Neighbourhood Watch
Advice from Calthorpe Residents Society Neighbourhood Watch
[30.06.21] West Midlands Neighbourhood Watch are holding a series of webinars about scams and how to deal with them. The webinars are FREE to attend and are open to anyone who would like to know more about scams, the psychology behind scams, prevention and how a fraud case is investigated.
The webinars bring together experts in their field relating to online fraud, a topic which we are all too familiar with and can affect anyone and everyone, as our lives are played out more digitally. The dates of the webinars and their topics are as follows:
6th July, 5pm Exploring the psychology behind scams and how scammers are so effective at their crimes Paul Maskell, Fraud & Cyber Crime Prevention Manager, Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU)
14th July, 5pm Insights into how a fraud case is investigated and how not to be the next victim Ben Hobbs, Detective Sergeant; and Catriona Still, Head of Fraud Prevention & Training, Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU)
23rd July 5pm Scams awareness training from the Friends Against Scams initiative The National Trading Standards Scams Team (NTSST)
30th July, 5pm Don’t get hooked by scammers! What you need to know about flubot and phishing scams Christopher Budd, Senior Global Threat Communications Manager, Avast
How to book your place
You can click on the links within this message on each of the webinars topics to register your place or you can go to www.ourwatch.org.uk/webinars and click on the webinar that you wish to attend, you can attend all of them if you wish and so make sure that you complete the registration page for each of them.
The West Midlands Police Economic Crime Unit will be running a Slido Q&A this week (30th Nov – 4th Dec) for people to ask questions around shopping online safely, can you please share the below messaging where appropriate with attached imaging?
‘The Fraud & Cyber Protect team will be conducting a Slido event this week to answer all your fraud and cybercrime related questions in regard to Christmas shopping!
Go to http://slido.com and type in the code #1773 to ask them a question! Or link https://app.sli.do/event/aooj2h7s
Message Sent By Stefanie Sadler
(Police, Engagement & Consultation officer, Birmingham Partnerships)
West Midlands Police Domestic Abuse Campaign
The coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us in one way or another. Many of us are spending a lot more time at home due to lockdown, working from home or possibly as a result of the loss of a job. And with Christmas just around the corner, domestic life can become stressful for anyone.
Please have a look at this advice from West Midlands Police and think about forwarding it to anyone you know who might find themselves in a difficult situation at home.
Stassi Chilas (CRS Safety & Security)
We know that home is not the safest place for everyone right now. If you feel frightened by the person you live with, we want you to know help is available.
Recently we’ve seen that the lockdown has put pressure on new couples, who have moved in together at an early stage in their relationship to avoid separation. Without having enough time to get to know their new partner and spot any warning signs, some of them now feel trapped. This can feel worse if there isn’t the usual support from family and friends nearby.
If you need help and support, here are several charity organisations across Birmingham, which can offer that.
If you need to leave your house to escape an abusive situation, no matter what level of lockdown, you are allowed to do so. If you need to go somewhere, local refuges are open and are taking people in.
Specialist help is also provided for our LGBTQ+ community in Birmingham through the Independent Domestic Violence Advocate service.
We know both women and men suffer domestic abuse. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is there to support everyone – you can call them on 0808 2000 247.
Of course we are always here to help. If you are worried about your own safety or the safety of a member of your family, a friend or neighbour, get in touch with us.
If someone is in immediate danger and their life is threatened, call 999 and we will get officers to them as soon as possible.
If it isn’t safe to talk out loud, you can make a silent 999 call by typing 55 after the call is answered.
Alternatively you can avoid talking on the phone by using Live Chat. We have specially trained officers who can provide support and practical assistance and help keep you safe – even in periods of isolation.
Below are some of the charities and organisations that provide help and support to people in Birmingham. For a full list visit: No Excuse for Abuse
Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid
0808 800 0028 www.bswaid.org
Birmingham Housing Options Hub:
0808 169 9604
Birmingham Council Housing
0121 303 7410 or 0121 303 2296/4806
https://www.birmingham.gov.uk
Adult Social Care
0121 303 1234 or 0121 675 4806
Children’s Social Care
0121 303 1888 or 0121 675 4806
We also know that children often suffer in households where there is domestic abuse. If you are concerned about a child, you can get advice, Live Chat our staff and report abuse to us using this link – https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/your-options/child-abuse
Alternatively you can talk to the NSPCC https://www.nspcc.org.uk/
Together we are a community – let’s spread the message that no victim is alone.
Kind Regards
Anthony Wilkes
(Police, Engagement & Consultation Officer, Partnerships Lloyd House)
[23.11.20] Here are the links to help you keep safe online this Christmas! Leaflet (pdf)
Get Safe Online website
[24.11.20] Here is the link to the Community Safety Partnership Survey. It only takes 3 minutes to complete!
[10.11.20] Protect Your Passw0rd National Campaign Launched By Neighbourhood Watch. Please go here.
Calthorpe Residents Society is liaising with WM Police on strengthening the Neighbourhood Watch network on the Calthorpe Estates and wider Edgbaston. This is being coordinated by a CRS Committee member : Stassi Chilas.
A number of residents on the Estate have expressed an interest in setting up a Neighbourhood Watch (NW) scheme.
This is the advice from Stassi:
1. First of all, talk to your neighbours and decide who will be the coordinator. You may wish to have a deputy as well. Also, decide on a name for your scheme and its geographical boundaries – it could be just one street or one development.
2. The coordinator should then go to www.ourwatch.org.uk where there is useful advice.
Put in your post code and click on ‘Search’.
As you won’t have an existing NW scheme, your street or development shouldn’t appear in the list of existing ones so click on ‘Map your Scheme’ and follow the instructions for the registration process. This should only take a couple of minutes (about 10 steps). You should then receive a reply with further information.
3. Once your scheme is set up, please let me know the details (Name of scheme, location, coordinators’ details etc) and I will add it to my list so that I can send you useful information that I receive from the Police.
4. Your scheme will then be visible to others. Encourage your neighbours to go to the website and find your NW scheme in the same way. Then by clicking on it, they will be given the opportunity to contact you (through the website) in order to join.
5. After your scheme has been set up, register with www.wmnow.co.uk and set the alerts you wish to receive. Encourage your neighbours to join wmnow as well.
Good luck. It should be straightforward but please let me know if you encounter any problems. A useful telephone helpline if you need technical help is on 0115 924 5517.
Calthorpe Residents Society
2018
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