Mid Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter

In November 2005 West Sussex Trading Standards was successful in obtaining an Anti-Social Behaviour Order against a doorstep trader living in the Chichester area and operating throughout the County.
The individual involved had targeted older vulnerable consumers by calling uninvited, sometimes approaching householders in their back gardens, and offering to carry out work which may well have been unnecessary. There was no written notice of the customer's right to cancel the contract which is required by law.

Once the work had commenced, the price inevitably rose considerably and the customer was encouraged to go to the bank for more money.
The ASBO effectively stops the individual involved from cold calling and from increasing the agreed price for a job. This was the first ASBO in the country to be obtained by Trading Standards in the County Court as part of other proceedings.
Those other proceedings were also successful in that an Interim Enforcement Order was also made which ensures that the individual concerned trades within the law in future.

New Hon. Secretary of MSNHW

We are pleased to announce we have a new secretary on Mid-Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Committee. Her name is Julie-Ann Cole, who has lived in Hurstpierpoint for some nine years with her young teenage son.
She is a NHW Area Coordinator within the village and works part-time locally. She also works voluntarily supporting an online Community Support forum NFHiB for victims of Anti Social Behaviour throughout the UK. Access can be made via www.hassocksnhw.org.uk and www.copthornenhw.org.uk.
Julie-Ann says "it is a wonderful opportunity for me to lend my support locally to Mid Sussex Neighbourhood Watch and work alongside Mid Sussex police and other agencies to help continue effective ways to reduce the fear of Crime and Anti Social Behaviour within our local community.

 Encouraging

"Also to encourage more community spirit to enable more people to be involved and join NHW, working together, looking out for each other for their mutual advantage".
Although relatively new to NHW, she has been overwhelmed by the friendliness of all concerned and has been made very welcome. She is sure she will enjoy her new role as secretary and looks forward to meeting you in the near future.
Julie-Ann can be contacted on 01273 831683 or email:

Neighbours From Hell in Britain (NFHiB) was created in early 2002, due to the site creator's personal experiences with repeatedly anti-social, noisy, inconsiderate and rude neighbours. A 'NFH' (Neighbour from Hell) can come from any walk of life and any part of society - the large amount of collective experience and information contained within NFHiB can help you address neighbour issues in almost any situation, operated entirely by volunteers who have themselves suffered from abusive neighbours writes Julie-Ann Cole.
The NFHiB Forum Community exists to enable people who are suffering with similar problems to come together as a voice for change and most importantly as a means of supporting one another through what can be truly awful times that are both physically and mentally exhausting.
What constitutes anti-social or un-neighbourly behaviour? What makes a NFH? Inconsiderate parking, persistent and deliberate acts of trespass, aggressive or threatening behaviour, harassment, violence, loud music, smoky bonfires, unacceptably loud noises, especially at inappropriate times, and late night DIY. These are only a few examples of the ways neighbours can shatter our peaceful and quiet enjoyment of our own homes.

Thoughtless distress

Sometimes people are thoughtless and don't realise their behaviour is causing distress to their neighbours. In this case, perhaps a quiet word will ensure the inconsiderate behaviour stops. These people are not really Neighbours From Hell. They are just inconsiderate! But others revel in the idea that they are causing misery to their neighbours. Or they are aware they are causing misery, but don't care enough to stop. Or they have some ulterior motive for causing distress. These three latter types are undoubtedly NFH.

Emails to the editor

Credit Card Fraud - A Personal Experience

The introduction of PIN numbers in the UK for credit cards has reduced the incidence of fraud here, but beware of use overseas where PIN numbers are not obligatory. In December I spent over a month in the US with a 10 day side trip to Mexico.

Whilst in Mexico I hired a car from a well known company named after a siege. The use of credit cards for car hire is virtually obligatory. In Mexico I handed my credit card over and it was in my sight all the time although full details were recorded. It seems fraudsters located in Belize were given these details and they then proceeded to milk the account to its limit. The Credit card company increased my limit so the thieves then took this extra bonus. Their haul was over £5000!
Peter Ray

Correction for last issue

Thank you for the Newsletter which we always find very interesting. However, my eye was caught by the article on the back page (Autumn 2005 issue) about immobilising mobile phones, and immediately tried to log on to the web site as printed, thinking the misspelling (immobolise) was a trade name or similar. It is a misspelling.

Prove the property is yours - not the burglars!

One of the main problems police officers have when they recover property believed to be stolen is managing to identify it, so the Mid Sussex Police are encouraging people to security mark their valuables. Sometimes the police have no choice unless of course they can prove it to be stolen, but to give what is obviously stolen property back to the thieves and burglars. Many people believe that it won't happen to them and that their household insurance will replace the items stolen. Whilst that may be true for impersonal items such as TV's, videos and stereos, they will never be able to replace personal items which hold sentimental value such as jewellery, watches and valuable mementos whose description are often reported incorrectly.
We would like to offer a simple test - without looking at your own watch, can you say whether the numbers are all displayed, or just the 12 & 6, or is it Roman numerals, or just bar markings on the hours? Or what is the serial number of your DVD player? It is amazing how few people would know these details and it illustrates the dilemma officers are faced with when trying to reunite property to its rightful owner.
Marking all your property and recording serial numbers means the police stand a greater chance of identifying the offender and returning non-replaceable items to their rightful owners. Keep a secure list of serial numbers, makes and models of electricals, take photographs of jewellery and other valuables, or consider using a video to film them.
Property can be marked with Smartwater, a sophisticated property marking facility that acts as a deterrent to theft and can be likened to DNA. Each invisible sample which is dabbed on to valuable items is unique in composition and can be recognised under ultra violet light.
The solution carries a microscopic particle and when the particle is magnified it reveals a unique number which in turn can be referenced to a database which associates the property to its original location. Owners can also postcode their belongings using a UV marker pen, these are available to purchase for 50p, also a leaflet 'Coded for Keeps' gives sound advice.

Smoke Alarms Save Lives

Smoke Alarms are effective in detecting many of the 60,000 house fires that the Fire & Rescue Service are called out to each year...but many of the 500 deaths and 11,000 injuries could be avoided if YOU look after your smoke alarm.
We are still attending fires in cases where a smoke alarm didn't work because the battery was missing or needed replacing. Many people are tempted to remove the batteries from smoke alarms because they keep going off when you don't want them too.
You can buy smoke alarms at DIY stores, hardware and electrical shops, and at many supermarkets. They should meet BS 5446 Part 1 and carry the Kitemark.
Keith Parvin, Deputy District Commander, Mid Sussex West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service.
Main Tel: 01444 452329 Mobile Tel: 07736507138.
email:

Out and about

Spring into action

Most of us are looking forward to the arrival of Spring. But it is also the season that marks the start of a fresh spate of burglaries from insecure sheds, garages and outhouses. Just how secure are your garden tools? What about your lawn mower? Ladders? Theft of gardening equipment is at the least frustrating and can be very costly to replace, but this type of theft is preventable if you take the time to consider where you keep your gardening tools:
  Are they left outside or kept locked away?
  How easy is it to gain entry into your garden?
Ensure that would-be thieves are prevented from gaining access around the side of your home and to the rear. Use high fencing and gates locked with good quality closed shackle padlocks. Plant shrubs around your perimeter and train prickly climbers to group up any vulnerable sections of fence or wall. Hedges are great but make sure yours does not have any gaps by encouraging brambles to grow within to make it an impenetrable barrier. Think about security of your shed with doors kept locked with a good quality mortice lock or closed shackle padlock.
Many sheds are inadequately secured by using the wrong type of padlock which offers little or no resistance to bolt croppers. Check to see if the hinge side needs protection; can the door easily be removed by unscrewing the hinges? Shed windows can be vulnerable; how well are yours fitted? Obscuring the windows internally will prevent a would-be thief from looking in - especially important if your shed is in a vulnerable location.
Consider anchoring your equipment with a ground anchor, ladders stored chained together and fixed to the shed. Security mark all your possessions with your postcode, plus house number or name initials, this can be done by using a UV permanent marker.
'How safe is your Garden' leaflet is available from your Crime Prevention Co-ordinator. See page 3 for details.

North Downs NHW Conference

The successful Annual Conference that we have held jointly with Crawley and Horsham NHW for the past three years, is being arranged again on the morning of Saturday 29th April, 2006 at Maidenbower, Crawley. All NHW Coordinators will receive invitations to attend. As well as having several presentations, the Conference gives the opportunity for the Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Wayne Jones to report on progress during the past year and also look to the future. Although not open to members of the general community, there will be a report in the next issue of Watch Out.

A community responsibility

Solving crime is a community responsibility. Local residents have often come across incidents that have them thinking 'I wonder what they are up to'. The youngster trying car doors, the man tinkering with a vehicle number plate, teenagers exchanging their pocket money for small packets or a group running away from freshly damaged fencing. Could they all be pointing towards a crime being committed ? What do you do about it, who do you tell and how can you tell them ? Is it all too easy to leave it to someone else because you do not want to get involved or face repercussions. By taking just a couple of minutes to make a report could mean that the community is safer and free of crime. So why not phone Crimestoppers?