Neighbourhood Watch Roundup Spring is springing and what a beautiful time of year it is. Daffs are doffing their pretty yellow hats at all the new life and vitality bursting all around us, a joyful celebration that winter is behind us and that much like us, emerging from our Lockdown hibernation as we are, there is so much to be grateful for. It is a splendid spring indeed and we encourage you, our exceptionally great neighbours, to kick up your heels and be joyful. Hopefully, the worst is behind us. How wonderful it would be to show our own spring with bunting and banners, the Christmas lights that barely got a look in, with flowers and gardens resplendent and with smiles and good cheer. Let’s keep all the good of this past year; the community spirit, the neighbourliness, the kindness and consideration, the support of local businesses, the generosity for those battling far more than they should be, the sprit of willing helpfulness, our Seafordian-ness, and let this be the lasting good out of what has undoubtedly been, a terrible year. As if battling through a pandemic were not enough, the scammers have had a field day with mobile phones and land lines under siege of electronic threats. From threats of the National Crime Agency cancelling our National Insurance numbers and issuing warrants for arrest to HMRC debt collectors coming to our homes, and folk based in far flung lands with the powers of x-ray vision able to see our routers, we have heard them all. Keep doing what you are doing and hang up, block the number, and report the call to ActionFraud. https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ We haven’t had many reports of doorstep fraud but we are aware that neighbours have had a flood of post and email fraud attempts which are so clever that they look real, and some really rather alarming. Again, keep
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doing what you are doing – report the attempted fraud to ActionFraud. https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ We encourage all neighbours to take the online course offered by Friends Against Scams, the antifraud division of Trading Standards. If you visit their website https://www. friendsagainstscams.org.uk/ you can learn everything there is to learn to be totally scam-savvy and how to protect friends and family too. The online courses are free and a real eye opener – you honestly will not believe how many people get caught out and the devastation that scam fraud causes. The only way to combat it, is to be scam-proof, and the only way to be scam-proof is to know what you are up against and share that knowledge. With a social summer fast approaching, now is the time to check sheds, garages and outbuildings, and make sure they are secure. Sussex Police have great advice on their website for keeping your home, property and valuables secure, as listed below. Many people don’t secure their shed or garage in the same way they do their homes – often using an easy-to-break lock or padlock to protect valuable contents such as a car, bike or lawnmower. An opportunistic burglar will try a shed or garage first because they can find the tools they need to break into the main house.
Insure It:
First off, check that your insurance covers the contents of your shed or outbuildings from theft.
Think Like a Thief:
Take a look at your shed and consider how you would break in. It’s worth having a good padlock on the door with no exposed screws. Pay attention to hinges, as these are sometimes easily removable. If you have windows, then these could be vulnerable unless they’re secured with wire mesh or grills. And keep it locked at all times.
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