NhW Update
Thursday 30th November 2017
Fly-Tipping update
From next April, criminal gangs and others, who litter our countryside and urban areas, by illegally dumping waste will be hit with having to pay a landfill tax (which they should have paid if they were disposing of the litter or waste legally), on top of any fines or sentences imposed by the courts.
Here’s the latest from Action Fraud: -
It's the thought that counts: Buyers urged to think as Christmas shopping fraud reports rise.
· Action Fraud Christmas shopping reports raised by over a quarter in 2016.
· 15,423 people reported being a victim of shopping fraud.
· Online auction fraud accounted for 65% of reports.
· Victims reported losing over £16 million in total, 45% more than the year before.
· Men aged 20-29 most commonly fall victim. This Christmas the City of London Police, who run Action Fraud, and supported by police forces across the country, are launching a campaign to help prevent people from becoming victims of shopping and auction fraud, as well as other types of fraud which people fall victim to during the seasonal period. From today and throughout the Christmas period, the City of London Police will be reminding Christmas shoppers that ‘It's the thought that counts’ at Christmas time and the importance of thinking about potential fraudsters and how to avoid them.
New figures released today show that last year, victims reported losing nearly £16 million to Christmas shopping fraudsters, increasing from £10 million lost the year before. Action Fraud reports rose by 25% when comparing the Christmas period in 2016 with the same period in 2015. Analysis of last year’s crimes also shows that 65% of crimes at Christmas were linked to online auctions sites, with the average loss for these reports coming in at £727.
Trending items victims reported losing out to fraudsters on included Yeezy trainers, Kylie Jenner make-up, hair dryers, drones and Fitbit watches. Mobiles phones continue to be the most likely thing that people try to buy from fraudsters, with clothing and accessories second on the list and footwear shooting up from sixth to third place. Watches have also over taken jewellery and are now more commonly offered by fraudsters, although it is possible for anyone to fall victim to Christmas shopping fraudsters, last year over 13 percent of reports were made by men aged 20-29.
https://actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud
Keep Alert, Keep Secure & Keep Safe
Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse related crime is 8% of total crime
Domestic abuse is a serious and high-volume crime but it remains largely hidden leaving the victims trapped, powerless and isolated.
One in four women have experienced domestic violence and one in six men. Victims are often too afraid to speak and, in many cases, neighbours, friends and even family will suspect that the offence is taking place but are reluctant to become involved.
Crimestoppers has teamed up with MAV (medicsagainstviolence.co.uk) to launch a new Domestic Abuse campaign – a poster that prompts people to report any concerns about someone’s safety.
If you have any concerns about reporting to the police, you can contact the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers who offer a secure 24/7 service for third party information about domestic abuse or any other crime. All information given to Crimestoppers is anonymous through the 0800 555 111 phone number or online anonymously at crimestoppers-uk.org and is passed to the police. The only way anybody will know you contacted us is if you tell somebody.
Crimestoppers is not an emergency service, so it is important to contact the police immediately using 999 if there is an emergency occurring.
Theft of Cars = Protect Yourselves
High-value modern cars are usually difficult to steal without the keys therefore the thief needs them. As a result of this there have been a number of burglaries where the main attraction is the keys to a car on the driveway, whilst in the house any valuables found can be picked up on the way out.
There are a number of things you can do to protect yourself:-
- Where possible put the car in a garage.
- Lock the car and close the windows, a number of thefts of and from vehicles just lately have been from insecure vehicles in car parks or on driveways.
- When you remote lock a vehicle from the key fob, check it has actually locked, faulty fob, low battery, or someone blocking the signal will mean although you think it is locked it is in fact insecure.
- If you can when parking a high value desirable car on a drive or elsewhere block it in with a less valuable car if possible.
- Consider a lockable post or gate; don’t keep the key with the car keys though.
- Make sure your house is secure, if you have a UPVC front door or other door with a multi locking system make sure you know how to lock it, a lot of people fail to lock the door correctly – lift the handle and turn the key or thumb turn (always have a key available in case of fire). Make sure access to the rear of the house not open. Close accessible windows and fit security lighting.
- If you have an alarm set the zone where you are not occupying. If you don’t have a house alarm how about buying a shed alarm, hiding it to cover the area where the car keys are.
- Don’t have the keys on display via a window or letterbox; put them in a safe place.
- Consider fitting a tracker to a high value car, it may help with any insurance claims.
- If you believe you have an intruder in your home or attempting to get into your home don’t put yourself at risk - dial 999 immediately and get what descriptions and other details that you can.