Click to visit the PDSC Police Digital Security Centre - Click to watch Christmas Campaign video.
WELCOME TO the official blog of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association (BBNWA), Bexleyheath Police Station, 2 Arnsberg Way, Bexleyheath, Kent DA7 4QS. Mobile Tel: 07496 385471 bexleynw@outlook.com
Wednesday 23 December 2020
Tuesday 22 December 2020
Monday 21 December 2020
The new ‘Tier 4’ version leaflet
The new ‘Tier 4’ version leaflet. Our information leaflet delivered to residents over last weekend was produced before the new Tier 4 restrictions were announced.
The leaflet has lots of very useful information and contacts for anyone needing extra help at this time of year, including information on foodbanks and mental health contacts and much more.
BE AWARE-Burglaries and attempted break-ins continue to rise as does vehicle crime
Both Car Crime and Burglary are increasing as Christmas approaches.
These are the figures for Bexley in the week up to 17th December as reported to us.
BURGLARY (including Attempted) = 14
VEHICLE CRIME = 40
(latest vandalism
trend-smashing car back windows for no apparent reason- this has been across the
Borough) While catalytic converter theft is still high as is items stolen from
vehicles.)
Amazingly items taken from cars and left in view which included cash, xmas presents, satnavs, laptops and even passports.
PICKPOCKET=5 The usual items handbags,
purses, wallets and cash
PLEASE DONT LEAVE ANYTHING VISIBLE IN YOUR VEHICLE.
Sunday 20 December 2020
Bexley is in Tier 4 - STAY AT HOME
Residents in Tier 4 areas must stay at home, with limited exemptions. Non-essential retail and indoors gyms will close.
People should work from home when they can and should not enter or leave Tier 4 areas. Communal worship may continue.
Residents should not mix with anyone outside their own household at Christmas, though support bubbles will remain in place for those at particular risk of loneliness or isolation.
The restrictions will last for two weeks and will be reviewed on 30 December.
What you can and cannot do in areas with a very rapidly rising level of infections - including the London Borough of Bexley - where tighter restrictions will be in place from 20 December.
Saturday 19 December 2020
Bexley is now in ‘Tier 3 Very High Alert level’
As I’m sure you will all know Bexley – along with the rest of London – was placed in Tier 3 this week.
As
the number of cases in Bexley continues to rise we are asking all
Bexley residents to consider their Christmas plans and to think about
changes they could make to ensure their family has the safest possible
Christmas. We need your help as our Champions to spread this message –
we need our residents to plan carefully, because the best gift we can
give is to keep each other safe.
From tomorrow (19 December) we will be delivering our COVID-19 support leaflet to every home in the borough. The leaflet will provide you with useful contacts and support over the festive period.
We are all looking forward to a time when the vaccine protects us all from the virus. Our vaccination site at Bursted Woods opened this week
and 975 Bexley residents have already received a COVID vaccine. I’m
sure you will agree that this is an important moment for the borough,
and a great message to share, but it remains vital we all continue do
our bit to protect our family and friends.
Stay safe and have a great weekend.
Stay safe and have a great weekend.
Tier 3 restrictions – Do you know the rules?
Bexley
– along with the rest of London – was placed in Tier 3 this week. This
means the risk of catching the coronavirus in Bexley is very high.
Urgent action is now needed to help reduce the number of coronavirus cases.
Please take note of what you can and cannot do in Tier 3 and key
public health messages and share them on any social media that you use,
including services like Mumsnet, NextDoor and local online or Whatsapp
groups of which you are a member.
If you have a neighbour who is not online please share these messages with them.
Friday 18 December 2020
Thursday 17 December 2020
Wednesday 16 December 2020
Hilary Haslam winner of South East Neighbour of the Year award 2020
Bexleyheath resident and Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator Hilary Haslam has just been awarded the prestigious title of South East Regional Neighbour of the Year by National Neighbourhood Watch.
Hilary also has been busy during the Pandemic lockdown, cooking meals for an elderly and vulnerable neighbour who is unable to cook for themselves. She has also been helping other vulnerable neighbours by going shopping for them, collecting medical prescriptions and delivering parcels.
If this was not enough, Hilary has also received praise from her local Co-Op supermarket, where she has managed to catch two shoplifters in the act. The story of Hilary Haslam winning the National Neighbour of the Year award was featured extensively on ITV National News. Hillary’s daughter Emma, who nominated her for the award said “Hilary is an amazing neighbour. She is such a special lady. She’s a pillar of the community. Hilary is always looking out for her neighbours, and always the first to volunteer her help.”
Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association are proud of Hilary’s work in her community, and that she has been recognised with the award. She is a longstanding Neighbourhood Watch member.
DVLA releases latest scam images to help keep motorists safe online
Images of the latest online scams targeting motorists have been revealed by DVLA to help drivers spot and report them quickly.
For more detailed advice visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dvla-releases-latest-scam-images-to-help-keep-motorists-safe-online
To report suspected email fraud contact the NCSC’s suspicious email reporting service, or email report@phishing.gov.uk. Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to 7726. This free-of-charge short code enables your provider to investigate the origin of the text and take action, if found to be malicious.
DVLA regularly publish advice on GOV.UK and across all our channels, including further top tips to help motorists stay safe online.
Fraud or cyber crime can be reported to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm), or by using their online reporting tool, which is available 24/7.
Bexley is in Tier 3 High Alert Restrictions
From 0:01 GMT on Wednesday the London borough of Bexley is in Tier 3 Very High covid 19 restrictions.
We must all follow the guidelines to #KeepBexleysafe
Find out what Tier 3 rules are at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-3-very-high-alert.
Tuesday 15 December 2020
PARCEL DELIVERY SCAMS IN RUN UP TO CHRISTMAS
Intelligence from UK Finance suggests that criminals are sending out phishing emails, purportedly from well-known delivery companies, which claim that they have been unable to deliver parcels, packages or large letters. These emails may ask the recipient to pay a fee or provide additional details in order to rearrange the delivery.
The public should also be aware of an increased risk of scam phone calls and texts impersonating delivery companies, as well as fake delivery notices posted through letterboxes. Similarly, these will ask for advance payment or for customers to provide information that is later used to defraud them.
Customers are typically tricked into clicking on links to seemingly genuine websites requesting personal and financial information such as their address, date of birth, mobile number or bank details, which are then used to commit fraud. In some cases, victims later receive a call from the criminal pretending to be from their bank’s fraud team, trying to persuade them to move their money to a safe account or reveal their pass codes.
Consumers are urged to follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign:
1. Remember that criminals will send out phishing emails with links leading to fake websites used to steal personal and financial information. These emails may appear to be from trusted organisations and may use official branding to convince you they’re genuine. Always access websites by typing them into the web browser and avoid clicking on links in emails.
2. Remain vigilant and check delivery notifications very carefully to ensure they are genuine. Emails, texts or cards through your letterbox may look very similar to those that are genuine but may use generic greetings, such as Dear Sir/Madam, or include spelling errors.
More information on how you can protect yourself against these scams can be found here
https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/covid-19/general-advice-covid/
Car Crime & Burglary Warning
Both Car Crime and
Burglary are increasing as Christmas approaches.
These are the figures for Bexley in the week
up to 10th December as reported to us.
BURGLARY (including Attempted) =
5
VEHICLE CRIME = 40
(This includes theft of vehicle and from
vehicle)
Amazingly items taken from cars and left
in view which included cash, xmas presents, satnavs, laptops and even
passports.
PLEASE
DONT LEAVE ANYTHING VISIBLE IN YOUR
VEHICLE.
WARNING PICKPOCKETS ARE AFTER YOUR MONEY, CARDS, WALLETS AND PHONES
If you have to or are going to shop, as Christmas gets closer the usual suspects are out on the lookout for anything of value they can take from shoppers.
Last week we had 11 of these types of theft reported with
the bulk of them (9) in Bexleyheath Broadway, while in Bexley Village and Sidcup
High Street shoppers also had items stolen.
This can ruin peoples Christmas so be careful and if you
see this happening call 999 and report it. Don't put yourself at risk.
Monday 14 December 2020
London Borough of Bexley along with the rest of London will move into Tier 3 Very High covid 19 restrictions
From 0:01 GMT on Wednesday the London borough of Bexley along with the rest of London will move into Tier 3 Very High covid 19 restrictions.
We must all follow the guidelines to #KeepBexleysafe
Season's Greetings and Happy New Year 2021
Season's Greetings and Happy New Year 2021.
Please remember the guidelines, and keep each other safe.
That way we’ll all have a safe, healthy Christmas and can look forward to a brighter New Year.
Sunday 13 December 2020
Saturday 12 December 2020
More Covid-19 cases in Bexley
As I'm sure you will have seen from local and national media coverage, the number of Covid cases in Bexley is increasing again. Given how close we are to Christmas that means, if you get infected, you could pass it onto vulnerable or elderly loved ones you may see on Christmas Day - not the Christmas present you were planning?
We all need to do all we can now, over the holiday period and into the new year to stick to the rules, to keep each other safe and bring the number of cases down.
I would ask our school children to resist the temptation to socialise before or after school or on the journey home and that they remember the rules around face coverings on public transport.
Everyone needs to limit their travel to areas that are in a higher tier than us to help reduce the risk of overloading our local NHS. We understand this can be a busy time for shopping but, if you are shopping, please do so safely by maintaining your distance and by wearing face masks.
These are big asks in a year when we have already made so many sacrifices, but it is worth the effort to help the chance of a good Christmas break and avoid putting more pressure on our NHS.
Help is on the way in the form of the new vaccine, but there is still a lot we need to do. If we can just maintain our focus for a while longer, we can beat Covid and look forward to a return to more normal times.
Until then, please remember the guidelines, and keep each other safe.
That way we'll all have a safe, healthy Christmas and can look forward to a brighter New Year.
View Bexley's latest daily dashboard of COVID cases.
Friday 11 December 2020
Thursday 10 December 2020
Wednesday 9 December 2020
Tuesday 8 December 2020
Cornwall Avenue, Welling, Coordinator Appeal
Neighbourhood Watch wish to set up a scheme in the Cornwall Avenue, Welling and are seeking residents to act as coordinators.
If you would like information about what is involved, please email bexleynw@outlook.com or call on 020 82845537. Check out our website www.bexleywatch.org.uk.
Monday 7 December 2020
Improve Your Cyber Security By Taking Six Actions
Due to coronavirus, more people will be doing their festive shopping online this year.
This means more opportunities for hackers to carry out cyber attacks. They often do this by targeting people and businesses using:
* email and website scams
* malware - software that can damage your device or let a hacker in
* If hackers get into your device or accounts, they could access your money, your personal information, or information about your business.
You can improve your cyber security by taking six actions:
1 - Use a strong and separate password for your email
If a hacker gets into your email, they could:
* reset your other account passwords
* access information you have saved about yourself or your business
* Your email password should be strong and different to all your other passwords. This will make it harder to crack or guess.
2 - Create strong passwords using 3 random words
When you use different passwords for your important accounts, it can be hard to remember them all.
A good way to create strong, memorable passwords is by using 3 random words.
Do not use words that can be guessed (like your pet’s name). You can include numbers and symbols if you need to. For example, “RedPantsTree4!”
3 - Save your passwords in your browser
Saving your password in your browser means letting your web browser (such as Chrome, Safari or Edge) remember your password for you.
This can help:
* make sure you do not lose or forget your passwords
* protect you against some cyber crime, such as fake websites
It is safer than using weak passwords, or using the same password in more than one place.
4 - Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA)
Two-factor authentication (2FA) helps to stop hackers from getting into your accounts, even if they have your password.
5 - Update your devices
Out-of-date software, apps, and operating systems contain weaknesses. This makes them easier to hack.
Companies fix the weaknesses by releasing updates. When you update your devices and software, this helps to keep hackers out.
6 - Back up your data
Backing up means creating a copy of your information and saving it to another device or to cloud storage (online).
Backing up regularly means you will always have a recent version of your information saved. This will help you recover quicker if your data is lost or stolen.
For more information, and step-by-step instructions, please visit cyberaware.gov.uk
This means more opportunities for hackers to carry out cyber attacks. They often do this by targeting people and businesses using:
* email and website scams
* malware - software that can damage your device or let a hacker in
* If hackers get into your device or accounts, they could access your money, your personal information, or information about your business.
You can improve your cyber security by taking six actions:
1 - Use a strong and separate password for your email
If a hacker gets into your email, they could:
* reset your other account passwords
* access information you have saved about yourself or your business
* Your email password should be strong and different to all your other passwords. This will make it harder to crack or guess.
2 - Create strong passwords using 3 random words
When you use different passwords for your important accounts, it can be hard to remember them all.
A good way to create strong, memorable passwords is by using 3 random words.
Do not use words that can be guessed (like your pet’s name). You can include numbers and symbols if you need to. For example, “RedPantsTree4!”
3 - Save your passwords in your browser
Saving your password in your browser means letting your web browser (such as Chrome, Safari or Edge) remember your password for you.
This can help:
* make sure you do not lose or forget your passwords
* protect you against some cyber crime, such as fake websites
It is safer than using weak passwords, or using the same password in more than one place.
4 - Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA)
Two-factor authentication (2FA) helps to stop hackers from getting into your accounts, even if they have your password.
5 - Update your devices
Out-of-date software, apps, and operating systems contain weaknesses. This makes them easier to hack.
Companies fix the weaknesses by releasing updates. When you update your devices and software, this helps to keep hackers out.
6 - Back up your data
Backing up means creating a copy of your information and saving it to another device or to cloud storage (online).
Backing up regularly means you will always have a recent version of your information saved. This will help you recover quicker if your data is lost or stolen.
For more information, and step-by-step instructions, please visit cyberaware.gov.uk
Sunday 6 December 2020
Saturday 5 December 2020
This Christmas we're in a mental health emergency-MIND UK want to help
2020 has been a year of anxiety and uncertainty and more people need us than ever before. Will you donate this Christmas and help us be there for those who need us in 2021?
Many of us are experiencing difficult feelings and emotions about coronavirus.
This may be about getting sick, the government restrictions, or feeling hopeless about when the pandemic might end. Our page on difficult feelings about the coronavirus pandemic has more on what you may be feeling.
Remember: things might feel hard right now, but this situation is unusual. And it won't last forever.
Visit https://www.mind.org.uk/
Friday 4 December 2020
Bexley placed in ‘High Alert’ tier 2 - message from the Council Leader
Bexley has the fifth-highest number of coronavirus cases in the Capital and remains above the London average. It is entirely possible for the borough to be moved into Tier 3 when the national tiers are next reviewed on 18 December.
As more people socialise and venture to the shops in the lead up to Christmas, we must all work together and do what we can to help bring the number of new cases down.
AMENDED Please reduce the number of journeys you make where possible. If you do need to travel into a different area, it is vital you continue to follow government restrictions.
Another way we can all help reduce travelling, is by looking to our local businesses, retailers and high streets for all our Christmas shopping needs and more. Many Bexley businesses are also operating online or via click-and-collect.
It has been a difficult year for our local high streets and small independent businesses. In support of Small Business Saturday (5 December), I ask all our residents to consider whether a small business in Bexley could provide products or services they need first, before buying elsewhere or travelling out of the borough.
Keep an eye on our COVID-19 support information for local updates, and follow us on social media.
Have a great weekend and stay safe.
https://www.bexley.gov.uk/news/bexley-placed-high-alert-tier-2
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-2-high-alert
Shop Local, Shop Safe Survey: For Residents of London Borough of Bexley
Residents are invited to complete an online survey about visiting local high streets for shopping and entertainment and how their shopping habits have changed as a result of Covid-19.
The survey is part of the London Borough of Bexley’s ‘Shop Safe, Shop Local’ safe return campaign, designed to help kick-start the local economy, get people back to work and customers back to the shops safely in line with government guidance.
Anyone who completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win a hamper full of New Year treats worth £200 selected from local shops and services.
Council representatives will also be in town centres from 9 December inviting shoppers to participate in the survey in a Covid secure manner. The survey will end on 31 December.
Visit Fill in our Shop Safe survey and win a New Year hamper.
Shop Local, Shop Safe Survey: For Residents of London Borough of Bexley
Roadworks - One Platform
One platform to plan, monitor, communicate and analyse traffic disruptions.
You can access live information on roadworks across the country https://one.network/uk
Enquiries should be directed to the organisation shown as being responsible for the work.
Bexley is now covered by the new high Tier 2 restrictions
The number of cases of COVID-19 in Bexley is still above the London average. To help bring them down please reduce the number of journeys you make where possible.
If you live in the borough, you must continue to follow tier 2 rules when you travel to a tier 1 area.
Please avoid travel to or overnight stays in tier 3 areas - including Kent - other than where necessary. This could include for work, education, youth services, to receive medical treatment, or because of caring responsibilities. You can travel through a tier 3 area as a part of a longer journey.
Find out more https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-restriction-tiers-what-you-need-to-know
#StayHome #SaveLives
Thursday 3 December 2020
How to decide if a collector or charity is (a) genuine, or (b) misleading/bogus
- The first leaflet: MV Clothing Ltd is active, but does not state they are fundraising for a charity with the charity number. Possible scam as do not have sight of the reverse of leaflet to state that fact. This has been reported this to Trading Standards on their freephone number on 0808 223 1133 as a consumer issue and a possible scam and been a given a reference.
- The second leaflet by Fundraising Support Ltd appears genuine as the leaflet states the company name and the charity details they are collecting for.
- Clothing Collection is a possible scam as per reasons above. No company name or the charity name they are claiming to fund raise for. Only Company number which does not suffice.
Have you received a charity bag for collection through your door?
People need to know whether they're "genuine" for two reasons:
- If they're not genuine, you don't want to donate your clothes to them.
- If they're not genuine, the regulators can stop them collecting.
You can also do a company search to see if they are active or not.
You can call Trading Standards FREE phone number on 0808 223 1133 to report it as a consumer issue and/or report the scam to Action Fraud or call them on 0300 123 2040 Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm.
Bogus Council workers and 'Distraction Burglary' advice
Trading Standards received a report that yesterday 2 men turn up at an address in Penpool Lane DA16 2AE (the resident was an 87-year-old female). They wore trainers, jeans, sweatshirts and peaked caps and claimed to be from the trees department at Bexley Council. They drove a plain white van, wore no high vis jackets and they didn't show any ID.
They were said they needed to cut the conifer trees down at the back of the property that led onto John Newton Court. Then wanted to charge the elderly resident for the waste clearance. They were very forceful when knocking and wanting to come down the side of the house. When met with a 'No' they then tried persistently to go through the house, but they were refused further access.
Citizens Advice have produced a useful leaflet (PDF) on What is distraction burglary?.
The Crime Prevention website also give advice on Bogus Callers (Distraction burglary) that you may find useful.
Fighting Doorstep Crime leaflet (PDF) on Distraction Burglary gives useful tips and advice in preventing this crime.
Call the police 999 if you feel at risk or are concerned for a neighbour.
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