NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH UPDATE OCTOBER 2020

owner of the bag. Needless to say we paid POLICE REPORT the owner a visit and this resulted in two arrests – one arrest of an adult male for being concerned in the supply of cannabis A couple of weeks ago we worked alongside and an arrest of another male for obstructing our colleagues from both the Emergency a Constable in the execution of their duty Response Team and Roads Policing to (having threatened to set their dog on myself conduct an ANPR Operation on Lodge Lane. I can appreciate that these split opinion and my colleagues). The male arrested for but our main aim in conducting these is to obstruction has been charged to Court and target drug use/supply, County Lines, gang the investigation into the supply of cannabis violence and improve road safety. Once again continues. : Speeding operations to be run in local hot spots 1 the results emphasise the success of these Operations, with 5 arrests being made for SELSDON & ADDINGTON VILLAGE wards has been on Unlicensed Music Events numerous offences including drug driving, PC Swift has conducted a lot of work behind and related antisocial behaviours. The driving whilst disqualified and harassment the scenes this month around speeding majority of these resulted in warnings and offences. across the wards. As a result we will be fines, as well as community resolutions hoping to run some speeding Operations in for possession of Class B drugs. We have SELSDON VALE & FORESTDALE local hotspots over the coming weeks and also been targeting antisocial behaviour Whilst out on foot patrol on the Ward last months. Like with our ANPR Operations, our in our open spaces with targeted patrols Friday, PC De Meneses and PCSO Killian main aim is road safety and reducing road in Beaulieu Heights, Park and were handed a black holdall by a member of deaths on ’s roads. . With help from Croydon Council public who had found it on the street. Inside and local mental health specialist teams, were 5 mobile phones, a set of weighing NORBURY PARK, CRYSTAL PALACE we have also been able to provide much- scales, hundreds of snap backs containing AND , NORBURY AND needed assistance to two individuals. These trace amounts of cannabis and helpfully, POLLARDS HILL were separate incidents and both required a passport and paperwork identifying the Much of the police focus across the three admittance to the hospital and they are now

www.cbnwa.com [email protected] nhw @CBNWA getting the treatment they need. Whether BROAD GREEN to the address due to the occupants that you’re concerned about yourself or a loved Broad Green SNT wishes to thank everyone were housed there. one, the following mental health charities, who gave us information or stopped organisations and support groups can offer and spoke to us about two properties in expert advice. Please visit: Kidderminster Road. Without your help, I just wanted to make you all aware of recent www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety- we would not have been able to obtain the reports in Sanderstead of a suspicious depression/mental-health-helplines/ warrants needed nor been able to witness vehicle driving around the area, being used Sgt Green in action with the big red key to attempt to steal from parked cars if left on both properties. Drugs were found at unlocked. both premises and we now have a greater understanding of the activity. This vehicle has been seen on the following roads between the following dates We will be working in conjunction with 04/09/2020 – 17/09/2020 Croydon Council to tackle the long term anti- social behaviour. Please be patient with us, • Onslow Gardens our work on these two addresses is ongoing, • Sanderstead Court Avenue so watch this space! 2 • Farleigh road TOWN • The Glen, Shirley We have been working closely with Croydon Council to investigate the ASB caused by a House of Multi-Occupancy (HMO). This Crystal Palace: Shoplifting focus stepped up has been an ongoing matter handled by PC Shoplifting: Following a number of arrests Hurst. The tenants have been successfully for thefts, all three SNTs have now stepped evicted and the premises has been secured up our focus on shoplifting. We have been by Croydon Council with Sitex to prevent any liaising with local shops since the middle persons entering and retaking occupancy. of August and will be providing crime Croydon Council will be leading on this and prevention advice to our local business the HMO will be closed until October when community. In the meantime, we will the situation will be reviewed and property continue to deploy a mixture of high visibility handed back to the Landlord. This will at and plain-clothed patrols, especially around least offer some respite to the residents who the Crystal Palace Triangle. have suffered constant ASB and Police Calls Sanderstead: suspicious vehicle There have also been possible sightings in Oxted and Warlingham. MALICIOUS COMMUNICATION IS A CRIME! The vehicle is a White Audi (possibly A4) Estate and is believed to be on false plates. PLEASE READ THIS REPORT FROM BROAD Please see photo of the Audi that I believe GREEN POLICE ABOUT MALICIOUS is the same one at each location. Possible COMMUNICATIONS. registrations are On 19 September, Broad Green SNT arrested • GU14 EUB a young lady for Malicious Communications • EY17 JMU by way of text messages. To prevent this happening to your friends or family, please explain to anyone you know who uses any Witnesses have advised there are usually social networking sites, that sending any 2 males. The passenger gets out whilst the threatening, abusive or offensive messages driver remains in the car. They both always may be committing a criminal offence. wear masks so we can’t get a positive 3 description but are both believed to be IC1 ADVICE AND INFORMATION males. Please keep your eyes out and report If a person sends you threatening, abusive if seen. Call 101 or email or offensive messages via Facebook, [email protected] Twitter or any other social networking site, they could be committing an offence. The OLD COULSDON most relevant offences are ‘harassment’ On 11 September, Old Coulsdon SNT arrested and ‘malicious communications’. For a male for Possession of an Offensive harassment to be committed, there must Weapon. After responding quickly to a call have been a clear ‘course of conduct’. That from members of the public, the suspect was is, two or more related occurrences. detained on the scene. The suspect had threatened another male with a pole that The messages do not necessarily have to be but could be considered a malicious resembled a Police Baton after a road rage violent in nature, but would need to have communication. For such an offence to incident. The suspect was arrested and given caused some alarm or distress. If there be committed, a message must be sent a Police caution after admitting the offence has only been a single communication, it’s to another person, or sent via a public in interview. unlikely it would qualify as harassment, communications network, that is indecent, grossly offensive, obscene, threatening or NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH IN ACTION menacing.

HOW TO REPORT IT A SNAPSHOT OF SOME claimed to live at a house You can report harassment or malicious OF THE ISSUES RAISED in Wandle Road where I BY OUR “EYES AND communications online or by calling us on know she does not live. EARS ON THE GROUND”, 101. We will be able to confirm whether an This scam is being reported OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD offence has been committed, based on the to police.” WATCH COORDINATORS full facts and your individual situation. In REGARDING CRIMES/ SUNDRIDGE ROAD, order to assist us with our investigation, SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY you must not respond to the message as IN THEIR LOCAL AREA. EAST it may encourage the sender and make PLEASE DO CONTINUE Suspicious door callers the situation worse. To help the police in TO SHARE INCIDENCES (in NW co-ordinator’s own investigating your case, you can take some OF CRIME, SUSPICIOUS words) simple steps to record what you have been BEHAVIOUR, CONCERNS sent. OR SCAMS WITH US “One of my neighbours 4 BY EMAILING NHW@ tells me that last Friday • Take a screen shot of and retain any letter CBNWA.COM IT HELPS there were some men US TO WARN OTHERS or message, if it is later deleted then you working on the roof of a AND PREVENT SIMILAR will still have a record of what was said. house nearby when the CRIMES… THANK YOU • Contact the social network directly. FOR YOUR SUPPORT AS ALWAYS! men knocked on her door Depending on the circumstances and the and said she had roof tiles missing and nature of the messages, you may wish to WANDLE ROAD, FAIRFIELD they could do the work. She said they initially make a report to Facebook/Twitter Suspected con-woman knocking on doors were very pushy but she did send them etc, as they have processes in place for (in NW co-ordinator’s own words) away and, of course, there were no missing such situations, and may be able to simply roof tiles. She saw them call at a couple of remove the content and/or close down the “Have had a report from a neighbour in other houses nearby where they harassed person’s account. Wandle Road of a woman (white, slim, the residents with similar stories about • Please see the links in Related Information with tattoos on the left side of her neck, imaginary work needing to be done. Their for Facebook and Twitter’s Community probably in her 30s) knocking on doors van had a phone number on it which Guidelines in relation to dealing with about 5.20 p.m., asking for money to get a appears to be a High Wycombe number. harassment. cab to collect autistic son from school. She This all seems a bit suspicious.” RIP SERGEANT MATT RATANA Picture courtesy of Nextdoor.com courtesy Picture

PURLEY BURY CLOSE, PURLEY OAKS AND RIDDLESDOWN 5 Attempted phishing scam by telephone (In resident’s own words)

“Just to advise that on my home line I had a call from the number 01896 881 336 (I pressed 1471 on my phone) saying they were from Mastercard and that £600 had been transferred from my credit card account to an address abroad and if I did not authorise this, I should press 1 on my keypad, at which point I hung up. I have a mastercard but just did not believe it and CBNWA were shocked and saddened to hear about the tragic loss of a Croydon the call was not, in fact, from them. Maybe police officer, Sergeant Matt Ratana on Friday 25 September in the line of duty. others have had such calls, they are certainly Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to his family, friends and a shock and I could have pressed 1 without colleagues at this terribly sad time. Croydon has lost an outstanding policeman thinking, but did not.” and member of its community.