Halloween and Bonfire Night: let’s celebrate safely

 

As the nights draw in and Halloween and Bonfire Night get closer, we share our tips and advice to make sure frightfully fun celebrations happening across the borough are safe for everyone.

Bonfires, sparklers, and fireworks

The explosive force of some modern fireworks is not always fun for young children and babies, pets, or children and adults with disabilities. It is illegal to set off fireworks (including sparklers) between 11pm and 7am. However, for Bonfire Night the curfew is extended to midnight.

• Read safety tips from the London Fire Brigade 
• Read advice on keeping pets calm and safe from the RSPCA 

Candles

The London Fire Brigade’s top candle safety tips are:

• place your candles/tea lights in a suitable fire-resistant candleholder
• put the candleholder on a heat resistant surface like a ceramic place
• keep candles/tea lights away from curtains, furniture, and anything else that can catch fire
• keep candles out of reach of children and pets

Trick or Treat?

As Halloween approaches it is important to remember that it can be a scary time for some. Having people in masks knocking at your door at night or fireworks let off close to your home may not be fun for older people or disabled children and adults. Please keep an eye out for ‘No Trick or Treat’ posters.

You can download and print the 'No Trick or Treat' poster at home. Copies are also available from your local libraries and the Council’s Contact Centre, Civic Offices, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath.

Download poster.

Frightfully fun events 

The safest way to celebrate Halloween or Bonfire Night is to watch well-organised and professional bonfire/fireworks displays such as Danson Park Fireworks hosted by Welling Round Table.

Source: https://www.bexley.gov.uk/news/halloween-and-bonfire-night-lets-celebrate-safely

Remain vigilant on energy scams

The latest energy scam capitalises on the fact that the government’s £400 energy grant has started being rolled out this month. It’s a text that asks you to click a link to sign up for the grant.

You should not receive a text about it as it will be applied to your energy account automatically. As we head into the colder months, please remain vigilant about energy scams. Find out more about them here.

Energy scams

Progress for scam victims

The Payments System Regulator (PSR) announces proposals requiring banks and building societies to reimburse victims of bank transfer fraud in all but exceptional cases. This plan is a hugely positive step and could be a game changer for scam victims, ending the reimbursement lottery and ensuring the overwhelming majority get their money back swiftly if they’re targeted by fraudsters.

See how much banks are wrongly denying fraud victim payouts and why this proposal is so important.

Fraud victim payouts

THE CHARITY THAT DOES MORE THAN YOU THINK

• Neighbourhood Watch launch their Impact Report 2021/22, demonstrating they are here to stay as a constant in people’s lives as they have done for the past 40 years despite enormous change across England and Wales in that time.
• Each Neighbourhood Watch group uniquely support their neighbours, streets and towns or villages, they also work as one body to respond to crises on a national scale
• Volunteers are supported by the national body, Neighbourhood Watch Network (NWN), which this year celebrated Recognition Awards with over 3,000 volunteers   – 43 of whom had been volunteering for 40 years.
• NWN provided 8,000 hours of training and support to volunteers and developed new and strong partnerships, with Deliveroo, to deliver safety training to 3,000 of their riders.
• They joined forces with Airbnb as part of a safety alliance, and delivered an award-winning Neighbour of the Year campaign with Co-op Insurance and a new Student Watch safety initiative.

 

You may have heard of Neighbourhood Watch or seen their logo on street signs and neighbour's windows. But do you really know what they do?

 

The first groups began in the UK 40 years ago in response to a spate of burglaries in areas across the country. They were the voice of communities working with the police to make criminals' jobs harder. But that was 40 years ago. Today you will recognise their name and see their signs on streets, but do you know if they are 'still a thing'? And if so, do you know what they actually do?

 

John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Network, said, "It sounds cliché but what we do today really is very simple. Just as we always have, we help people feel safe and connected.

 

John continues, "We do this through our incredible army of volunteers embedded within diverse communities across England and Wales. I'm talking about your nan's best friend, your corner shop owner, your neighbour, or your dog walker. They are the people on the ground caring for their community and making a difference. They are an integral part of  all our neighbourhoods, which means they know the unique things in their neighbourhood that need to happen to help people feel more connected and safer; and that is how we have remained a constant in people's lives despite enormous changes around us over the past 40 years."

 

In some communities, Neighbourhood Watch volunteers still remain the bridge between the police and the residents; in others, they are the community organisers arranging street clean-ups or get-togethers.; in others, they are a vital source of information supporting people to know where to go for help or how to keep themselves safe. Whilst exactly what they do varies depending on what is needed, Neighbourhood Watch volunteers all have one thing in common: a desire to make things better.

 

Neighbourhood Watch groups, such as in Keyham in Plymouth, were integral in supporting their community through a violent shooting. Groups in Cumbria are integral in the county’s flood responses and in targeting rural crime, and groups in Oxford are honing in on bike thefts. Groups in Peterborough, Gloucestershire and Kent are focusing on tackling drug dealing, and Surrey Heath on reducing car crimes.

 

Whilst each Neighbourhood Watch group uniquely support their neighbours, streets and towns or villages, they also work as one body to respond to crises on a national scale. Most recently, they helped communities through the relentless covid-19 crisis and now the threat of the cost-of-living crisis.

 

Volunteers are supported by the national body, Neighbourhood Watch Network (NWN), which this year celebrated Recognition Awards with over 3,000 volunteers   – 43 of whom had been volunteering for 40 years.

 

NWN provided 8,000 hours of training and support to volunteers and developed new and strong partnerships, with Deliveroo, to deliver safety training to 3,000 of their riders.

 

They joined forces with Airbnb as part of a safety alliance, and delivered an award-winning Neighbour of the Year campaign with Co-op Insurance and a new Student Watch safety initiative.

 

They ran a joint burglary campaign with ERA, and partnered with Avast to roll out their Cyberhood Watch initiative keeping people safer online. Their digital campaigns on burglary, antisocial behaviour, scams, cybercrime, car crime and dog theft reached over 3 million people on social media. 

 

John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Network, said, "We are proud of our achievements but couldn't have done what we have without our incredible volunteers. We want to say a massive thank you to every Joe, Dave, Sonia, Martin, Chris, Gill, Daisy, Arif, Derek, Violet, Maggie, Kardaya, and all those whose names are too many to mention for making a difference to people's lives. We are making this a better place to live. Together."

 

To learn more about the difference Neighbourhood Watch is making in people's lives, visit ourwatch.org.uk/impact.

Beware SMS scam headed SANTENDER

One of our Borough resident's received an SMS message yesterday headed 

"SANTENDER.

J M....... was added successfully as a payee https://sanukremove.com (*)

Review if this was not you."

He does not even bank with Santander (misspelt in text). He reported it and alerted Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association (BBNWA) to warn others as it is doing the rounds again.

If you receive a call you believe to be fraudulent, hang up. If you are suspicious about an email you have received, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726 which is free of charge.

(*) Needless to say do no click on links that turn out of the blue. Take time to research and check this blog for advice and further information on similar scams.

If you believe you are the victim of a fraud, please report this to Action Fraud as soon as possible by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.

DID YOU KNOW?

Your Rights - Made Easy

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Check if a website or link is a scam, phishing or legit…

Check a website is an easy-to-use online tool which helps you to determine whether a website is likely to be legitimate or a scam before you visit it. [Disclaimer.]

A quick way of checking a suspect URL for malicious or phishing scam via virustotal.com or using the chrome browser plugin extension.

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Stay one step ahead of scams

New Omicron Jab:  

There is to be a new Omicron Covid vaccine to be rolled out within the next few weeks, as the UK become the first country to approve the specifically tailored jab, ahead of fears for winter spikes. With the rollout for the latest booster, there are concerns that covid related fraud may increase as a result, with criminals targeting potential victims with vaccine scams, not too dissimilar to the ones seen previously. This will be an area which will continue to be monitored.

Energy Price Cap:  

With the severe increase in the energy price cap reported, fraudsters are likely to seize this opportunity to exploit those looking to change energy provides and/or tariffs. Individuals are being warned to be vigilant to avoid falling victim to new campaigns associated with energy supplies, for examples offers which seem too good to be true or fake rebates.

Cost of Living Crisis:  

With the cost of living crisis deepening scammers will be using the economic downturn to their own benefit. The warning comes as many are due to receive a first instalment of a cost of living payment, worth £326.

Reports have been received by Action Fraud of fraudsters attempting to exploit vulnerable people with the promise of money saving schemes, including, energy and council tax rebates or phishing exercises encouraging individuals to apply/ claim a ‘cost of living payment’ via text, followed by an email to gain further information from the victim.

Source: Sep and Oct 2022 (ourwatch) (pdf)