ROCHFORD DISTRICT NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

We are Rochford District Neighbourhood Watch and are unusual in the county having offices in the Essex Police Community Safety Hub Castle Point Council Offices. The NHW group is managed on most weekday mornings by a team of volunteers

On a weekly basis we receive an abridged version of the crime statistics for the area and arrange for this information to be forwarded to street coordinators by email together with warnings of current local crime trends, scams etc. Information on scams is also forwarded to any individual member who has provided their email address

Rochford Newsletter Nov 2024.

It is over a year since we published a newsletter. Sadly, at the end of last year both our Chairman and Editor of our newsletter passed away, both of whom made a large contribution to its publication and distribution. We have however managed to get help with the publishing aspect, but in the meantime, we have produced this ‘information bulletin’ We will continue to provide hard copies for those who prefer this and perhaps struggle with a digital copy via email. However we encourage those who have an email address to contact us at our address below so we can pass information on as we receive it. For those not already aware we have a Facebook page as indeed do Essex Police and Rochford Police. Rochford Police also issue a regular update called ‘Despatch’ which is useful and informative. Due to the process we go through on producing a hard copy and the time it takes to format, print, distribute etc, articles are invariably dated by the time they reach you hence our drive to get more of our members to provide us with an email address. We currently have two volunteers working in our office space in Castle Point Council Offices both of whom are looking to retire at the end of March 2025, anybody out there interested? It’s interesting and not time consuming, just a half day a week but more if you want to. Please contact us if you are and would like a bit more information on what it involves, no obligation to sign up immediately! CAR THEFT As I am sure you are all aware there is at the moment a spike of car thefts and residents are encouraged to ensure they make their vehicle difficult to steal. There are various wheel locks on the market, key wallets that prevent car keys being cloned etc. Car thieves can steal a car in seconds but perhaps if you do take precautions, it might discourage them from stealing your car and move onto another vehicle less well protected. There are regular opportunities to meet with your local police, look out for these on the Facebook pages listed above. If you are concerned about a particular aspect of policing in your street /road why not make one of these meetings in order to get your views across. PARKING ON PAVEMENTS AND VERGES We continue to receive complaints from local residents about inconsiderate parking by some neighbours and or their visitors. Often there is not enough space left on pavements for pushchairs, wheelchairs or mobility vehicles to pass. Road space needs to be left for access by emergency services – it maybe you or your neighbour that needs that fire engine or ambulance. Obstruction is an offence and parking on or damage to pavements and verges also contravenes local bylaws. So please show consideration to others. CHRISTMAS IS COMING – BEWARE OF SCAMS! Most of us use the internet without any problems. However, anyone can fall prey to cyber criminals if they do not take basic security precautions when online.

Top tips:

• 1. No bank or card issuer will contact you by email and ask you to enter all your personal and financial details online. If you receive a message like this, report it to your bank and then delete it.

• 2. If you get an email from an unknown source, do not open it and do not click on any attachments.

• 3. Make sure that your anti-virus software is up to date

• 4. Never follow the messages from anti-virus software you encounter whilst on the internet. Only follow the anti-virus instructions from the software you have installed on your PC

• 5. Install an anti-spyware package

• 6. Always use a firewall

• 7. Ensure that your software is up to date For example, Windows software is routinely updated on the second Tuesday of each month (security updates are issued on that date). Should a critical update be necessary between monthly updates, make sure it is installed immediately. SCAMS The most frequent scams with online fraudsters occur during the online sales in January. Be wary of emails that say you have received a package you aren't expecting, especially if you didn't directly order it. Also beware of those that ask you to provide personal information. Beware of vouchers and codes and too-good-to be true offers that could lead you to a malicious website. Scammers sometimes send phishing texts with a warning to people of suspicious activity on their bank account and ask them to call a bogus number where they'll be prompted to share personal information. Vishing can happen as well, it's just like phishing, but occurs on the phone. Watch out for spam phishing emails for fake refunds that can appear as though it's from a true retailer and say something along the lines of a wrong transaction or click for refund. Fake Websites, fake shopping sites rely on shoppers mistyping the true web addresses of popular websites or clicking on messages from fake vendors that have a similar address. Slow down and check what you have typed.

Useful tips are:

• 1. Don’t fall for the cheap price tag and shop only at trustworthy online sites,

• 2. Be wary of fake website links

• 3. Be smart with your passwords

• 4. Organise your online shopping

• 5. Protect your financial details

• 6. Avoid using public or shared computers

• 7. Check that your internet security software is updated

• 8. Check your credit card statements. If you are in any doubt at all or feel uneasy check with a trusted family member or friend before clicking on any site. It is so easy to fall into a trap.

Rochford Neighbourhood Watch office

Rochford District NHW, Community Safety Hub,

Castle Point Borough Council Offices, Kiln Road,

Thundersley, Benfleet SS7 1TF

Tel: 01268 770519

Email: [email protected]