Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter Edition 15 – Summer 2022
making Mid & East Antrim safer
Help break the cycle of bike thefts
FOREWORD from Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Safety Partnership Chairperson, Councillor Timothy Gaston.
Welcome to the 15th edition of the Mid and East Antrim Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter. As we enter the summer holidays we can confidently step forward into a more optimistic future as we move more out of the Covid Pandemic era that has affected our lives so much over the past couple of years. With restrictions lifted and our freedoms returned, we have more cause for celebration but we must be mindful of what is going on in the wider world and the incredible difficulties faced by others around us. Over the past few months we have been witness to a most dreadful war in Ukraine and the terrible plight of the people trying to escape. With this has also come a ‘cost of living’ crisis which has made people feeling anxious of what might happen in the future regarding food and heating prices. In this issue we focus on such concerns and provide some useful information and tips on how to minimise the risk of oil theft which could be a problem. We also focus in this edition on home security and keeping ourselves safe from home
burglary and theft. As we move away from the isolation and loneliness brought on by the Covid restrictions there will be an increase in the amount of interactions that will emerge going forward. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council continues to work on an interagency basis with community groups and other stakeholders including the PSNI, YMCA, NI Housing Executive and other volunteers to provide a support hub at weekends for young people ensuring there is a place of safety to chat and get something to eat where alcohol is not a focus for a few hours. Council have a drive to provide support and advice to help prevent crime for which I am very supportive. There are still causes for concern regarding the number of people being scammed and I am in no doubt that by sharing crime prevention advice and making others aware of such scams, many criminals have been prevented from prospering. The PSNI Facebook page has some excellent crime prevention advice which you
can talk to our local crime prevention officer about and there is some very useful advice from organisations such as the ScamwiseNI partnership. PCSP already has several initiatives planned to take forward this Summer. These include schemes to help make young people safer, provide support for older and vulnerable individuals, assisting community groups to address fear of crime in their communities, working with Women’s Aid to help address domestic abuse and also to help support vulnerable members of the community. We continue to work hard to make Mid and East Antrim Borough safer. Our action plan will build on previous good work as well focusing on the development of new projects. You will see at the back of this edition a list of useful contacts including how to contact the PCSP. Please do not hesitate to make contact if you wish to find out more about the work of the partnership or if you have any concerns you wish to raise. Best wishes and stay safe!
It only takes a few seconds to steal a bicycle. •
Make full use of bicycle locks and secure bikes properly to a permanent fixture every time it is left unattended.
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Keep details of the make, model and serial numbers of your bike.
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Indelibly mark your bike with your postcode and house number to enable police to identify the owner should your bike ever be stolen and subsequently recovered.
Advice on home safety Domestic Burglary
Inform local police the relevant dates your property will be vacant.
Before you leave, go into each room in the house and make sure all the windows are tightly shut and locked. If no window lock is fitted you may want to consider buying one.
Neighbours can look out for each other. Chances are if a criminal targets one house in a particular street he may try another a few doors up. You know who lives on your street so if you see someone acting suspiciously note down any important details such as a description or car registration and contact police.We will follow up on your call and there is every possibility your information could prevent a crime.
A burglar may be less likely to enter your home if a window needs to be smashed. •
Check all doors leading into your home are secure and locked.
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If you have a garage, put your car inside if you are not taking it on holiday.
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Make sure the car doors and boot are locked and the windows are shut.
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Put car keys somewhere they cannot be seen or easily found by a burglar.
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Recent improvements in car security mean that the easiest way for a thief to steal a car is to break into your house and steal the keys for it.
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Ensure your main garage door is shut and locked.
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If there are any bicycles or toys sitting around the outside of the house, put them away.
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If your bins are due to be emptied while you are away, ask a neighbour if they can put them out of sight.
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Make your house look occupied by putting lights and/or a radio on timer switches.
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Set a burglar alarm if one is fitted to your home. Consider fitting an alarm if not.
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If you have outbuildings that store valuable possessions or have doors that lead to your house, this checklist can be used to make them more secure also.
Find out if there is a neighbourhood watch scheme in your area.
Advice on home safety Garden Security Garden crime is an unfortunate reality. Crimes of this nature can be prevented by effective garden security. Follow our advice and make it harder for the thief. •
Protect vulnerable areas such as windows, fences, boundary walls and drainpipes.
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Well positioned external lighting keeps intruders away.
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Keep your shed in good condition. Fit a closed shackle padlock to the door. Fittings should be bolted through the door and any screws concealed. Fit meshes or grilles to the windows. Invest in an alarm.
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Make sure that large items such as bicycles are chained together. It is much more difficult for a thief to carry away a lot of large heavy items.
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Ladders should be locked to a secure fixture in the shed or garage so they cannot be used to access upstairs windows.
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Valuables should be marked with your postcode.
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Check that your household insurance policy covers garden or shed equipment and find out if any minimum security standards apply.
If you need advice on how to make your home safer, call the police and ask to speak to your local Crime Prevention Officer.
Advice on home safety Oil Theft The police are offering the following advice to prevent heating oil theft: A burglar may be less likely to enter your home if a window needs to be smashed. •
Check your heating oil regularly and often.
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There are many devices on the market for measuring how much oil is in your tank, buy one and use it.
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What security features does your tank have lockable fuel cap, sensor lighting coverage, etc.
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Is your heating oil tank easily accessible to vehicular traffic – next to a road, car park etc. If it is you are more high risk.
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Be a good neighbour and report anything suspicious around a neighbours home. Persons taking hoses through to oil tank etc.
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Make sure that your boiler is securely locked up with a good quality padlock.
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Make it hard for an intruder to gain access to the rear of your home. Install locks to the area of the tank.
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Use plants with thorns or spikes around your oil tank.
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Install an automatic sensor PIR operated security light or, ideally, install ‘dusk to dawn’ lighting.
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Consider a shed audible alarm.
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Mark you boiler with your post code and house number using an engraving tool.
Another Two New ‘Chatty Cafe’ for Larne!
Following on from the success of the first Chatty Café opened at Blessings Café in Cullybackey we are pleased to announce another two new Chatty cafes have opened in Larne; Café Riva (Redlands Road close to Asda) and Oasis Café (Larne Elim every Tuesday and Thursday). The idea of a Chatty Café is to encourage venues to designate a table and make it available as a ‘chatty table’ where customers can sit if they are happy to talk to other customers.
The scheme, being rolled out by Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network, part funded by MEA Council, aims to tackle loneliness and reduce isolation by creating opportunities to talk and interact. It comes off the success of the Chatty Benches scheme which has seen bright yellow benches in public spaces create an opportunity for conversation in the outdoors.
The latest two new Chatty cafes for Larne were opened by members of the Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network Yvonne Carson (Northern Health and Social Care Trust), Deborah Neill (Larne Community Development Project) and Wenda Gray (Volunteer Now).
“It’s very encouraging to see the establishment of two more Chatty Cafes in the Mid and East Antrim Borough. As we see restrictions on our social activities ease it’s great to see initiatives like this promoting interaction and conversation.”
The challenges the pandemic has created in terms of creating loneliness in communities is something that the Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network aims to tackle.
Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network launched in December 2019 and is made up of a range of community voluntary and statutory organisations who all work together to prevent and address loneliness.
Yvonne Carson, Thematic Lead for Loneliness & Social Isolation, NHSCT added
To find out more go to www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/ healthandwellbeing
Drugs disposal bin launched in Carrickfergus The fourth RAPID (Remove All Prescription and Illegal Drugs) bin in Mid and East Antrim has been launched in the Tesco store in Carrickfergus. The other three RAPID bins are located in Ballymena Health Centre on the Cushendall Road, Tesco on the Larne Road, Ballymena and Asda in Larne. The initiative known as RAPID, is aimed at helping to remove prescription and illegal drugs from our streets by providing drug disposal bins. RAPID was initially piloted in 2010 and due to the success of the joint health and community safety initiative, further bins have been installed throughout Northern Ireland in partnership with key statutory, community and voluntary groups. Since 2010, over 100,000 tablets have been deposited in Belfast RAPID bins alone. Ninety per cent of the drugs handed in are prescription or over the counter medicines but illegal drugs have also been deposited. Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) and PSNI have been working closely
with the Public Health Agency (PHA) and the local Drug and Alcohol Coordination Team (DACT) to identify and work with communities and businesses within their catchment areas to benefit from taking part in the initiative and having a RAPID drug disposal bin installed. Speaking about the initiative, PCSP Chairperson, Cllr Timothy Gaston, said: “We are extremely grateful to Tesco in Carrickfergus for supporting us in delivering this initiative. “The increase in availability of these bins will continue to help combat the illegal use of drugs and prescription medication within our local communities. “The overall aim of the RAPID initiative is to reduce risk at individual, family and community level in relation to drug use and availability. “The RAPID bin reduces the level of drugs in our local communities by providing a means for people to dispose of prescription or illegal drugs safely and discreetly.” PSNI District Commander, Superintendent Kearney said: “This initiative is an effective way for harmful substances to be removed from our
community. Previously such items could easily have been dumped in street bins or domestic bins, thereby posing a potential serious danger to other members of the public. I would encourage continued use of the bins in our communities.” Jayne McConaghie, Senior Officer for Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement at the PHA, said: “Alcohol and drug misuse is a common issue and sadly causes suffering and tragedy to individuals, families and communities. “This is a simple, but powerful health intervention, and we very much welcome the installation of the new RAPID bin in Mid and East Antrim. All of the partners are keen that this joint initiative is expanded over the coming years with further bins installed, enabling more people and communities to learn more about the risks and dangers of drug misuse and to dispose of unwanted drugs easily and discreetly.”
RAPID has three aims: • Removal of prescription, illegal and new psychoactive substances. • Provision of information and support to individuals, families, local businesses and community organisations to raise awareness of the effects and risks of using/ misusing illegal and/or prescription drugs. • Bringing together community and statutory agencies, local businesses and the general public under the RAPID initiative to work towards making their local community a safer place to live. Kathleen Grego of the Northern DACT Connections Service said: “We are proud to be involved in the RAPID partnership and we welcome the further roll out of the bins in the Mid and East Antrim area. I have no doubt they will be a great success.” For more information on existing RAPID bins or how to contact your local DACT or PCSP visit www.drugsandalcoholni.info/RAPID
Your PCSP members
Chris Mcllroy
Sergeant
Neighbourhood Policing Team Carrick/ Larne
Carrick
07787224732
Chris.Mcllroy@psni.pnn.police.uk
10 Elected Members
9 Independent Members
7 Statutory Partners
Tony McClelland
Sergeant
Neighbourhood Policing Team Carrick/ Larne
Carrick
07827925770
Daniel.mcclelland@psni.pnn. police.uk
Ald Gregg McKeen
Mary Watson (Vice Chair)
Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Michelle McKillop
Sergeant
Neighbourhood Policing Team Ballymena
Ballymena
07585703099
Michelle.adams@psni.pnn. police.uk
Ald John Carson
Marjorie Hawkins
Police Service in Northern Probation Board
Stephen Rainey
Sergeant
Community Planning Sergeant
Ballymena
02825667277
stephen.rainey2@psni.pnn. police.uk
Cllr Andrew Wilson
Brenda Leslie
Youth Justice Agency
Cllr Lauren Gray
Wendy Kerr
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
Cllr Timothy Gaston
Thomas (Lexie) Scott
Education Authority
Cllr Thomas Gordon
Norman Hamilton
Community Planning Sergeant
Mid and East Antrim PCSP contact details
Cllr Cheryl Johnston
Sharon Maxwell
Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service
Contact the PCSP staff by phone, email, or call into the office:
Cllr John McDermott
Gillian Gordon
Cllr Danny Donnelly (Chair)
80 Galgorm Road Ballymena County Antrim BT42 1AB Tel: 028 93 358311 Email: pcsp@midandeastantrim.gov.uk
Charlene Thompson
Cllr Marc Collins
PSNI Contact Details Name
Rank
Role
Station
Mobile
Beverlie Reid
Inspector
Neighbourhood Police Team Ballymena
Ballymena
07780110529
Beverlie.reid@psni.pnn.police.uk
Colin Ash
Inspector
Neighbourhood Police Team Larne and Carrick
Carrick
07557261796
colin.ash@psni.pnn.police.uk
Simon Coupland
Sergeant
Neighbourhood Policing Team Carrick/ Larne
Carrick
0791739043
simon.coupland@psni.pnn. police.uk
In an emergency call 999 PSNI non-emergency number 101 • • • •
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Victim Support: 028 2563 0784 Crime Stoppers: 0800 555 111 24 hour Domestic and Sexual Violence helpline: 0808 802 1414 Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne and Newtownabbey (ABCLN) Women’s Aid: 028 2563 2136 Crime Prevention Officer Stuart Willkie: 07500036996 / Ext 86008 / phone 101
This newsletter is supported by the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Department of Justice. With thanks to PSNI, Crimestoppers and Neighbourhood Watch for providing information for this leaflet.
making Mid & East Antrim safer