Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter, September 2002, Bridle Estate. (NHW65)

Home Security, NHW Birthday, Car Theft, Schemes and Scams, Police Crime Report.

By Malcolm Lawrence - 4th September 2002 - Back to News

Neighbourhood Watch Inc. No. A0037920V

Neighbourhood Watch Area LTB1, Bridle Estate.

Area Coordinators Carmen Cook 5134 1920, Val. Bartholomeusz 5133 9685.

Next Meeting

When: Monday 16^th of September 2002.

Time: 7.15pm to 8.30pm,

Where: Salvation Army Hall,

Bridle Road, Morwell.

Home Security:

When answering the door make sure the security door is locked, keep it locked at all times, and only unlock it to let someone in or out. If you do not have a security door, install a door viewer. If you can’t see who is on the other side ask who they are through the door. Instruct children never to open the door unless they know who is calling.

Advertising Nobody’s Home. Notes left on the door by you or from visiting friends are a very good signal for a thief that there is nobody home at that particular time. If you are expecting somebody and you have to go out unexpectedly, call them and tell them. If you find a note, contact the person concerned and tell them to put notes in the mailbox or under the door in future. Your answering machine should not say that you’re not home, simply that you can’t get to the phone. If you are going out, leave the radio or TV on to suggest someone is still home.

Did You Know?

Neighbourhood Watch in Victoria recently had it’s twentieth birthday. NHW started in Melbourne twenty years ago. Since then it has spread throughout the metropolitan area and to rural and regional parts of the state. Victoria’s NHW Program now has over 1,280 individual areas covering 950,000 homes. There are 40,000 registered and accredited Neighbourhood Watch volunteers across the state. NHW has been operating in Morwell now for ten years.

Car Theft:

The rate of car theft in Australia is the second highest in the world. One in every four cars stolen is taken by a professional thief. It makes sense to take every precaution possible. Alarms, immobilisers and steering wheel locks, all help to deter theft. Anything that will delay the thief at the site is worth considering. Criminals well know that the longer they remain at the scene of the crime, increases the chances of them being caught.

Anyone who has had their car stolen knows what a traumatic event it is. That awful feeling of disbelief that comes when you return to where you left your car only to find it gone. Globally Australia ranks number two in the industrialised world in terms of reported motor vehicle thefts. Australia wide 131,572 cars were stolen last year. This is an average of 360 cars stolen every day, or one every four minutes. One in five (20%) stolen cars are never recovered. Of the cars recovered one in three (33%) is so badly damaged it is written off, of the remainder the majority are damaged but repairable, with a small number undamaged.

Last year saw a rise in the amount of theft from cars (up 9.7%) on the previous year. The increase is largely due to the rise in the theft of mobile phones from cars. There has also been an increase in the theft of other personal items, such as wallets, handbags clothing and compact discs.

Schemes & Scams:

· A company based in Queensland is advertising in newspapers promising to recover monies lost in the Thai Share Scam. For a fee, sent to a PO Box, you are told you will join a class action to recover lost monies.

· A man has been targeting hotels seeking credit card payments for advertising in an unnamed OH&S magazine.

· A Victorian pensioner has made complaints regarding high pressure telemarketing of a Euro dollar investment scheme.

· A person has been soliciting potential investors to assist with the transfer of $1.9 million from a bank account in Vanuatu. The money is believed to be associated with a union based in Australia. The person who assists with the transfer can invest the funds, but must pay a return of 6% to the custodians of the funds. Before the funds are transferred, the potential investors are requested to pay approximately $3,000 to organise the transfer. The transfer never occurs and the potential investors are intimidated into forgetting about their loss.

Police Crime Report for August 2002, NHW Area LTB1 Bridle Estate.

Due to privacy considerations NOT ALL offences for this area are listed
10/4/02 The Boulevard Property damage to a house.
10/4/02 The Boulevard Theft of a motor vehicle.
21/6/02 The Boulevard Property damage to a house.
25/7/02 Bridle Road Theft from a motor vehicle.
30/7/02 Yarak Court Burglary at a shed.
4/8/02 Wattle Tree Cres. Theft of a motor vehicle
4/8/02 Bridle Road Property damage to a retail premises.
8/8/02 Chestnut Avenue Property damage to a premises.
14/8/02 Kurt Street Burglary at a house.
15/8/02 The Boulevard Burglary at a shed.
19/8/02 Ash Street Property damage to a house.
23/8/02 Kurt Street Theft of a motor vehicle from the driveway.
27/8/02 Giffard Court Burglary at a house.

Summary of Items Stolen

Electrical Appliances, Personal Property, Power Tools, Tools,

4 Motor Vehicles were stolen or attempted.

9 Offenders were processed for any reported offence in this area.

Source: http://nhw.gippsland.com/

Published by: malcolml@dcsi.net.au

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