Congratulations to Us All!

In 2012 the Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network (NHWN) was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award in recognition of our work as one of the largest voluntary movements across England & Wales. So, heartfelt congratulations to all of you who have worked in Neighbourhood Watch and who thoroughly deserve this big official Thank You.

Co-ordinators may use this logo on their NHW correspondence – if you would like a high-resolution digital image of the logo please email Selina on publicitywdnhwa@hotmail.co.uk

Long Service as a NHW Co-Ordinator?

We would very much like to hear from anyone who has been a Co-ordinator for more than 20 years, if you or anyone you know has put in all those years of service please do let us know, and email us on publicitywdnhwa@hotmail.co.uk

Do you need a relaunch?

It may have been some time since your Neighbourhood Watch scheme had any contact with us and perhaps morale amongst your members is flagging a bit or you have new members since you started. If you would like to hold a relaunch meeting please do let us know on the email above.

AGM with Steve Baker, MP

Our Wycombe District Neighbourhood Watch AGM is open to all. This year it will take place on the 10^th April at 7.45pm at St Andrew’s Church, Hatters Lane, Totteridge, and Wycombe MP Steve Baker is our guest speaker along with a senior officer from Thames Valley Police. We very much look forward to listening to what they have to say and seeing you there. There is plenty of free parking on site and at Highcrest Academy opposite.

Street Signs

We have plenty of Neighbourhood Watch and No Doorstep Selling Zone street signs if yours is a bit tatty or missing, as well as supplies of No Cold Callers and Neighbourhood Watch window stickers. For free signs or stickers please email publicitywdnhwa@hotmail.co.uk

Trading Standards Approved Traders

We also have a new supply of the free booklet provided by Trading Standards of approved local traders – builders, plumbers, electricians and the like. If you would like copies of this Buy With Confidence booklet please email publicitywdnhwa@hotmail.co.uk

When to dial 101

In 2011 a new non-emergency police number,101, was introduced to run alongside 999, which is still for crimes actually taking place. If you see something suspicious that you think the police should know about, such as possible bogus traders, use this number.  For example, the very presence of someone calling door to door for property maintenance work in your road is a good enough reason to phone the police on 101, even if nothing has gone wrong.

Little Book of Big Scams

The Met Police have produced a great little booklet, the Little Book of Big Scams, and you can read it online at http://www.met.police.uk/docs/little_book_scam.pdf

Top Ten Tips to help prevent a theft from your garden shed

Quite apart from risking losing valuable equipment, you risk having your own garden tools or ladders used to burgle your house, so securing the contents of your garden shed is vital. Here are our top ten tips to help you prevent this type of crime by slowing a thief down and making him more visible;

Keep all your tools and equipment in the shed at all times.

Use tamper-proof screws or coach bolts together with a good quality pad bar or hasp and staple and close shackled padlock, to make it harder for the would-be thief to get in. Neighbourhood Watch has a new alarmed padlock, with shock and movement sensor, a powerful 110 decibel siren, keypad, a battery powered and weather-resistant hardened Zinc Alloy body, hardened steel shackle, anti-muffle design, which costs £14.

Consider bonding any window glass in with mastic so it can’t be easily prised out.

Fit shed windows with a grille or chicken wire, again to slow a thief down.

A shed alarm can also be installed. Neighbourhood Watch has one at £10 that comes with a 4-digit keypad code, entry/exit delay, sensitivity control, 3 AAA batteries and a very loud siren!

Mark all property such as lawnmowers, bikes, and tools using an indelible marking kit such as CREMark. Neighbourhood Watch has supplies at £11 in silver or black.

Install security lighting if the garden is overlooked by you or neighbours or the shed is visible from the street. If the shed area is not visible from your house or others’ then lighting it up might actually help a thief rather than deter him.

Put any garden gate towards the front of the house rather than down the side or at the back, so that anyone climbing over it is more likely to be seen from the road. The gate should be solid rather than with bars, so that the garden cannot be seen from the road.

Plant thorny shrubs to act as a barrier along boundaries or gaps in fences.

Put the shed where it is most visible to you and neighbours.

A Cautionary Tale – a couple were gardening at the front of their house when a man went up the drive next door. He went to the back of that house and climbed over the intervening fence. He went into the gardening couple’s house via their unlocked back door, stole various items, and left the way he arrived. They were completely unaware of what had happened until they went back into their house. So, do keep your back door locked if you are gardening at the front. When you are at the back, do close and lock your garage door.

For more information on products you can use to protect your garden property, email publicitywdnhwa@hotmail.co.uk