Cookham Discussion Board

A VERY GOOD 48 HOURS – NO CRIME TO REPORT - ONLY ONE LATE REPORT FROM MONDAY - A THEFT FROM.

NO BURGLARIES

SOME ANTI-BURGLARY ADVICE FROM THE TVP WEBSITE:

https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime/

AND: A Checklist

https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime/leaving-your-home-checklist/

It’s vital to leave your home secure whenever you leave it. Getting into an ‘exit routine’ can help ensure that you don’t forget obvious, important things, like not leaving your valuables near windows, or no lights on if it will be dark before you get home. Here’s what you should do just before you go out.

Become a creature of habit
Try to get into the habit of following your own course of action when you lock up your home. This will ensure that you don’t forget anything.
Here’s what we recommend you do before you go out:
close and lock all your doors and windows, even if you’re only going out for a few minutes
double-lock any door
make sure that any valuables are out of sight
keep handbags away from the letterbox or cat flap and hide all keys including car keys, as a thief could hook keys or valuables through even a small opening
never leave car documents or ID in obvious places such as kitchens or hallways
in the evening, shut the curtains and leave lights on
if you’re out all day, then it’s advisable to use a timer device to automatically turn lights and a radio on at night
set your burglar alarm
make sure the side gate is locked
lock your shed or garage
lock your bike inside a secure shed or garage, to a robust fitting bolted to the ground or wall, like a ground anchor
Going away?
Here are five tips to help you keep your home and belongings stay safe while you’re away:
if you’re off on holiday and wish to post anything on social media, make sure your posts aren’t public and that they’re only seen by your friends
leave lights and a radio on a timer to make the property appear occupied
get a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your property or join a Neighbourhood or resident Watch Scheme
consider asking your neighbours to close curtains after dark and to park on your drive
remember to cancel newspapers
NEXT:  I attended the 'One Borough Group' yesterday.  This group is made up of every Community Group in RBWM (over 50) providing support and vital services to the community.  As soon as the minutes have been prepared, I will circulate relevant details.

Today I am at the 'WAM Get Involved. group - which again is made up of local community groups that can assist the community - again as soon as the minutes are prepared - I will circulate relevant details.

David Scott from RBWM attended and has asked me to circulate this vital information re our fight against Covid 19 and the need for vaccinations:

Hi Jeff,
Can you circulate please ?

I would like to begin, by asking for your help with cascading key information to local residents on behalf of RBWM.  We know, you collectively have a considerable reach into the community through your individual contacts, and we would really appreciate you taking the time, to cascade the following key messages we have about COVID-19 to all your and then their contacts, to help us get key messages out to people, who might not otherwise hear about what we feel, are really important updates about the virus and how we can beat the pandemic together.

For those who do not know me, I am David Scott and have worked at the Borough for many years, in a variety of roles. I am currently Head of Communities but also the Borough’s COVID-19 Coordinator, working with a range of colleagues and partners, supporting our response to the ongoing challenges that COVID-19 still presents.

I felt it was important that I write to you all directly, about some really important messages and ask you to share these with your contacts, relatives, friends, neighbours and work colleagues, to help us get these points across. I hope you will be able to help and I am very grateful for your support.

The Key Covid Messages are:
Even if you have been vaccinated – you must still be COVID-19 safe. The vaccination programme continues to reach more and more of our adult population and although getting vaccinated, is still one of the best ways to help us beat COVID-19, it does not make you invincible, so - we need everyone to continue to be COVID-19 safe.
Even after having had both your vaccinations, you can still catch this virus and you can still spread it. Vaccination improves your chances of not being so unwell and reduces the likelihood of you spreading the virus to others, but please follow the basics of – Hands - Face - Space - and - Fresh Air - even though we are in Step 3 of the Government’s roadmap.  Doing this, will help reduce the risks for everyone. You, your family, your friends, and everyone in your community.
The latest Delta Variant  - (what was originally known as the Indian Variant) is now the dominant variant in the community all around us. Being vaccinated, will reduce the chances of your catching this variant, which is more transmissible; so it is even more essential we do everything we can, to try and stop Community Transmission.  If you have been offered the vaccination, please take it. If you are uncertain for any reason about going to have you vaccination, please let us know and we can talk you through any questions or doubts you may have.
Getting both doses, is also really important, as the second does increase the effectiveness of the vaccination, very significantly.
Testing - is still a really powerful way to reduce the risk of your spreading the virus, without even knowing.  We recommend you take two tests each week, to check you are not one of the ‘one in three people, who have the virus, but show no symptoms. You can go to the test centres, collect tests from the community collect points, pharmacy collection points, or even order home delivery kits. More details are our website: 
Free testing for COVID-19 | Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (rbwm.gov.uk).
Whichever way you chose, getting tested regularly will ensure you don’t have the virus and are not spreading it.  As we go out more and do more thing with others, our families, our loved ones and our friends, it is even more important, to keep testing, to ensure you are virus free.

Avoid us needing enhanced community testing - You may have heard that all our neighbouring local authorities, are undertaking Enhanced Community Testing (formally known as ‘Surge Testing’) as they have seen increased levels of COVID-19 infections - particularly the Delta Variant.  We don’t want to have to follow. Help us to keep infection rates and cases low.

We are doing really well, but we all need to work hard, to keep this positive position.
Don’t let your guard down - We know some people feel they really have had enough of COVID-19 now, but we need your help, to ensure everyone keeps their efforts going and we don’t let our guard down - individually or collectively. We are all in this together and we must keep going, if we are to beat this pandemic.
We also know that some in the community, are getting tired of hearing the latest advice, so we are looking for new ways to get the messages across.  If you feel you can offer some suggestions about how we can share these key messages, we would be delighted if you would let us know, so we can explore and use your ideas and you can tell our community, why we must continue to staff safe and how we can best do that.

If you have other ideas on how we can help keep everyone safe, then please get in touch.

Thank you once again, let’s beat this together.
David V. Scott
Head of Communities
Place Directorate
Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead
Town Hall, St. Ives Road,
Maidenhead, SL6 1RF
Email: David.Scott@rbwm.gov.uk
Website: www.rbwm.gov.uk
Follow us on Twitter: @RBWM
Like us on Facebook Facebook

NEXT:  Also from RBWM:

Making the Borough better for you

Each year, we invest in maintaining and improving the amenities which make our Borough a better place to live. This June, we’re celebrating the ways we're improving your Borough.

To support the recovery of Maidenhead Town Centre after COVID-19, a town team will be established alongside our new Maidenhead Vision Charter.

This charter commits to 13 key points - including reshaping the centre to ensure it supports local and independent businesses, encourages biodiversity, and prioritises cycling and pedestrian transport.

The town team will review new development projects to make sure it meets the charter’s key points.

More information about the Maidenhead Vision Charter will be available soon.

NEXT: Clean Air Day

We celebrated Clean Air Day yesterday, but there are still lots of ways you can get involved and improve our air quality.

You could:
Give your car a day off
Only order essential deliveries, and use click and collect where possible
Switch off your car when stationary
Air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk we face. Keeping our air clean is a group effort, and even small personal changes can make a big difference.

NEXT:- And most importantly - Drowning Prevention Week:-

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) and local partners are joining up to support Drowning Prevention Week (Saturday 19 – 26 June), and remind you to be careful when spending time near water.

With the recent warm weather, it may be tempting to take a dip in open water to cool off, but there can be hidden dangers.

Stay safe around water by following this safety advice:
Don't be tempted to do bridge or ledge jumping (tombstoning) as this can cause potentially fatal cold water shock, even on the warmest day
Avoid swimming in open water such as rivers, lakes, canals or quarries. You have no idea what is beneath the surface and unseen currents and reeds could pull you under. If you do wish to take part in open water swimming, stick to designated spots and do so as part of a group or an organised event.
Avoid swimming alone
If you find yourself unexpectedly in the water, don’t panic. Float on your back until the effects of cold water shock pass.
If you see someone else in trouble in water, never enter the water yourself. Call 999 and ask for the fire service if inland or the coastguard if at the beach.

You can learn more about water safety on the RBFRS website.

https://www.rbfrs.co.uk/your-safety/out-and-about/water-safety/

NEXT:  A consultation to identify ways to enhance the council’s valued day services for people with dementia, learning disabilities and additional complex needs has launched.

Day services, also known as day opportunities, include activities, services and day centres for adults who need care and support, and their carers who may need respite services.
The consultation is open until Sunday 29 August 2021 and seeks feedback about proposed changes that will enable residents and carers to have more choice and control over the kind of activities and other opportunities available to them. 
The service has continued to operate throughout the pandemic. Responding creatively to residents’ needs during and beyond lockdowns, the team has provided new services like telephone wellbeing support, doorstep support, activity packs and social activities using Zoom.

Recent feedback from people who use these services also identified an appetite for more community-based opportunities and a broader range of activities. Capitalising on the changes that the pandemic brought about, the consultation will explore how a less building-based approach can benefit residents by providing a more flexible, personalised service.

Councillor Stuart Carroll, cabinet member for adult social care, said: “We want to expand how we deliver day opportunities for adults with dementia, learning disabilities and additional complex needs.
“We want to shape the service to reflect a more modern approach that gives our residents an enhanced service with access to a wider range of activities in the community, instead of being mainly based in a day centre. Every resident’s needs and aspirations are unique, and our service needs to reflect that.”

Options under consideration include:
•Closing Windsor Day Centre (for people living with dementia) and
 Oakbridge Centre (for people with learning disabilities) and providing this type of support in other buildings for those who need it
•Offering a wider range of activities in the community
•Making a support service available at the times residents and carers need it
Councillor Carroll added: “No decisions have been made yet. We will continue to work with residents to understand their wishes and ambitions, involving families, carers and advocates in these conversations. We have written to all our residents, and I would like to encourage everyone with an interest in this area to respond to the consultation.

“Together, we can create a flexible, responsive service that celebrates and supports people as individuals, enabling them to thrive”.

All day service customers and their carers have been sent a consultation letter, explaining the proposals in detail and how to provide feedback. There is additional assistance available to those who require support to respond.
All feedback will be carefully considered and will inform any decision made by Cabinet when it meets later in the year.

We want to hear your thoughts on proposed changes to day services and centres for adults who need care and support in the Royal Borough.

The proposed changes include closing Windsor Day Centre (for people living with dementia) and Oakbridge Centre (for people with learning disabilities), with a support service available at times residents and carers need it.

To access the consultation – follow this link:

https://rbwmtogether.rbwm.gov.uk/day-opportunities-consultation

NEXT:  Building Control is returning as in-house service at the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.
This service carries out building inspections and checks important features while building work or alterations are taking place in our residents’ homes or commercial premises in the borough. Inspections cover aspects such as the building’s structure and fire safety.
The move will take place on Thursday 1 July following five years as part of the shared Building Control Solutions (BCS) at Wokingham Borough Council.
The decision to bring the service back in-house has been made as the existing building control shared service agreement is ending.
Councillor David Coppinger, cabinet member for planning, environmental services, and Maidenhead, said: “I am pleased to see the return of building control as an in-house service at the Royal Borough.
“Having a dedicated local service enabling the council to provide support for our residents and businesses can only be beneficial. Some of the team within building control services already oversee building work in our borough, so some residents may be familiar with them already.”
The service will continue to be provided by Wokingham Borough Council until Wednesday 30 June.
If you do have any questions regarding the building control service, please email building.control@rbwm.gov.uk


CRIME

I have attached reference numbers to each crime report. If you live in the vicinity of any of the crimes mentioned and have CCTV or a video doorbell, can you please check the footage. If you have any that might be of interest to the police, can you please make contact with us, quoting reference number given.

I have added a new email address below.  The first email address is directly to your local Neighbourhood Team.  The second is to our investigation team.  Please use it to send any intelligence / video doorbell / CCTV footage you may have, which is relevant to any of the crimes lists below - quoting the reference number.

Alternatively you can call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or email - www.crimestoppers-uk.org


MAIDENHEAD CENTRAL:
maidenheadcentralgeographical@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
SR.windsor&maidenhead@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk.
NO CRIME TO REPORT.

RIVERSIDE & BELMONT:
NO CRIME TO REPORT.

MAIDENHEAD WEST
maidenheadwestgeographical@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
SR.windsor&maidenhead@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
BISHAM, COOKHAM, HURLEY, THE WALTHAMS, LITTLEWICK GREEN & KNOWL HILL:
NO CRIME TO REPORT.

PINKNEYS GREEN & FURZE PLATT:
NO CRIME TO REPORT.

MAIDENHEAD SOUTH
maidenheadsouthgeographical@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
SR.windsor&maidenhead@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
BOYN HILL, COX GREEN & WOODLANDS PARK
20/6 – 21/6  Sunday 11 p.m. / Monday 7.30 a.m.  Gordon Cottages, Lock Lane.  The boot of a car was opened BY UNKNOWN MEANS – a golf bag with 2 golf wedges, £2,000 worth of hockey equipment and £400 worth of shoes stolen  Ref. No:  43210272961
21/6 Monday 2.25 a.m.  Laburnham Road.  A resident has video footage of a man walking along the road trying car door handles – including their own.  Ref. No:  43210273152

OLDFIELD, BRAY & HOLYPORT:
NO CRIME TO REPORT.

MEMBERS’ COMMENTS:

FIRST: From Roddie

Hello Jeff

I wonder if you could update everyone regarding the personal alarms that are available and those recommended by the police in particular.

I have been reading about attacks in the local area where the alarms have been used. This is especially important for women but equally for men!

You may well have dealt with this in the past but an update would be very useful.

Best Wishes and keep up your excellent work.

Roddie

Thanks Roddie – an ideal opportunity.  We stock and promote several versions – all supplied by major online retailers:
A two ended version.  It is a simple oval personal alarm, but has 2 connectors – one at either end.  One end connects to you the other end to your purse / handbag.  If anyone pulls at you or your belongings a pin is pulled out and the alarm is set off.  The advantage of this is that you don’t have to hold it, or dig around in a bag for it.  It has a secondary use for us.  We hand them out to vulnerable adults as a security device to place across door handles.  One end slips over the door handle, the other end slips over a cup hook attached to the wall.  Again – if someone opens the door, the pin is pulled and the alarm sounds ! To stop the alarm sounding, you simply slip the pin back in.
A wrist alarm.  These you wear like a watch.  You simply press a button on the side, if you need to.
There are gas alarms – which look a little like a lighter, but the issue we find, is that people carry them in their bags and as they are almost never used, they slip to the bottom amongst all the other detritus and it takes a time to find them !!!
I would immediately add – personal attacks are extremely rare in any event and amongst ‘our’ age group – almost never happen.  The issue is amongst young people, generally fuelled by alcohol.  We – those of us of a certain age – are invisible to these young people and they take no notice of us.  It is absolutely safe, for us to walk through our town centres at night – even in the dark.  Young people, are only interested in other young people and are totally oblivious to our presence.  RBWM is an extremely beautiful and safe place to live, work and play.  No-one should ever think – I don’t go out at night or when it’s dark, as it is not safe.  That is totally untrue and we can go anywhere – at any time.  Reclaim your life and do not be restricted by rumours and misinformation.

NEXT A BT SCAM FROM IAN

Dear Jeff,
I have just received this message supposedly from BT.

It is from their ‘billing department’ and says I need to update all my details or they will disconnect all services within 2 days !!  I am to click on the Link below to do that !

Needless to say - I did not click on the link !

Regards,

Ian

Thanks Ian – that’s the way – STOP – BREATHE – THINK – PAUSE – BIN IT

NEXT; Some really good advice from Graham:

Hi Jeff

This maybe an interesting item to circulate especially with Provident Financial withdrawing from the small home collected loan market.

People being befriended at the school gates can be a classic introduction to a loan shark!

Regards
Graham

Suspected loan sharks arrested in Maidenhead and Shepperton
 
Two men were arrested in a multi-agency operation targeting illegal money lending in Maidenhead and Shepperton yesterday.
 
The England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) working in partnership with officers from Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead Trading Standards, Thames Valley Police and Surrey Police, executed warrants at three addresses on Tuesday morning, 15th June.
 
Officers from the Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit (WIMLU) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) assisted the IMLT during searches of the properties where documentation, electronic devices and a quantity of cash were seized. 
 
The suspects, aged 43 and 60, were arrested on suspicion of illegal money lending and money laundering offences and taken into custody for questioning. They have since been released under investigation.
 
A 51-year-old woman also attended a voluntary interview and is helping officers with their enquiries.
 
Tony Quigley, Head of the Illegal Money Lending Team, said: “We will not tolerate illegal money lending in our communities and will always seek to do everything we can through a partnership approach to put a stop to it.
 
“We are in the early stages of our investigation and would like to speak to anyone who may have been affected by loan sharks. The Stop Loan Sharks Helpline is available 24/7 on 0300 555 2222 and you can speak to our specialist support team via Live Chat on our website at www.stoploansharks.co.uk.”
 
“We appreciate that first contact is always the hardest part, but it’s important to know you are not alone and there are others who have found themselves in a similar situation and now they have their lives back because they made that first call. We will support you and your family.”
 
Councillor David Cannon, Cabinet Member for Public Protection at the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, said: “This was an effective piece of partnership working and I’d like to thank the team, council officers and police involved.
 
“Our trading standards team are on hand to help make our communities safer and will act in partnership with other organisations to ensure residents are protected.”
 
Lee Ormandy, Deputy Team Manager at Surrey and Buckinghamshire Trading Standards said: “This action highlights that illegal money lending is a clear and present danger within Surrey and that it will not be tolerated. I urge Surrey residents and businesses not to get involved with unlicensed money lenders who prey on those in financial distress.
 
“Given the economic challenges due to the Coronavirus outbreak it may be tempting to borrow money from unorthodox sources but because this activity is unregulated, what started as a small amount can soon escalate into a debt of thousands of pounds. In some distressing cases, threats can be used to intimidate a victim into continuing to hand over money long after the debt itself has been cleared, putting a huge strain on not only your finances but also your emotional wellbeing.
 
“Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards will continue to work closely with the Illegal Money Lending Team, Surrey Police and other partners to protect our local communities from loan sharks. Anyone being harassed or threatened by a loan shark can and should get help now. There are also many credit unions within Surrey which provide savings and loans to their communities.”
 
Community organisations, charities and groups are being encouraged to apply for funding for projects that help raise awareness of the dangers of using loan sharks.
 
Grants of up to £5,000 are being made available with joint bids between multiple agencies being considered.  Projects must raise awareness of the dangers of loan sharks, help to reduce crime and disorder and have a positive impact on local communities.
 
The funding comes from money seized from convicted loan sharks under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
 
Find out how to apply for funding at www.stoploansharks.co.uk/poca-funding/
 
Nationally, Illegal Money Lending Teams have secured more than 400 prosecutions for illegal money lending and related activity, leading to 586 years’ worth of custodial sentences. They have written off £83 million worth of illegal debt and helped over 30,000 people.