Warning

Rogue Traders are currently cold calling on the telephone and at the doorstep in the Andover, Havant and surrounding areas of Hampshire offering to supply unsuitable mobility goods, stair lifts, adapted showers and beds at vastly inflated prices. In some cases customers have been left with the impression that the trader is from Social Services at Hampshire County Council which is certainly not the case.

Trading Standards would advise consumers never to agree to work that is instigated as a result of a cold call. Consumers should obtain at least 3 written quotes from reputable businesses or traders who belong to a recognised trade association, such as the Hampshire County Council Buy With Confidence Scheme. Details of this scheme can be obtained by telephoning 01962 833620, via email at buy.with.confidence@hants.gov.uk or via the website www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk

Traders who agree work at the home of an individual or at a place other than their usual business premises are required by law to provide consumers with a Notice of Right to Cancel, which gives consumers a 7 day cooling off period. Work should not commence until this period has ended, unless written agreement is first obtained from that consumer beforehand.

If anyone has any information about traders who are cold calling or requires any advice on doorstep crime they can contact Hampshire County Council's
Quick Response Team on 01962 833666 (Monday – Friday 0900hrs to 1700hrs)
where specially trained officers are on hand to provide assistance.
If urgent assistance is required outside of these hours please contact Hampshire Police on 0845 045 4545.

Summary

August has been a relatively quite month and unusually for the summer holidays Odiham has not experienced much in the way of juvenile nuisance.
Over the last month there have been a1 break in to a shed, where a number of tools were taken valuing around £400. There was also an attempt break to a yard at Rye Common however it does not appear that anything was taken.
There was a break in to premises in Tinley Gardens, entry was gained via a window and various electrical items where taken – please be sure to keep valuables out of sight when not in use.

A white Ford Transit van was stolen from outside Odiham, nothing was seen or heard and the vehicle is yet to be recovered.

Please be aware of anything or anyone suspicious, and ring it in as soon as you can. The sooner Police receive the information the more likely we can catch the offenders.

Within this area and surrounding areas there have been a number of thefts of motor bikes and cars following a particular MO. The aggrieved advertises the vehicle for sale, when the potential buyer comes to look he asks for a test drive/ride, he then makes off on/in the vehicle. This month Odiham has suffered from 2 of these type of offences. One of the stolen bikes was recovered in the Hook area. Please be aware of this if you are or you know anyone who is planning on selling there vehicle. If a test drive/ride is requested make sure you get something from the buyer such as the payment in advance in order to prevent them leaving. Please warn people you know in the area of this MO – there have been similar offences happening across North East Hampshire.

With rural breaks occurring in the area people are advised to keep valuables secure, if you own a horse and would like your tack marked you can email
hart.rural.snt@hampshire.pnn.police.co.uk and a time/date will be arranged for an Equine
Liaison Officer to attend and carry out this process for you. More details about this can be found on our Website.

Farm watch has also been a massive success and continues to go from strength to strength, if you wish to find out more please speak to one of us or email hart.rural.snt@hampshire.pnn.police.co.uk and mark FAO of PC Mick AMES who runs the local Farm Watch and Country Watch.

Crondall and Surrounding areas

I have expected to see a rise in Poaching this month; along with associated damage and theft. Although there have been several reports of poaching this is less than expected. PC Bolan and I have been conducting late night patrols in hotspot areas as part of Operation Thornley throughout the month. Local farmers/gamekeepers have been communicating effectively with police by updating us with times that they intend to poach legally on their land which is very much appreciated. This can save time and resources when assessing reports of suspicious activity.

I have had several burglaries throughout my patch in varying areas. Items that have been stolen are: a TV, a pedal cycle and scrap metal. Again a lower number than expected for this time of year.

I have had several reports of off-road motor bikers using fields in the Ewshot area, particularly between Naishes Lane and Ewshot Lane. I haven't bumped into the motor bikers yet but I am keen to offer them words of advice regarding their recreational activity whilst trespassing. Off-road biking is not a regular concern in my area, however I am aware that bikers may use different areas to enjoy new routes and avoid police attention. Often bikers are not sure what areas they can use; please encourage them to contact me to discuss any suitable locations, and let me know if there are any developing issues in your area.

PC Derek Morrow

Crime Prevention Advice

Please follow these simple steps below to make your home more secure.

1)Do not leave keys in view of doors or windows
2)Do not leave keys in the hallway near to the door
3)Lock the front door with the key and use extra bolts
4)Consider an alarm that fits on the letter box (known as glass minders), it will alert you if the letter box is opened – thieves may use tools to reach through and remove keys to open the door!
5)Close and lock all windows and doors if you are leaving the house
6)Do not leave the front of house open if you are at the rear of the house

Please follow these simple steps to avoid becoming a victim of Vehicle crime.

1)Don’t leave anything in your car – if it’s not there then it can’t be stolen! Thieves aren’t picky, they will often steal and item and look to see what it is later.
2)Always secure your car, lock it and do up the windows even if you are posting a letter or going into the petrol station
3)Choose a stereo that can be removed and make sure you take it with you! You should also mark it with your registration number and postcode in case it’s stolen.
4)Don’t leave you house keys, or anything with your address on it in your car, thieves could use this to get into your house.

Please follow these simple steps to help keep your neighbourhood safe.

1)Report any Anti-Social behaviour to Police even if you feel it to be quite minor – this helps Police to build a picture of problems in the area and so be able to try to deal with it.
2)Please report any suspicious vehicles in your area – often criminals will drive round an area prior to committing a crime.
3)Please report any door to door salesmen or people who come to your address who you feel are suspicious, give as much detail as possible incl. car details.

Please remain vigilant and keep your eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

Usually your gut instinct is right – if it looks out of place or suspicious there’s usually a reason for it

Community Meetings

We are still finishing off the refurbishments to Odiham Police Station I will keep you updated as to when it will be re opening, please call 08450454545 should you wish to report any crimes or speak to one of the local beat team when you see them out patrolling.

Don’t forget you can find us on the Hampshire Constabulary Web site by going to the Safer Neighbourhood link.

www.hampshire.police.uk

During the Saturday of the Odiham Fire Show, the 7th August, an electric scooter, often called a "go-ped", was taken from a trade stand. Whilst a similar shape to a child's scooter, this example has a small electric motor to propel the rider along, and a bicycle style saddle. The missing scooter is mainly yellow with some flame decals front and rear. The motor requires charging via a separate charger, which was not taken with the scooter, so the vehicle may well be useless and end up being abandoned somewhere. I would be grateful for any information that would help me to locate the vehicle and restore it to it's rightful owner. Iain TUNSTELL Odiham Beat Special Constable If you know anything then please email the Odiham Neighbourhood Watch - click here to send a message.

Dear All

In June of this year, Thames Valley Police raided a second hand shop reasonable close to the Hampshire border, and recovered a large amount of property, believed to be stolen. Some of the second hand items include garden equipment such as lawn mowers, strimmers, hedgecutters and tools. A number of victims of non-dwelling burglaries and thefts from vehicles found their stolen items listed on eBay being sold by the shop.

The attached document lists items still to be identified, which has been edited to remove some identifying marks. Although there are approx 500 items, it is worth scanning through to see if you think any of the items could be identified by you. Apologies for the quality of the description of some of the entries - it's not my work, and has purely been copied from the list provided!

The Thames Valley officer dealing with this matter will be holding an 'open day' in due course, for victims of crime to look at the property to see if they can identify it. In the meantime, please contact me in the first instance, and I will advise if there is any more information against the item in question, to positively match it against any reported stolen property. Before items are returned, we will need supporting documentation to confirm ownership. For example, I have kept IMEI numbers of mobile phones on the list, which can then be checked against any remaining paperwork a victim may have.

Please e-mail me your contact details, and full details of your stolen items (including the police reference number when you made your report, if available). I will then contact you if we believe there may be a chance the item is yours, with further information about what to do next.

Please feel free to forward to anyone who you know has been a victim of crime where such items have been stolen.

Andy

PC Andy Reid

andrew.reid@hampshire.pnn.police.uk

It has come to the attention of Hampshire Trading Standards Service that a security company are currently telephoning residents offering to come out and survey properties for security purposes, i.e. burglar and smoke alarms.

It has been suggested that this company use high pressure sales and may offer the equipment for £1 but only if customers sign up to a costly monitoring agreement.

Please be on your guard about these types of cold callers either over the telephone or on your doorstep. If you have already arranged for a visit by a salesman and/or require any assistance concerning this or similar cold calling matters please do not hesitate to contact our Quick Response Team on 01962 833666

Hampshire Trading Standards Service operates an approved trader scheme called Buy With Confidence which includes security companies. Information about this scheme is available online at www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk or by telephoning Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.