Safer Melbourn

cambridgeshire

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk/safermelbourn/

Stop loan sharks biting

The best advice for dealing with loan sharks is ‘don’t’. They’re unlicensed moneylenders who charge very high interest rates and sometimes use threats and violence to frighten people who can’t pay back their loan. What is a loan shark? A loan shark is an unlicensed moneylender. Licensed moneylenders are regulated by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and must follow the OFT’s codes of practice.

Because they’re not licensed, loan sharks operate outside the law. If you borrow from them it’s likely you’ll: • get a loan on very bad terms • pay an extortionate rate of interest • be harassed if you get behind with your repayments • be pressured into borrowing more from them to repay one debt with another

How to find out if a lender is licensed The Consumer Credit Public Register lists everyone with an OFT licence as well as everyone who has applied for one or has had one taken away or suspended. It’s free to get basic information from the register.

To search the public register, telephone 020 7211 8608 between 9.30am and 4pm Monday to Friday.

If a lender isn’t listed as having a current licence, don’t borrow money from them. What to do if you have borrowed from a loan shark If you have borrowed money from a loan shark you are under no legal obligation to repay the debt. You should contact your local Trading Standards office immediately. They will help you deal with your situation and the loan shark. Cambridgeshire County Council Telephone: 08454 040506 Hotline Numbers for the Illegal Money Lending Teams You can contact stop loan sharks by phone on 030 0555 2222 or email: stoploansharks@birmingham.gov.uk Is it a crime not to repay a loan from a loan shark? If a lender isn’t licensed by the OFT then they have no legal right to recover the debt.

Loan sharks sometimes frighten people by saying they’ll be prosecuted and even sent to prison if they don’t pay up. This can’t happen – not repaying a loan from an unlicensed lender isn’t a criminal offence. What to do if you’re being harassed Any lender who harasses you is breaking the law. You should report them to the local Trading Standards office, and to the police if the loan shark threatens you or uses violence. Other ways of borrowing money If you need a loan, always go to a licensed lender. You may still have to pay a high rate of interest but the Consumer Credit Act will cover your loan agreement.

Always shop around for credit – just because a lender is licensed it doesn’t necessarily mean you are getting a good deal.

If you’re on a low income and you need to borrow a small amount for a short time, look into borrowing from a credit union. Credit unions encourage you to save what you can and only borrow what you can afford to pay back. You’ll pay from one up to two per cent in interest a month.

Where to get help and advice

Many organisations offer free help and guidance on money matters. Always get free, independent help before you pay a commercial service.

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

Your local CAB is a good starting point for free advice. They provide free information and advice on legal, financial and other problems. Royston Tel: 08444 111444 Cambridge: 0844 848 7979

National Debtline

National Debtline offers free, confidential and independent help over the phone for people in England, Scotland and Wales.

You can call their helpline on 0808 8084 000 between 9.00 am and 9.00 pm from Monday to Friday and from 9.30 am to 1.00 pm on Saturdays (24 hour voicemail). Telephone 0808 808 4000

The National Debtline website has some useful publications that you can download. www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

The CCCS has a helpline providing free and impartial advice to people with debt problems. You can call their helpline on 0800 1381 111 between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm from Monday to Friday. You can also write to them.

At the neighbourhood panel meeting on 19th October 2010 the following shows the priorities set and action taken by our neighbourhood policing team. Results of action taken to tackle priorities set 1 Tackle anti-social use of motor vehicles in the Panel area Reports of ASB have almost halved • Patrols to target vehicle related ASB took place in: The Moor, High Street, New Road, Vicarage Close, Spring Lane and Stockbridge Meadows. • Notices or warnings were given to owners of mopeds • Engagement with riders has been positive with awareness of the impact of their behaviour on others being heightened • Parking complaint patrols conducted, three specifically for concerns raised regarding parents parking outside Melbourn Primary School. 2 Tackle Road Safety Issues across the Panel area • Speedchecks conducted by PCSO • Only sixteen vehicles were found to be speeding and received warning letters. • Four vehicles stopped by patrol officers as part of the Christmas Drink Drive Campaign-negative results. • Speeding Day of Action held resulted in eight speeding tickets, one ticket for using a mobile phone whilst driving, one ticket for no tax, two negative breath tests and nineteen drivers being given words of advice for their parking and speed. • Three hours of static patrol targeting mobile phone use yielded nothing. 3 Tackle ASB issues • Twenty six directed patrols have taken place to address the previous reports of anti-social behaviour from midmorning to midnight. • Police Surgery held on 17 December to provide reassurance – no attendees. • Two reports of nuisance youths – nobody found on police attendance • One report of a house being targeted with snowballs. To help pinpoint problems and find practical solutions to reduce anti-social behaviour in the village, Melbourn’s Practical Solutions Group (PSG) has recognised that a less formal and more inclusive approach is required to achieve its aims. This new group remains multi-agency, as its predecessor the Problem Solving Group, but the emphasis and approach has changed so that it can work with and include Melbourn residents (young and old). If you are affected by ASB would like to be involved in this worthwhile project then please get in touch by using the contact form at; www.melbourncambridge.co.uk/ problemsolving or phone 01763 221323

NON EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER 0345 456 456 4

MINICOM helpline for the deaf and hard of hearing, anywhere in the force area: 01480 422493 RNID TypeTalk is a national telephone relay service which enables, deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing and speech impaired people to communicate, to access the service dial: 0800 515152 Emergency 999

Priorities set by the panel meeting on 18th January 2011

Continue to address road safety issues relating to speeding and obstructive parking across the neighbourhood. Prevention of metal thefts.

Next panel meeting

19th April at Melbourn Village College Door open 7pm for 7:30 start. All welcome.

Emerging Issues in Melbourn

A total of 41 offences occurred in the Melbourn ward (Melbourn, Gt. Chishill, Lt. Chishill and Heydon), so offence levels have remained stable compared to the previous period (40 offences) and the same period last year (46 offences).

ASB incidents in Melbourn dropped to 40 (67 in the previous period), but this is higher than the same period last year (28 incidents).

Five incidents occurred outside the Village College, with reports of general nuisance behaviour from youths and vehicles.

Five incidents have been recorded, all between 9pm and midnight.

Street level crime map

A new national website has been launched to give you more local information about crime and anti-social behaviour at a street level. The online map will allow you to view figures for all crime as well as burglary, robbery, violence, vehicle crime, other crime and anti-social behaviour in your area, at the touch of a button.

The maps display dots which mark the approximate location where a crime or incidence of anti-social behaviour has been reported to the police. To ensure privacy of individuals, incidents of crime or anti-social behaviour are mapped to a point on, or near, the street where it happened.

You can see the site at www.police.uk. Enter your postcode for more details on crime and anti-social behaviour where you live, www.police.uk.