Crime: 31 May 2013  

Several Burglaries to report – 3 in the same road.  Someone must have seem something !

Mrs. Chalmers has produced 2 new ‘Top Tip’ handouts – ‘How secure is your Garden Fence’ (attached).  It is really good ! AND a new one re door chains for UPVC doors.  Both are attached.  I have also attached a third about Property Marking and particularly WWW.IMMOBILISE.COM.

I would suggest that rather than leave the list around the house – you create it in an email and send it to yourself.  That way you can access it from anywhere.

MAIDENHEAD CENTRAL:

maidenheadcentralnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

Neighbourhood Page:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh/yournh-tvp-pol-area/

yournh-tvp-pol-area-berkse-winds/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n391.htm

29/5 – 30/5  Wednesday 1 p.m. / Thursday 1 a.m.  St. Ives Road.  Car passenger window smashed – nothing stolen.

RIVERSIDE & BELMONT:

maidenheadcentralnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

30/5  Thursday 9 a.m. / 10 p.m.  Roman Place, Powney Road.  Pushbike chained to the building – both wheels stolen.

MAIDENHEAD WEST

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

maidenheadwestnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

Neighbourhood Page:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh/yournh-tvp-pol-area/

yournh-tvp-pol-area-berkse-winds/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n393.htm

29/5  Wednesday 2 a.m. / 8 a.m.  Ferry Lane, Cookham.  Offender has cut through the fence into a secure area – they removed 2 front wheels from a Ford Transit.

30/5  Thursday 7.30 a.m. / 6 p.m.  Whyteladyes Lane, Cookham Rise.  Outside tap and pipe work damaged with a rock.

27/5 – 28/5  Monday 9 p.m. / Tuesday 8 a.m.  Florence Villas, Bottle Lane, Littlewick Green.  Soft top of a car damaged.  Someone has attempted to cut though it.

PINKNEYS GREEN & FURZE PLATT:

maidenheadwestnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

30/5  Thursday 8.15 a.m. / 3.20 p.m.  Switchback Road North.  Attempted burglary.  The owner returned from work and found the garden furniture had been moved and placed up against a window.  There were tool marks around the frame – BUT NO ENTRY GAINED – IT CAN BE DONE !

30/5  Thursday 9.30 a.m. / 11.55 a.m.  Switchback Road North.  Offenders have made multiple attempts to break into the house.  In the end they smashed a rear kitchen window.  House searched – Jewellery stolen.  During house to house enquiries a neighbour reports seeing a man walking a greyhound acting suspiciously in the area.

21/5 – 28/5  Tuesday / Tuesday  Furze Platt Road.  Garage break.  Lock forced – Bike and small scrambler bike stolen.

30/5  Thursday 3.25 p.m. / 4.50 p.m..  Malvern Road, Furze Platt X 3.  Burglary.  1.  Small tool used in an attempt to force open  windows and side door, without success.  They then jemmied open and removed the sliding patio door.  Laptop stolen.  2.  Extensive tool marks around the door and window frames.  Finally broke into the conservatory, but the internal door to the house was securely locked and the thieves could not break through.  Nothing stolen.  3.  House entered via forced rear patio door.  There was damage to 2 other UVPV doors and 2 windows.  A small amount of cash stolen.

MAIDENHEAD SOUTH

BOYN HILL, COX GREEN & WOODLANDS PARK:

maidenheadsouthnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

Neighbourhood Page:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh/yournh-tvp-pol-area/

yournh-tvp-pol-area-berkse-winds/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n392.htm

30/5  Thursday 11 a.m.  Boyn Hill, Close.  Attempted garage break in a block.  The garages have recently been refitted with stronger locks.  Overnight bolts had been tampered with, but not entry gained and nothing stolen.

OLDFIELD & BRAY:

maidenheadsouthnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

29/5  Wednesday 3.30 a.m.  Cemetery, Windsor Road, Water Oakley.  Police officers on patrol heard the alarm sounding and went to investigate.  They found the gates had been forced open possibly by a car.  Securing chains had been cut with bolt croppers and left on the ground.  Doors to an outbuilding had been forced – nothing was stolen.

29/5  Wednesday 7.45 p.m. / 10.15 p.m.  Bray Road, Bray.  Car rear window smashed – LAPTOP & laptop bag and contents stolen.

28/5  Tuesday 1.50 a.m. / 2.30 a.m.  Yard, Drift Road, Braywoodside, Hawthorn Hill.  Outer gate forced open using a Landrover, padlock to inner gates then cut.  The vehicle has then been used to force open a large metal container.  Nothing stolen.

First can I relate something that happened in Old Windsor ?  I was listening to the police radio on Wednesday, when I heard a call come in from one of my members in Old Windsor re a suspicious White transit driving around Old Windsor very slowly, looking up and down driveways.  I could hear the job being allocated over the police radio as ‘an immediate response’ to a police Shift Response Team car that was, as it happens, patrolling along Straight Road at the time !  The ‘Shift Response Teams’ are out there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year !  They could easily be within 5 or 10 minutes from you, so please never think twice about calling us if you think you see anything like this that is suspicious.  Our member did a brilliant job, she took down the index of the car and even took a photo !!!  Perfect – we could not ask for more and I hope everyone else would do as well.

Fraudulent claims leads to 150 hours unpaid community work

Failing to declare a change in personal circumstances meant that a Windsor resident pocketed nearly £17,000 in benefits – and she now faces 150 hours of unpaid community work and payment of £350 costs.

Miss Amanda Cameron, 28, of Willows Path Court, Dedworth Road, appeared at Slough Magistrates’ Court on 19 April 2013 when she pleaded guilty to two offences of dishonestly failing to notify a change in circumstances, under Section 111 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. She also admitted four offences of failing to notify a prompt change in her circumstances, under Section 112 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.

The case arose as a direct result of an anonymous call to the council’s Beat the Cheat hotline suggesting that Miss Cameron was living with a partner, while claiming housing and council tax benefit as a lone parent.

In total Miss Cameron received overpayments of £16,733.93:

·       £15,430.69 in housing benefit from 8 June 2009 to 10 December 2012 and

·       £1,303.24 in council tax benefit from 8 February 2010 to 12 December 2012.

After being released on bail she appeared at court again on Friday 24 May where she was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid community work and ordered to pay £350 costs.

Cllr Simon Dudley, cabinet member for finance, said: “Claims such as this affect everyone in the borough. We have limited resources which are reduced even further by people making fraudulent claims, leaving less for genuine claimants.

“I would strongly advise anyone who has received overpayments to contact us as soon as possible so that the issue can be resolved.”

The council’s confidential and free Beat the Cheat line for reporting suspected benefit fraud incidents is on 0500 353300.

MEMBERS COMMENTS:

I have had this in from May re dogs:

Hi again jeff,

My local RSPB group has some info for us.  Can all dog owners be aware and keep an eye out for small coloured stickers on your gates or doors.  Potential thieves are marking how many dogs live there to possibly steal them later. The dogs are stolen to order and used for all sotrs of purposes, including for breeding.

Red stickers are apparently for large dogs, yellow for medium size dogs and pink is for small breeds.

Stones or twig piles have also been found near homes.  As yet the reason is unknown.

If you see any of these photograph and immediately remove the stickers and report it to the PEC on the 101 number.  As yet, I have not heard about this here – if you find a sticker phone then PEC and let me know at me email address below.

Next from Linda – a scam email that was new to me:

It is a request for financial assistance.  It is from a young person living in overcrowded conditions, lack of privacy.  The writer is dabbled, suffers from asthma and is possibly being abused.

It is a really distressing email and I have passed it to the local Neighbourhood Team to check out as it appeared to have a local address.

Next a reminder not to open any attachments in unsolicited emails.  The minute you get emails from people and companies you don’t recognise or do not have accounts with bin them without opening them.  These are emails sent by computers using random series of letters – millions of them – they are free !  If you open one, it send back a message that they have found a live email address – that is worth a lot of money to other scammers.  Please delete unopened and unread !

Hi Jeff

A neighbour of mine, that I forward your emails on to, has reported the following scam to me. You have probably seen it before, but I said that I would forward his email describing what happened onto the proper authorities. He wasn’t taken in fortunately, as he reads avidly your regular warning notices.  It might be a useful reminder to other members.

Thanks.

Kind regards

John

The email purported to be from BT.  It said the last bill could not be paid, as they needed updated information.  The link was to a form asking for personal details plus bank account details !

WE ALL KNOW WHAT TO DO – BIN IT !

Next, I don’t usually put out lost property, but I have received this in from Inge:

Hi Jeff

I was wondering if you could help ?

My dear other half was walking along the Thames Path between Boulters Lock and the forested area towards Cookham with our young son and must have neglected to zip up his jacket pocket.  He realised a bit later his camera was gone.  He walked back to where he last held it, but it was by then nowhere to be seen. (between 12:30- 14pm Saturday 27 May)

Now, in the possible event that an someone picked it up and handed it in - hopefully to the police - we would be ecstatic to be reunited with it and all our nature and family pics.

(it is an Olympus "Tough" camera in a grey flexible sleeve)

Many thanks!

Inge

Over to you dog walkers in the area.  I have also forwarded Inge’s email to our front counters and property officers – just in case.

Next from Mel:

Jeff,

Can I  ask you to look at Neighbourhood Return.  It is a group of volunteers that help if someone with dementia goes missing.  Maybe put it in your next alert. I am sure that some members would volunteer for this worthwhile group.

Regards Mel

The link is:

http://www.ourturn.org.uk/

Now from Gina:

Hi Jeff, just read your interesting article about where people hide their valuables. Having been burgled 2 years ago now, exactly what you said was taken from us.  Credit cards / purses/ wallets, handbag, car keys (and cars !) . We had no alarm and no safe. We now have both !

However, I have always wondered why my canteen of silver cutlery, was moved from the dining room and the contents spread across the lounge floor... We were upstairs asleep at the time – thankfully, no-one ventured upstairs but clearly the burglars wondered if they would be lucky to find some small goodies hidden in the box.

Perhaps you should add this to your list of places not to hide things !!

Gina

Have a good weekend – and if it is hot as predicted – think about what windows you are leaving open ???  Also remember to lock back doors if you are sitting or having barbecues in the rear garden.