Prevent Doorstep Parcel Theft

Dear Watch Member,

With Black Friday and Christmas fast approaching there will be increased parcel deliveries to many households across Pinner.

Not only do unattended parcels attract opportunist thieves, they can also indicate to burglars that a home is unoccupied.

Reduce the risk of doorstep parcel theft with these tips:

  • track your parcel to ensure you or someone else is at home for the delivery;
  • install a video doorbell; this can be connected to your mobile so you are notified immediately of any delivery, and is easier to install than a full CCTV system;
  • install a security light;
  • arrange for your parcel to be delivered to a trusted neighbour, or other family members who will be at home; if you live in a flat, is there a concierge who could accept the parcel for you?;
  • use an off-site locker service for frequent deliveries, or for expensive items; these parcel boxes are more likely to be in busy, safer locations – such as supermarkets – rather than secluded areas which could be targeted by thieves.

For more home security advice go to: www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]

Walk & Talk in Pinner Memorial Park – 01/11/22

Dear Watch Member,

On Tuesday 1st November at 12pm we will be holding a Walk & Talk in Pinner Memorial Park, Pinner. The meeting point will be by the bird aviary.

Walk & Talks are open to women aged 18 and above, living or working in London, who would like to go for a walk with an officer in their local area and discuss their views on women’s safety.

Those who take part in a Walk & Talk can share their views and experiences with officers as they walk through any areas they may feel vulnerable in. Patrols can take place at any time, including those where there is less footfall, traffic and light so officers can get a real sense of what their thoughts are.

The aim of Walk & Talks is to start a conversation between members of the public and officers so we can listen and respond to concerns.

If you can attend we look forward to seeing you.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 8721 2775

Home Security Advice This Fortnight

 

Dear Watch Member,

Autumn is well and truly here and after the clocks go back at 2am on Sunday 30th October, the dark early evenings will be here too.

Before then, this Monday sees the start of Diwali, during which many celebrants will be taking jewellery and other valuable items out of secure storage to wear in public places. After the festival of light, it’s Halloween and Bonfire Night respectively.

Therefore, there will be a fortnight of fireworks and families leaving their home to visit temples, go trick-or-treating or attend fireworks displays and social events. This provides increasing opportunities for criminals to commit burglary and use the noise of fireworks to mask forced entry into homes.

If a home is left unlit during hours of darkness, burglars know that a property is empty, so we are encouraging you to follow home security advice throughout the autumn and winter months.

We advise you to consider installing some of the affordable security devices which are currently available. There’s a variety of inexpensive security lights and wi-fi-enabled doorbell and interior cameras, fitted with motion sensors, which enable you to monitor your home remotely using your phone. These kinds of devices can be easily installed at minimal expense and have helped to deter burglaries and in some cases led to offenders being arrested.

You can make your home more secure by following the advice on the attached leaflet and going to www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/.

For those of you with family members who speak Punjabi or Hindi, you / they may find the attached leaflets useful.

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Documents accompanying this message are linked below. Click to download and open a file which use the popular PDF format. If you experience problems downloading or viewing a file please visit this help page.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien

Ofgem Energy Rebate Scam Emails

Dear Watch Member,

Action Fraud is warning the public about a sharp rise in reports of fake emails purporting to be from Ofgem, the independent energy regulator for Great Britain. The emails claim that the recipient is due a rebate payment as part of a government scheme and provides links for the recipient to follow in order to apply for the rebate. The links in the emails lead to malicious websites designed to steal personal and financial information.

Between Monday 22nd August 2022 and Monday 5th September 2022, a total of 1,567 phishing emails related to this scam were reported via the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS).  They all displayed the email subject header “Claim your bill rebate now”. Offenders are using the Ofgem brand logo and colours to make their emails look as authentic as possible. However, the emails asked recipients to “apply for an energy bill rebate before September 2020”, which prompted many recipients to realise the emails weren’t genuine.

Protect yourself and others:

If you have doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly. Don’t use the numbers or address in the message – use the contact details from their official website. Remember, your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email.

If you receive an email you’re not quite sure about, forward it to [email protected].  Even if you’re not certain it’s a scam – they can check.

For advice on how to stay secure online, please visit: www.cyberaware.gov.uk.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]

Keeping Children Safe from Street Robbery

 Dear Watch Member,

Many of you will have children or grandchildren returning to school this week, some of whom may be starting secondary school and using public transport to commute there and back.

Unfortunately, the start of a new school term can see an increase in robbery offences. There are, however, some things you can do to help reduce school-age family members’ risk of becoming a robbery victim and keep safe whilst using their phone. If you can, talk to them about where and how they use their phone using the following advice:

Safety when out and about:

  • Keep your phone and valuables out of sight in a safe place when travelling to and from school. Be careful when you take your phone out.
  • Bus stops, train stations and surrounding areas are common target areas for thieves, who can approach on foot, moped or on a pedal bike or e-scooter.
  • Earphones can distract you, stopping you from seeing or hearing someone approach you from behind.
  • Don’t confront a thief – it’s not worth risking your own safety for possessions that can be replaced.
  • Robbery or attempted robbery are serious crimes and should be reported. It’s important you seek help straight away by dialing 999 rather than contacting police when you get home. Use a friend’s phone or the phone of a trusted adult. This gives us the best chance to catch the suspects, recover any stolen property and ensure your safety.
  • If you have information about a robbery and do not want to report it to police, speak to Fearless 100% anonymously at www.fearless.org. Fearless is the youth service of independent charity Crimestoppers.
  • Whether you have a phone or not, memorise or keep a parent/carer’s phone number in a separate place in your bag/zipped pocket in case of emergency.

For more information go to www.fearless.org/campaigns/robbery.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]

Government Consultation on Proposed Sanctions for Drug Possession

Dear Watch Member,

Illicit drugs are at the root of untold harm and misery across our society. More people die every year as a result of drug misuse in England and Wales than from all knife crime and road traffic accidents combined. Drugs also cause enormous harm to children and young people, impacting on their health and their ability to work and learn. The total cost to society and taxpayers in today’s prices is running close to £22 billion a year in England alone.

Even these shocking numbers cannot fully capture the scale of the human tragedy, with countless lives ruined and families devastated.

A new government white paper is proposing a new regime for how the criminal justice system deals with drug possession offences by so-called recreational or casual users, and changes to how drug testing on arrest works.

The government’s consultation on the proposals is open until 10th  October, and the Home Office policy team have told us they are keen to get a wide range of responses. You are invited to find out about the proposals and give your views via the below online links.

The paper can be found at: ‘Swift, Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession’ white paper – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Swift. Certain. Tough. New Consequences for drug possession white paper (homeofficesurveys.homeoffice.gov.uk)

Please use the above links if you want to respond to this survey.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]

Scammers Targeting Motorists in Pinner

Dear Watch Member,

Scammers are targeting motorists in Pinner.

They approach elderly motorists and convince them they must pay for parking or a fine by inserting a credit / debit card into a parking machine, some of which have a card-sized slot. After the motorist enters their PIN on the alphanumeric keypad, the scammers then use a distraction or sleight of hand technique to remove the card. They then tell the motorist the machine has retained the card, which is then used to swiftly make contactless payments and/or withdraw money from a nearby ATM.

One of the scammers was reported to be wearing a camera to give the appearance of being a genuine parking enforcement officer. Other scammers approach motorists about to use a parking machine, to offer their assistance, when their real purpose is to confuse the motorist and steal their card.

Although the method can change (such as using an ATM instead of a parking machine) the intended result is the same.

Please note that Harrow Council parking machines only allow two types of payment; either with coins or by calling paybyphone, using their website (www.paybyphone.co.uk) or smartphone app, and no genuine parking enforcement officer will ask you to pay a fine in the street.

If you fall victim to these scammers it’s important to cancel any stolen card(s) at the earliest opportunity, so ensure that your card issuer’s phone number, found on the reverse of your card, is in your mobile phone’s contact list.

Please share this message on WhatsApp groups and social media feeds, and speak to elderly family, friends and neighbours to help prevent them becoming victims of this crime.

 

Download Associated Documents
Documents accompanying this message are linked below. Click to download and open a file which use the popular PDF format. If you experience problems downloading or viewing a file please visit this help page.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]

‘Amazon’ Test Club Scam Letters

Dear Watch Member,

You may receive in the post a letter claiming to be from Amazon. The letter invites you to join a “Test Club” where you are given the opportunity to test new Amazon products in exchange for free items and commission. You are asked to submit your details to register your interest in joining the test club.

Amazon have been contacted, and they have confirmed that they are not sending these letters, therefore this is likely to be a scam.

As always, please be suspicious of unexpected correspondence of any type, particularly if it asks you to provide your personal details.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]

New 999 Service Launched for British Sign Language Users

Dear Watch Member,

British Sign Language (BSL) users can now communicate more easily with the emergency services following the launch of a new service this month.

999BSL is a free-to-use video relay service that can be accessed online or downloaded as an app. In an emergency, people who are deaf or hard of hearing can use 999BSL to connect with a BSL interpreter. The interpreter will then call 999 using a landline to relay the conversation to the emergency services operator.

To use the service:
• Open the 999 BSL app or website
• Press the red button to video call
• Communicate with the BSL interpreter

The Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, Minister for Crime and Policing, said: “Calling 999 can literally be a matter of life and death, and everyone should have confidence that their local police force will be at the end of the phone, ready to jump to their aid.

Increasing accessibility of the 999 service to all members of the public is vital and will help to ensure our streets are safer for everyone.”

For more information visit the 999BSL website.

If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]

Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]