Here's some good advice
to help you keep you, your family and your property less vulnerable
to the attentions of thieves and confidence tricksters.....
Fit a door chain and use it every time
you answer the door.
Be wary of all callers, including women
and children - burglars don't always look like burglars.
Also be wary of builders or roofers who
say that your house is in need of repair.
Criminals may try to distract you with
a plausible excuse while an accomplice steals your property.
Excuses could range from a child who has lost a ball or
a pet to a caller asking for a drink of water or to use
the toilet.
Ask what the caller wants. Ask to see
identification. If uncertain about any caller, telephone
their organisation for confirmation - shutting the door
whilst making the call.
If still uncertain, send them away. If
it is important, genuine callers will return when a friend
or neighbour is present. Some gas, electricity and water
companies run password schemes. Find out about yours. These
schemes are especially useful to the partially sighted who
have difficulty in seeing identification.
It is sometimes necessary to pay people
at the door. Minimise any risk by keeping the chain on whilst
talking to the caller; shutting the door whilst fetching
the money and never bringing a bag, purse or wallet to the
door.
There is no need to feel embarrassed about
refusing to let callers in and it is sensible to take precautions.
Phone Scam
If anyone phones you saying they are checking
post codes, maybe asking you to confirm your address, and
saying you are eligible for a 'free gift', BE CAREFUL!
If they ask you to dial 90 and hang up,
DON'T! This is a 'scam' and your phone line is then open
for their use. Large bills have been run up.
BT advise "do not give personal information
to unknown callers and never press 90 for anyone".
Help Combat Car Crime
Leaving
valuable items on show in a car
can result in theft and - worse - expensive damage getting
at them! Even worse, the vehicle may be stolen.
Swale
Road Safety Association reckons membership of the Vehicle
Watch scheme could help. For a small donation of £3, members
receive stickers for the front and rear windscreens which
invite the Police to stop anyone seen driving the vehicle
between midnight and 5am. Potentially a slight inconvenience
for a genuine owner, but really bad news for joy riders
or thieves.
The
Association has plenty of other advice for helping keep
cars and contents safe. Details are available by calling
(01795) 472067.
"Datalink" Saves Vital Minutes
People who are elderly or infirm and possibly
live alone might find a new scheme by Swale Neighbourhood
Watch of interest.
Called DataLink, it is designed to gather
together vital information - such as personal details, next
of kin, doctors details, medical conditions and allergies
- so it can be quickly found by the emergency services if
an emergency occurs and the householder is unconscious or
unable to speak for any reason.
All the data is put in a small canister
marked with a green cross and placed in the fridge door
- not because it needs to be kept cold but because, under
the scheme, this is the first place helpers will look. Some
10,000 canisters are being given out from surgeries, police
stations and other outlets, free of charge.
Shed Alarms
Swale
Police advise that actual thefts and attempted thefts
from garages, sheds and outbuildings are on the increase.
They are urging householders to make sure outdoor storage
places are secure and are fitted with alarms where possible.
Swale
Neighbourhood Watch Office can supply very effective battery-operated
alarms for £6 each. For further information, call them
on 01795 584143.
Pedal Cycles - At Risk!
The Police advise
that pedal cycles are very high on the list of property stolen
from garden sheds. Today's bikes are often worth over £200
- yet people often don't lock the shed, have no idea of the
serial numbers and sometimes don't even know the names or
makes of the cycles. This causes a lot of problems with recovery
and insurance companies - not to mention children who are
suddenly without their "pride and joy".
Swale NhW sell a number of products that
could be useful:
marking kits for pedal cycles;
shed alarms which double as personal
attack alarms;
property marking kits including ultra
violet pens;
secure vehicle tax disc holders which
prevent theft;
dusk-to-dawn security lights.
BFS Products (sponsors of Stop Watch magazine)
can supply wall security devices for all types of pedal
cycles; and various original innovations for home use including
a fridge alarm to warn if a fridge/freezer door has been
left open, a "spare checker" which allows you
to check the pressure in your spare tyre effortlessly without
removal of the spare wheel. Call them on 01795 590995.
Don't Be A Cash Machine Victim
It's sensible to be very wary when using
cash point machines.
Don't let anybody look over your shoulder
and see you enter your PIN number.
Put money and receipts away safely.
Be sure to retrieve your cash card.
Be aware of a common ploy by thieves who
try to distract you with questions or "problems"
while you are in the process of withdrawing money. Whilst
your attention is diverted, they steal your card from the
machine. You assume the machine has "eaten" your
card and go off to complain. Meanwhile, the tricksters,
having seen you enter your PIN, use the card to steal your
money. (This has actually happened in Faversham!)
If you are unwise enough to keep a cash
card together with a note of your PIN number in a wallet
or purse, it's an "open door" to your bank account
if they are stolen. And it almost certainly violates your
agreement with your bank or credit card company. Most cards
will let you change your PIN to a group of numbers that
you can easily remember. Well worth doing next time you
use your card!
Handy Man and Van
The "Handy
Van" home safety scheme has been launched in parts of
Kent by Help the Aged, KCC, Kent Fire Service and Kent Police.
It aims "to secure the homes of the more vulnerable members
of our community, and help reduce the fear of crime".
The scheme sends a van with operators who fit various household
security items free of charge. For details, phone the NhW
Support Line on 01622 608191.
Save on Insurance
There's
a possibility of savings of "up to 40%" on home
insurance to members of NhW schemes. This is offered by Norwich
Union, through Pharon Insurance of Herne Bay. To get a quote,
phone 01227 369876.
Doorstep Traders
Maidstone Police have issued a warning
for householders to be on guard against unscrupulous doorstep
traders.
The opening gambit by these unwelcome
callers is often on the lines of:
"Congratulations! you've won a
prize....",
"I noticed you've got a few loose
tiles on your roof....",
"There have been a lot
of burglaries in this area recently.....",
"This cut-price special offer
is only available if you sign today......" or
"I'm doing a survey...".
This leads to them offering goods and
services like home security systems, vacuum cleaners, property
repairs or damp proofing. They often prey on elderly or
vulnerable consumers, use pressure selling tactics to persuade
people into buying and don't tell them about their right
to cancel if they change their mind after signing a contract.
To help stamp out these unscrupulous pests,
the Police advise a firm refusal to deal with uninvited
doorstep traders, never to allow them entry to the house
and, if possible, to make a phone call to KCC Trading Standards
to put them in the picture. There's more information on
the Internet at www.ripofftipoff.net
.
