Please Send Us News Of Your Campaign February 2, 2010
Posted by cumbrianwa in Community Action.Tags: Cumbria Neighbourhood Watch, Anti-crime
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If any of the people involved on the West coast or any other campaign would like to share their news and or photographs with the CNWA then we’d love to hear from you. Please comment to this post and we’ll get in touch with you about your text and/or photographs.There’s a lot of good work going on out there and we’d love to hear what you’ve been doing and your take on it. I think it would be encouraging for local groups to read about progress elsewhere in the County!
Stay active, stay warm!
Cumbria News and Star Coverage of Crime Prevention Kit January 29, 2010
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Cumbria Neighbourhood Watch Coverage
The new kit protecting flood-hit Cumbrian families from more agony
Last updated at 13:38, Thursday, 28 January 2010
When floods devastated west Cumbria in November thousands of people were evacuated and had to leave their homes for weeks. Properties which were left empty were a haven for looters and criminals.
Police, Neighbourhood Watch and Trading Standards Help Residents in Flood Affected Areas of West Cumbria Fight Crime January 7, 2010
Posted by cumbrianwa in Advisory, Press Release.Tags: DNA property marking kits, West Cumbria Community Safety
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Cumbria Neighbourhood Watch are participating in this campaign. Here is a press release from Cumbria Constabulary:
More than 2,000 leaflets and property marking kits will be distributed to residents in flood affected areas of West Cumbria this week as Police and Trading Standards take to the streets once again to continue their efforts to prevent crime in the area.
Over the last few weeks extra police patrols have been helping to keep the area safe and new information leaflets have now been designed so that all residents know what they can do to prevent themselves from becoming victims of crime. They offer advice on home and vehicle security and, in particular, highlight what people can do to avoid being cheated by rogue traders. From later this week police will be joined by Trading Standards Officers to distribute the leaflets to flood affected residents. They will also be giving out free DNA property marking kits partly funded by the Cumbria Community Foundation Flood Recovery Fund.Inspector Joe Murray, of West Cumbria Community Safety Team, said: “Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams have been working hard conducting extra high visibility patrols to ensure the area is safe and secure despite the devastating impact the recent floods have had on many homes and businesses across the area. Thanks to this hard work I am proud to say we have seen very few reports of crisis-related crime such as looting or fraudulent traders and we want to keep it that way. So as an extension of this work, over the next week we will be conducting joint patrols with Trading Standards Officers giving crime prevention advice to residents and handing out information leaflets. Community Safety Officers will also be providing free DNA property marking kits for householders to mark valuables including tools and other equipment, to deter criminals and ensure items can be traced back to the rightful owner if they are taken. We will also be speaking to traders who are in the area to check identity and authenticity to help stop flood affected residents becoming victims.”
The extra joint patrols will help Police and Trading Standards to identify and disrupt rogue traders and bogus callers who may be working in the area. It will also give them an opportunity to engage with genuine traders, raise awareness of the problems caused by fraudsters, and to increase trust and confidence amongst them.
Inspector Murray added: “We will be arming people with the information they need to confidently hire workmen by knowing their rights and exactly how to check if a trader is genuine. It is important that they know what to do if things go wrong – such as calling the Action Fraud Reporting Line or Consumer Direct if they are approached by bogus or suspicious tradesmen.
“We are asking people to secure their homes and vehicles, report any suspicious activity and be aware of doorstep callers who may try to trick their way into property. Always check identification of unexpected doorstep callers and if you are at all unsure – do not let them into your home – if they are genuine they will not mind you calling the company to check.
“We are committed, through the Policing Pledge, to keeping our neighourhoods safe, and people can be confident that we will continue to work together to rebuild our homes and communities to ensure West Cumbria remains one of the safest places in the country.”
John Greenbank, Principle Trading Standards Officer, said: “We will continue to work with the Police to ensure that those affected by the floods are not targeted by bogus tradesmen. We hope that by carrying out these joint patrols it will deter those traders from coming to this area. Should anyone have any issue regarding work being carried out on their property I would advise them to contact Trading Standards via Consumer Direct 08454 04 05 06.This work is designed to reassure communities and at the same time send a clear message to criminals that we will take whatever steps available to us to deter and reduce crime”.Deb Muscat, Acting Director of Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “The Community Foundation learned from the Carlisle floods that home security is a big worry for people who have been flooded. Some people continue to stay in cold, damp homes just to keep the remains of their belongings safe. The DNA kits will give people the peace of mind they need. We are really pleased that a grant from the Flood Recovery Fund can be used to help in this way.”
For further advice contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team or Crime Prevention Officer on 0845 33 00 247.
If you have been approached by a bogus or suspicious trader contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.
If you think you have been a victim of a fraud contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or Textphone 0300 123 2050.
Crime_Prevention_Leaflet_Dec_09
For more information about current campaigns please Click Here
Driving in Snowy Weather January 5, 2010
Posted by cumbrianwa in Advisory.Tags: Winter driving
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Here is some advice from various sources, the BBC, DVLA and Weather.com.
Be advised that there have been a number of car thefts linked to drivers leaving their cars running (to de-ice) unattended.
See the DVLA advisory here: http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/19654.aspx
Before departure you can check any known problems on our major roads at http://www.trafficengland.co.uk/
General advice from Weather.com
Driving in Snow and Ice
“The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it.
Don’t go out until the snow plows and sanding trucks have had a chance to do their work, and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.
If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is prepared (TIPS), and that you know how to handle road conditions.”
BBC Radio Cumbria emphasize that we should drive for the weather conditions, try to start off in second gear to avoid wheel spinning, look carefully ahead and try to anticipate necessary actions well in advance. All actions: breaking, accelerating, steering etc. should be gentle. Leave ten times your normal breaking distance between you and the car ahead. If you have a chance to practice snow driving in a wide open space like an empty car park, that will give you some idea of how your particular car and tyres can handle snow.
In addition to the preparation that they mention at the second link above, a mobile phone, a thermos of hot drink, chocolate bars, travel blanket and spare warm winter clothing are also a very good idea. Tune into your local radio station to get the latest travel advisory information. Allowing twice your normal travel time to any destination is a good rule of thumb and if you live in the wilds, its a good idea to tell people where you’re going and your route, so that people know where to look for you if you don’t turn up as expected at your destination.
CNWA Wishes You a Happy and Crime Free 2010 January 2, 2010
Posted by cumbrianwa in 1.Tags: CNWA, Current Campaigns
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You may be interested in checking out the new Current Campaignslink in our website
Here you can find links to Cumbria Constabulary’s:
Christmas Anti-burglary Campaign in Barrow
Campaign to Tackle Rape
Action Against Fraud Leaflet
Internet safety for young people – a major conference at Rheged November 11, 2009
Posted by cumbrianwa in Event.Tags: Internet safety, Rheged
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I picked up this article today from the CCC website, this is an important area of concern and some of our members might well want to attend.
I apologise for the short notice, but this info was only posted by CCC yesterday.
10/11/2009 – Internet safety for young people – a major conference – media invite
A major conference takes place at Rheged near Penrith on Thursday (12th November 2009) to help raise awareness about internet safety, particularly for children.
Key speakers, both local and from across the country, will address 150 delegates at the conference, ‘Protecting Children, Young People and Professionals in the Digital World.’
The event, organised and funded by Cumbria Local Safeguarding Children Board (LCSB), begins with a performance by students from Queen Elizabeth School, Kirkby Lonsdale about the risks they face using the internet.
Speakers include Cumbria’s Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hyde, President of the Society for the Policing of Cyberspace and Will Gardner, Chief Executive Officer, Childnet International.
The conference will also involve interactive workshops and information areas.
As well as the safety of children, delegates will hear about the need for safe working practices from organisations and professionals who work with young people.
Jeff Haslam, E-Safety Advisor, Children’s Services, Cumbria County Council, said:
“As children and young people spend more time in the ‘virtual world’ that ICT brings in its various forms, we increasingly have a duty to make sure they do this safely.”
Research has found that more than a third of 12–15-year-olds have faced some form of cyberbullying, such as identity theft.
The conference is linked to Anti-Bullying Week, which runs from 16-20th November.
This year’s theme is ‘Stay Safe in Cyberspace.’
Anti-Bullying Week is run by the Anti-Bullying Alliance with funding support from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
ENDS
Media enquiries to Media Officer Paul Bell on 01228 226337
