Contents:
National Neighbourhood
Watch Week (16th-23rd June)
National
Good Neighbour Day - Can Be Anyday!
Spending
Our Watch Awards Prize Money
Graffiti
"Taggers" Still Being Targeted
Summer
Safety Tips from the Fire Brigade
Latest
Crime Reports and Warnings (on NEWSFLASH page)
National
Neighbourhood Watch Week
16th - 23rd June 2001:
The
ADT National Neighbourhood Watch Week 2001, is taking place from
16 to 23 June. There are thousands of events taking place across
the United Kingdom. Hundreds of thousands of Neighbourhood Watchers
across the country will be involved, and to kick off the Week
there is National Good Neighbour Day on Saturday 16 June
(see below).
Launching the Week 2001, John Howell, Director General of National
Neighbourhood Watch Association said "Neighbourhood Watch
is all about building safe and strong communities. The starting
point for this is for neighbours to communicate with each other.
Whatever the good deed the important thing is to get neighbours
talking to each other and from there to take joint responsibility
for looking after the neighbourhood. Without good neighbours you
haven't got a Neighbourhood Watch."
For more information on National Neighbourhood Watch Week click
here to visit the National Neighbourhood Watch Association Website.
National
Good Neighbour Day:
The National Good Neighbour Day is a chance for the millions of
Neighbourhood Watchers across the country, and anyone else who
wants to join in, to put into practice the core Neighbourhood
Watch principle of being a good neighbour. People are being asked
to find at least one good deed that they can do for their neighbours...
and this needn't be only on Saturday 16th June - try to
find a few minutes to do something anytime over the coming days.
Here are some ideas to get you thinking:
- Check to see how your neighbour is, particularly if they
are elderly, disabled or live on their own.
- Take in parcels, milk or other items left on your neighbour's
doorstep. (It gives the burglars clues that there is probably
no one in).
- Offer to draw the curtains and put the lights on when
your neighbour is away. (I'm sure they will do the same for you
when you are away).
- If your neighbour is unwell, ask if they need any shopping
or if the dog needs a walk.
- Encourage them to fit a smoke alarm and locks on their
windows and doors (they may need a hand to fit them).
- Help out with the babysitting or child minding. (It's
often difficult to find someone).
- If your neighbour has to go into hospital see if there
is anything you can do to help. (Even collecting the post and
popping it into them can be a comfort).
- Invite your neighbours round for a barbecue - it helps
just to know who your neighbours are.
- Leave a spare key with trusted neighbours - just in case
you lock yourselves out!
- Remember, if you are having a party, let your neighbours
know and tell them what time you are planning to finish. (This
helps to prevent bad feeling afterwards).
- If you enjoy playing music - keep it to a reasonable
level - remember not everyone will share your taste in music.
- When planting hedges remember many bushes or trees cut
out a lot of natural light - think of the neighbours.
- Too many neighbours end up having disputes - if you are
planning any changes to your home or garden do let the neighbours
know. Boundary disputes are the worst - followed by bonfires!
- Noisy neighbours are the cause of most complaints to
the local councils. It ruins people's quality of life. (Think
of others when you are making a lot of noise - how would you feel
if you had to listen to it).
- Report things like damaged phone boxes to BT and defective
street lights and abandoned vehicles to the local council as a
matter of urgency. (Don't let your area get run down). There are
links and contact numbers elsewhere on this website which may
help.
So why are all these things important?
Simple - being a good neighbour is the vital ingredient of
an active and effective Neighbourhood Watch group. Neighbourhood
Watch is about community building, without that strong community
spirit, the scheme will not survive or develop. Many of the activities
undertaken by 'good neighbours' help to reduce the opportunity
for criminal activity and equally as important, help to reduce
the fear of crime. That's why the National Neighbourhood Watch
Association is promoting the idea of a 'Good Neighbour Day' to
launch the ADT National Neighbourhood Watch Week. Without good
neighbours you haven't got a Neighbourhood Watch.
Spending
Our Watch Awards Prize Money:
As you know, our Watch was commended at the Wandsworth Neighbourhood
Watch Awards in March, and have been awarded £150 to spend
on Crime Prevention measures for our area.
Please let me have your suggestions for what to spend the money
on as soon as possible. Our plans must be approved by the
Crime Prevention Officer before the money is released to us, but
we can suggest anything we like. It can be something every household
can have one of, something we buy for the Watch that everyone
can borrow/use or something for the street..... Thinking caps
on! Click here to Email
me.
Graffiti
"Taggers" Still Being Targetted:
For those that don't know, "taggers" are those who spray
their personal logo or signiature in as many places as possible.
Some are more prolific than others - defacing property all over
the area. In some cases they vandalise the front or side walls
of houses as well as commercial property. (The council has
a number for reporting graffiti vandals or to request their free
Graffiti Removal Service - call 020 8871 7049 or click
here to visit their webpage).
As reported here previously, our Ward Officer (P.C. Bob Davies)
is actively targeting "taggers" in response to public
wishes expressed at Ward Meetings in a bid to rid our area of
this mess - it's no easy task, but he has had some success already,
and would like any information you have on those using the following
"tags": SMOKEZ or SMOKES, RAVER, METS, BOMBA,
MOVA and HAVOZ or HAVOK.
If found guilty, taggers will be sentenced to carry out community
work or in some cases pay a fine to their victims (owners of damaged
property).
If you have any information, please contact P.C. Bob Davies at
Tooting Police Station on 020 8247 8010.
BBC NEWSROOM SOUTH EAST are hoping to do a feature on Bob's
work on this - so watch out for that too.
Summer
Fire Safety In The Home & Garden:
Ever thought about why you could be at risk in your greenhouse?
Do you know why barbecues can be more dangerous than you think?
Click
here for advice from the Fire Brigade for the summer months.
That's all for this edition - next one due in the autumn. Crime
reports are still being regularly posted on the 'NEWSFLASH' section
of the website - visit regularly for the latest news. You can
also have news and crime reports Emailed to you - just send me
an Email (link below) with 'NEWSFLASH SUBSCRIBE' in the subject
line, and I'll forward items to you as soon as I receive them.
Have a great Summer!
Best Wishes
Andy (Watch Co-Ordinator).
