised in local newspapers or through leaflets. Shoppers are enticed by bargain prices or well known brands, but once the sale begins you could land up paying a lot more than you bargained for.
The advice from Trading Standards is:
1. Think carefully before even attending.
2. Always read the conditions of the sale. There will often be a buyer's premium plus VAT to be added to the final selling price.
3. Treat the sale with scepticism.
4. Explore how you may be able to return faulty goods for a refund. Some sales specifically exclude a consumer's right to obtain a refund on faulty goods.
5. Branded goods may be advertised at very low prices. Trading Standards believe that in most cases branded articles are not available and certainly not at the advertised price.

More information and advice is available on their website.