No Cold Calling Zones No Cold-Calling Zones are a new initiative, led by Hampshire County Council, to help combat the increasing problem of doorstep crime. Part funded by Hampshire Constabulary, the project is also supported by District, Borough, Town and Parish Councils and Neighbourhood Watch, to make residents feel safer in their own homes. The aims are to dissuade bogus callers (distraction burglars and rogue traders) from approaching people living in the zones and give residents the confidence to say "no" to cold callers who seek business at their doorstep. Unscrupulous cold callers are known to target the elderly and vulnerable in our community. These hardened criminals not only take people’s life savings, they can shatter their confidence and steal their independence. It is not always possible for victims to overcome such devastating effects, therefore the prevention of doorstep crime through implementing measures like No Cold-Calling Zones are of paramount importance. Potential zones are pinpointed using police and trading standards intelligence and then established once residents have been consulted and are known to be in support. Requested zones which are not backed by intelligence will also be considered if set criteria can be satisfied. Residents living in proposed zones are visited and given a special "No Cold-Calling" Zone pack containing general consumer and safety advice. Also included is a Buy With Confidence directory of approved traders and a door sticker telling cold callers they are not welcome. Signs are then erected to identify the zones and residents are advised to report any future suspicious cold calling activity. No Cold-Calling Zones have proved to be a success across the county. Since the introduction of a zone in their area: 83% of residents felt safer living within a NCCZ 74% of residents felt more confident when dealing with cold callers Significantly, the campaign is welcomed by many legitimate companies who feel their business is suffering due to the poor workmanship, overcharging and other sharp practices being employed by disreputable and unqualified people. We are working with businesses, offering legal advice and encouraging best practice. Currently it is NOT illegal to cold call - not even in designated No Cold-Calling Zones. Utilities staff (electric, water and gas), councillors and MPs canvassing for election purposes, charity collectors, market researchers and religious groups are amongst the range of legitimate callers who may still knock on your door without an appointment. Remember water employees have no right of entry. Their job stops on the pavement. Our advice to all residents remains the same. Never keep large sums of money in the home and when answering the door: Lock, Stop, Chain and Check If in doubt, keep them out! Call us. Philip Mills Trading Standards Officer Hampshire County Council Regulatory Services Montgomery House, Monarch Way, Winchester, SO22 5PW Tel: 01962 833693

Opportunities to Help Projects for Local Young People ! Across the Borough Fareham's Youth Team, local churches, clubs and committees are dedicated to providing projects for our young people. These may involve specific interests or activities or merely provide a safe environment for young people to meet their friends. As well as offering opportunities to build positive relationships with this often mistrusted group of our society, the projects divert groups of youths from hanging around street corners in groups who can make older residents feel intimidated and fearful. Volunteering opportunities with these projects are available in areas across the borough. So, if you can spare a few hours or even a few days a week, and would like to meet people while getting involved in a project that will benefit your community, please contact Claire Benfield on 01329 824495 or email benfield@fareham.gov.uk. For volunteering opportunities across the county, you can also look at the following websites: www.e.volve.org.uk www.do-it.org.uk Please note that before working with young people you will need to undergo a Criminal Records check. This will usually be undertaken free of charge by the Project, and in the vast majority of cases provides no cause for concern. If, however, you have any worries about this please contact Claire Benfield on the number given above. Gardeners Corner Recently a couple of Cannabis factories have been discovered in our area. The following may indicate the presence of a cannabis factory: Strong, pungent smell coming from a property Wires present around window or doors Powerful lights left on in the house throughout the night Blacked out windows Large quantities of bin bags, full of vegetable material, thrown away Typical persons involved with this type of activity tend to be Vietnamese or others from the Asian continent. Other things for landlords to look out for; people from the Asian continent renting premises and paying for months in advance, electrical wiring tampered with, sudden jump or increase in the cost of electricity bills, or rewiring efforts or bypassed circuitry. Importantly - if you feel that premises are being used for this type of activity, contact the police and DON'T enter the premises yourself. Frequently, these premises are booby trapped with the mains electricity wired to doors/windows etc. A/Inspector Mark Fuller Winchester City Central OCU Mobile 07884 234205 Extn 631 327 Tel: 01962 871579 mark.fuller@hampshire.pnn.police.uk

The Association thanks Fareham Borough Council for their continued support and help in the production of this newsletter

DO YOU WANT A TAMPERPROOF TAX DISC HOLDER FOR YOUR CAR? If so, please send a SAE, with your request and a cheque for £1.00 (per holder) made payable to Fareham & District Neighbourhood Watch Association to the NHW OFFICE Fareham Police Station, Quay Street, Fareham, PO1 6 0NA Alternatively, telephone 0845 045 45 45 ext 641267 - Leave your request along with your name, address and telephone number. You will be notified when the tax disc is ready for collection from the front desk at Fareham Police Station, on payment in cash of £1.00 per holder. Please put cash in a sealed envelope clearly marked with your name and “for NHW Office”

PRICKLY DETERRENT No! not a hedgehog ! Preventing unwanted visitors entering your property is what you want to achieve, but nobody wants their garden looking like a high security establishment surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, and it's not necessary. Mother nature provides an environmentally and particularly effective alternative - the prickly plant Positioned correctly and well tended, the prickly plant can provide very effective perimeter security. Suitable plants can be positioned to deter people climbing drainpipes or to protect vulnerable windows. Prickly plants act as a visible deterrent and as a physical barrier intended to complement and not replace traditional security measures such as locks, alarms and lighting. Your garden centre should be able to advise you fully on suitable plants to use. Here is a selection of such plants: All varieties are spiky and unfriendly, but after flowering they may need trimming into shape or hedging. BERBERIS CHAENOMELES JAPONICA CRATAEGUS (HAWTHORN) ILEX (HOLLY) MAHONIA PYRACANTHA (FIRETHORN) ROSA

NHW STREET SIGNS Are the lamp-posts in your road being replaced ? If so - please ask the contractors to put the NHW sign back on the new post. These signs do belong to you, the scheme members, and will cost about £30 to buy new again. However, if the sign just looks tired and sad a new overlay may be the answer. These self-adhesive plastic overlays (which will cover faded paint and have an expected life of about 7 years) cost £2.50 each with a small subsidy from an FBC grant. When new stocks are ordered they will be more expensive. So, if you want to smarten up your signs very inexpensively, let us know in the office by calling 0845 045 4545 ext 641267 - and leave a clear message with contact details on the answerphone and someone will get back to you.

Capital Security Systems Ltd Your Local NSI/NACOSS Gold Alarm Installer Local Office 02392 673737 Capital Security offer a full range of audible-only and monitored intruder alarm systems with competitive packages especially for members of Neighbourhood Watch. For further information, please visit our website at www.capitalsecuritysystems.co.uk or Freephone 0800 614778 to arrange a free survey

Crime Figures for 1 May 2008 to 31 August 2008

SNT 1 Park Gate West Locks Heath/Park Gate Titchfield Common Warsash/Sarisbury/Whiteley Sgt 2208 Spacey PC 109 Wild PC Edmundson PC 1410 Colman PC 2736 Tarvin PCSO Barlow PCSO Leekes PCSO Brierly PCSO Coyle SC Beckwith SC Whitworth Mobile 07757 211528 parkgate.sector@hampshire.pnn.police.uk

SNT 2 Park Gate East Stubbington/Hill Head/Segensworth Titchfield (including Catisfield) Sgt 2164 Mills PC 142 Channing PC 23445 Evans PCSO Dawson PCSO Harry PCSO Stone SC Jones SC Munn Mobile 07757 212459 parkgate.sector@hampshire.pnn.police.uk

	Park Gate	Locks Heath	Sarisbury	Titchfield Common	Warsash	Titchfield	Hill Head	Stubbington
Dwelling Burglary	7	7	1	4	11	6	5	2
Non-Dwelling Burglary	12	7	3	3	8	11	25	5
Damage	47	39	42	37	25	39	25	24
Vehicle Crime	15	6	19	9	13	20	10	6

SNT 3 Fareham West Highlands/Heathfield/South Fareham (except East of Gosport Road) Sgt 2340 Burt PC 2737 Cupper PC Blowers PC Binney PC Winters PC Hockley PCSO Adams PCSO Sharman PCSO Godfrey SC Skinner SC Fogwill SC Nash SC Carine SC Wrench Mobile 07757 137068 fareham.sector@hampshire.pnn.police.uk

SNT 4 Fareham East Town Centre and North Fareham Wallington and Salterns Sgt Rudge A/Sgt Couchman PC 1003 Cummings PCSO Bidle PCSO Stanton PCSO Shailer PCSO Donna Bidle PCSO Graham Stanton SC Martyn Crutchley SC Richard Courtl SC Lee Giles SC Francesca Humphrey SC Adrian Brayley Mobile 07757 137595 & 07757 120174 (town centre) fareham.sector@hampshire.pnn.police.uk

SNT 5 Portchester    including Down End Sgt 5539 Dunlop PC 2537 Higgs PC 22044 Glendenning PC Young PCSO Earley PCSO Payne PCSO Mitchell SC Camp SCTonks SC Vadis Mobile 07757 138053 fareham.sector@hampshire.pnn.police.uk

	Fareham South	Fareham West	Fareham North West	Fareham Town centre West Common	Fareham Town Centre East	Fareham North	Fareham (Wallington & Salterns)	Portchester West	Portchester East
Dwelling Burglary	1	1	2	5	7	4	6	3	12
Non-Dwelling Burglary	2	6	4	9	3	21	16	3	6
Damage	16	36	14	28	32	50	60	22	41
Vehicle Crime	4	6	3	25	7	29	60	7	13

CRIME OF THE MOMENT There has been an"explosion" in thefts of metal which is then sold for scrap. Lead copper and aluminium are the usual targets. Church and school roofs are often a source for them. Other targets can be radio masts, mobile phone masts, National Grid sites and railway signalling, all of which have copper earthing material. The theft of such items often results in huge repair costs. Sometimes theft of roofing materials is only noticed when the rain pours through the ceiling. There have been instances at schools where computer equipment has been destroyed costing tens of thousands to put right. If you live near one of these places, we would ask that you ring the police if you see any suspicious activity and if possible get the registration number of any vehicles. Occupiers of properties with such roofs are being encouraged to mark the metal with one of the products available which fluoresce under Ultra Violet light. These products are manufactured with a different DNA for each user thus making any metal identifiable. Details of products available are available via a GOOGLE search on Metal Theft. Ring me if you need any advice Tony Walters Crime Prevention Officer 02392 891680.

CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT There is also a growing trend where Catalytic Converters are also being stolen for scrap value. Sometimes thieves are entering compounds at night and stealing them from a number of vehicles. There have been instances locally where they have been stolen from cars in pub and hospital car parks. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to protect this item because the thieves cut through the exhaust pipe either side of the Cat. On vans and 4 wheel drive vehicles the ground clearance is often sufficient to get under the vehicle without a jack. There have also been incidents where trolley jacks have been used. So what can you do? Be suspicious of anyone lying under a vehicle. Be selective where you park. Try to park in well lit overlooked locations.

There have been two instances recently in our area where thieves have used canes through letter boxes at night to fish car keys from hall tables where they have been left. The moral of the story is don’t leave your car keys or house keys where they might be accessed this way. Modern cars are difficult to steal without the keys which is why thieves resort to this method. This is particularly relevant if you own a Prestige model.

Over the past couple of months there have been several burglaries in the Park Gate, Warsash and Stubbington areas where burglars have wandered or driven around looking for people tending their front gardens. The offender has then gained access to the rear of the house entering via the back door which has been left unlocked and stolen from within. On some occasions the offender has gone into the gardens of adjoining properties in order to reach the one he wants. It is important when you are in the garden that you secure the house.

HELP! Volunteers needed URGENTLY Peak Drive and Catisfield Road (eastern end) - both need scheme (street) co-ordinators to keep residents advised of local crime whenever necessary (as advised by the police) and three times a year newsletter distribution. Greyshott Avenue area needs a Co-ordinator to deliver small pre-packed amounts of NHW newsletters to various scheme (street) co-ordinators . If you feel you could help please call 0845 045 4545 ext 641267 - leave a clear message to include contact details and someone will get back to you

Epdemic At the moment lots of wheelie bins are being stolen. Does anyone know why ? Suggestion …... mark the bin with your postcode and house number. Milk is being stolen from doorsteps overnight - maybe after late night parties? Perhaps it might be possible to arrange with the milkman to leave the milk in a less conspicuous place.

CAT meetings in OCTOBER Dates for future meetings will be published in FAREHAM TODAY on the website www.fareham.gov.uk and on various posters and leaflets around the Borough For more information Visit: www.fareham.gov.uk/cats E-mail: cats @fareham.gov.uk Telephone 01329 236100 Western Wards - Thursday 2nd October - Sarisbury Social Club Crofton - Monday 13th October - Stubbington Baptist Church Portchester - Monday 20th October - Portchester Methodist Church Fareham Town - Wednesday 22nd October - Fareham Methodist Church Titchfield - Monday 27th October - Locks Heath Free Church All meetings start at 7pm and finish at 8.30pm The main topic of discussion will be the Review of Community Buildings - to inform residents about the proposed vision for the future provisions of community buildings and how the project will be taken forward.