Warm Weather Warning: Open Windows, Openings for Thieves
The best start to summer for years is providing more opportunities for criminals than the severe winter. Three burglaries have been carried out in recent weeks in our village. All aided and accessed through windows left open. All to homes occupied at the time. Don’t become the next victim. Secure your property at all times. Let only fresh air in.
Always protect your bank card PIN too. A camera device used recently at Harthill Co-op ATM meant two people lost money from their accounts through cloned cards. This is a persistent problem across the country. Always check for devices, and look around when using the ATM. Remember to conceal the keypad when entering your PIN.
Woodall Services have suffered a number of thefts from vehicles, and from driving away without paying. NHW will no longer report this. It’s out of our scope. Yet the postcode unfortunately adversely affects local domestic insurance premiums.
Finally, NHW fast-track communication network is now up and running. This was anticipated in the spring edition of The Hart. Look around the village notice boards for the coordinator covering your street. These people can spread information quickly, and have direct access to the Police mobile response unit over the weekend.
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NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH NEWSLETTER
The March 2010 edition of the Harthill with Woodall Neighbourhood Watch is now available to read by clicking HERE
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NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH UPDATE - SEPTEMBER 2009
The newly reformed Neighbourhood Watch goes from strength to strength with new members signing up to the Scheme every month.
The Scheme is free to join and if you would like to become a member please contact Alan Newby on 515758 or Jan Poucher on 773097 for a registration form.
Our Neighbourhood Watch has secured funding for a limited number of ‘SmartWater’ property marking kits and carbon monoxide monitor strips which are available to all residents of Harthill and Woodall free of charge!!! The number of kits is limited and they will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.
SMARTWATER PROPERTY MARKING
A smart solution to deter theft
SmartWater is a colourless liquid solution that is simply dabbed onto the uneven surfaces of your valuables.
It can be used to code all sorts of items such as jewellery, ornaments, electrical items and even your motor vehicle. Each bottle contains a unique chemical ‘code’ which is registered to you – conclusively proving ownership. It cannot be easily seen by the naked eye and is almost impossible to remove. The liquid glows under ultraviolet light making it easy for the Police to detect.
The Police use it in undercover operations to catch and convict criminals. Criminals know about SmartWater and fear its power to forensically link them with the scene of a crime.
So, by coding your valuables and displaying the SmartWater deterrent signs, you are sending out a powerful warning to any thieves and burglars operating in your area.
The police will provide you with a kit and advise on how to apply it to your valuables. The list of items it can be applied to is endless, probably one of the most unusual was to mark the horns of sheep in Ireland where there was a spate of sheep rustling. The problem stopped immediately!
Significant reduction in crime has been reported in areas where SmartWater has been used and the SmartWater signs displayed. Insurance companies are now recognising the value of this property marking system and some are giving discounts on household insurance for SmartWater users.
There are only a limited number of kits available so if you would like your property marked with SmartWater please contact Alan Newby, 01909 515758 as soon as possible.
CARBON MONOXIDE MONITOR STRIPS
Through the Harthill with Woodall Neighbourhood Watch ‘Safe and Secure’ Project funding has been secured for a limited number of Carbon Monoxide Monitor Strips which are free of charge on a ‘first come, first served‘ basis. Each pack contains two monitor strips.
If you would like one of these packs please contact Alan Newby, 01909 515758.
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LAUNCH NIGHT - 27 JANUARY
Harthill with Woodall Neighbourhood Watch was formally launched at the Community Event at Harthill Village Hall on Tuesday 27 January.
Harthill with Woodall Neighbourhood Watch L > R Alan Newby (Chairman), Jan Poucher (Joint
Secretary), Nigel Bayliss (Treasurer), Dave Tingle (Joint Secretary)
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH SCHEME RE-LAUNCHED
January 2009 will see the re-launch of the new and updated Harthill-with-Woodall Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. Our villages are among the safest and crime free areas in Rotherham but we all have a responsibility to ensure that it remains that way. This is why the scheme is being re-launched.
SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME?
In the past every household was a member of the scheme, but national changes mean that every home must now register. Most schemes make a nominal charge for registration; your scheme will be FREE. Welcome news in today’s economic climate, but better still many household insurances will give a DISCOUNT on your premium if you are a member of the scheme.
You will receive a regular newsletter and have access to security and safety equipment, sometimes at no cost, often at substantial discount on shop prices. So … WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE?
WHAT’S MY COMMITMENT?
OK, that’s a fair question. The only thing asked of you is to be a good neighbour. If you see anything unusual, suspicious or strange or instances of anti-social behaviour you can contact either the police, if you think it is urgent, or your local Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator in non urgent cases, who will take action on your behalf. Remember that taking care of each other often means that we can avoid becoming a victim ourselves. Thieves will often return to a ‘soft target’ area. Let’s make our villages hard targets.
DO I HAVE TO ATTEND MEETINGS?
We would love to see you at the meetings but you don’t HAVE to attend. Your local coordinator will keep you up to date.
SO HOW DO I JOIN?
Every household should receive a registration form in the near future. Simply fill it in and return it or drop it into the registration boxes which will be situated at Harthill School, Harthill Post Office and Clive’s the Butchers on the shopping precinct.
If you don’t get a form through your door by 24th January you can collect one from the same three locations or contact Alan Newby on 01909 515758 or Jan Poucher on 01909 773097
Alternatively you could visit the Harthill-with-Woodall Neighbourhood Watch display at the
Community Event in the Village Hall on Tuesday 27th of January between 6pm and 9pm. We would be delighted to see you so please come and talk to us.