Crime: 27 April 2012

A warning – we have had a distraction burglary in Old Windsor using the traditional Water Board MO.  Can you remind anyone elderly or vulnerable in your road that the ‘Water Board’ no longer exists !  We are part of Thames Water.  They will try and panic the person, by saying there is a leak and they need to turn off the water, or it may be contaminated and they need the person to run water downstairs while they check it upstairs !!!  Once people are aware, if they hear those excuses to get inside the house, they should be alert !

ADVICE FROM ONE OF OUR MEMBERS THAT WE SHOULD ALL CONSIDER, IF WE HAVE ELDERLY, OR VULNERABLE RELATIVES:

Hi Jeff,

I would like to let you know that my dad was getting lots of marketing / automated phone calls.  He received one, telling him he'd won £5,000 on the Premium Bonds!  He is 83, and they said for him to press a number for payment. We don't know what it was about - but it certainly wasn't anyone truthful.  I traced the phone number, by dialling 1471 and wrote the number down.  While I was at his house, the phone rang again.  It was another one and I also got that number using 1471.  I noticed that BT have a nuisance call line, as advertised at the front of the phone book and I got them to check both numbers.  They said they were both fake!
I tried to ring both myself.  One kept ringing and then clicked into more ringing - but no one picked up. The 2nd - said ‘number not recognised’ - even though the caller said I could ring back and did so straight away.

One was an international fake number and the other, within the UK .

I have had to change my father’s phone number, to stop him being a victim.  BT were very helpful and did it for free, as he is 83 and he was being scammed. There is normally a £25 charge.

Please let your members know, to take the number by 1471 and ring BT, to get them to check it out.
He is only giving his new number to a handful of the family, as he said, doctors etc can write to him, they don't need to ring.

He now has peace of mind that when the phone goes, it's his family.

Regards Sarah.

A really good piece of advice.  It may seem like a bother to change your number, but if you are of an age where it is only your family / immediate friends who are going to phone you.  It may be worth while.  Several people have let me know that even though they are ex-directory (the phone numbers called, are usually random generated by a computer, rather than a phone book), they still get these calls, so this sounds like the simplest method of dealing with this perennial problem.

NEXT FROM ANOTHER LOCAL CO-ORDINATOR:

Jeff

That was a valuable piece of information about photographing valuable / precious / sentimental jewellery. It was something that became important to us several years ago, when my wife thought she had lost a piece of hers. We realised we had no proof, nor value, so it is something we now do with every 5 years.

If we may add to this message - whilst photographs and descriptions are a start, we do suggest that people with valuable possessions, i.e. Jewellery, watches etc take them to have a valuation for insurance purposes carried out every 5 years.  Everyone should of course have contents Insurance, which we all know, is essential.

The reason we suggest having valuations done regularly, is that the value of Gold & Precious metals & gems, has increased by approx 50% recently, with gold now reaching £24 per carat, at today’s prices. Having a certified valuation, along with a police report in case of an incident, will see them recover the full value, if not the item.

We hope this helps

Best Wishes

Colin

Thank you Colin – this is really helpful and we all appreciate the advice.

CRIME:

BISHAM, COOKHAM, HURLEY, THE WALTHAMS, LITTLEWICK GREEN & KNOWL HILL:

cookhamneighbourhood@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

24/4 – 25/4  Tuesday 6 p.m. / Wednesday 7.30 a.m.   Alleyns Lane , Cookham Dean.  House under construction – piping and cabling stolen.

26/4  Thursday 8.05 p.m. / 2.15 p.m.   Cherry Garden Lane .  Burglary.  Unsuccessful attempt to force a side door. Thieves then forced the front door – jewellery and car keys stolen.

BOYN HILL, COX GREEN & WOODLANDS PARK :

boynhillcoxgreennhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

I have received a request:

Jeffrey
 
I wonder if you could help.
 
We lost our dog from our home on Fairford Rd  (our gate was inadvertently left open) at approx 10.30pm on Tuesday 24 April 2012 . She was seen by a passing jogger, going into Kidwells Park and then heading up Castle Hill at approx 11pm on the 24th and has not been seen since. I have put posters up around the local parks and on the A4, but wondered whether it would be possible to send an alert through the community messaging service?
 
I have attached a photo and have more if appropriate and if it is possible to message out - she is a female weimeraner and has a red collar with tag and is also micro-chipped. In terms of any features she does have unusually long ears and also has a very distinctive deep repetitive bark. She is also quite a nervous dog, the jogger who reported her advised he tried to get near her and she ran away, if therefore anyone sees her it may be advisable to call me rather than approach her.

The flier is attached with a lovely picture of the dog.

26/4 – 27/4  Thursday 11 p.m. / Friday 9.30 a.m.   Audley Drive .  Attempted break to a lean-to – no entry gained.

24/4 – 25/4  Tuesday 10.30 p.m. / Wednesday 7.45 a.m.   Grenfell Road .  Car possibly left INSECURE – glove box searched – nothing stolen.

RIVERSIDE & BELMONT :

maidenheadriverside&belmontnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

26/4 – 27/4  Thursday 11.30 p.m. / Friday 1.30 p.m.   Belmont Vale.  Index plates stolen.

INNER MAIDENHEAD:

maidenheadtowncentrenhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

NO CRIME TO REPORT

OLDFIELD & BRAY:

oldfield&braynhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

26/4 – 27/4  Thursday 10 p.m. / Friday 8 a.m.   Brunel Road .  Car vandalised – this has been ongoing for several years.

25/4  Wednesday 5 p.m. / 8 p.m.   Brunel Close.  Car keyed.

25/4  Wednesday 9.10 a.m. / 3.30 p.m.   Oldfield Road .  Access from rear of property.  Glass in rear doors smashed – they then used the key which had been left in the door to open it – jewellery & cash stolen

PINKNEYS GREEN & FURZE PLATT:

Pinkneysgreen&furzeplattnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

25/4 – 26/4  Wednesday 3.30 p.m. / Thursday 7.30 a.m.   Marlborough Close.  Car window smashed – integrated SAT NAV stolen.

FINALLY – I RECEIVED THIS MESSAGE TODAY:

Hi Jeff,

I don't know if you've had any reports of this.  Yesterday I answered the door to a guy who was obviously about to sell me something, despite the fact that I have a sticker on my door stating I don't buy at the doorstep.

I then told him I had no cash, which was true.  He then said he was down from Manchester/Leeds and was on prison release and showed me a scruffy ID card.  After telling him again I didn't need anything he then proceeded to empty his bag.  At the end of an impressive schpiel he then said they took cheques as the company was based in Reading . 

I firmly but politely told him no thanks I really didn't need anything.  At which point he packed up muttering that "We" were all the same and wouldn't bloody buy anything anyway!!  I was alarmed at the change in the attitude from friendly, to moderately aggressive.  My worry is that this could really intimidate an older person.

As you say – ‘eyes and ears’.

Regards

Souzee

This is what we call a ‘ Nottingham Knocker’ because many years ago – traditionally – the lads came from that area.  Many of our new members may be unfamiliar with that term – the young lads who go door to door, selling household products.  They may indeed show you a shabby placard saying they are deaf, dumb, just out of prison, trying to make good - whatever.  If you do get one of these lads on your doorstep, everyone – and I mean everyone, in the entire Thames Valley uses the same words – that way they realise that everyone here is forewarned and they might as well move on – hence this lads frustration – ‘WE DO NOT BUY GOODS AND SERVICES AT THE DOOR’.  Then firmly – but politely close the door and phone the police.  We will need a full description – so be observant and practise your description skills.  The police will in almost all cases go out and ‘stop check’ the lad and have a few words with him. 

I say please do not enter into conversation with them.  If they say they have tried the house opposite and there was no reply – it is too easy for us to be helpful and respond – ‘No-one is home’:  ‘They are on holiday in the Caribbean for 3 weeks’ / ‘work very late and never get home till very late’ !!!!!

The more we do this – the less likely they are to come here – as Souzee says – we need to protect the elderly and vulnerable who hand over money, just to make them go away.