Community Safety Partnership E-Newsletter Winter 2020/21 edition

Welcome Joint Chairs of the CSP

We are pleased to present the latest edition of the Blaby and Hinckley & Bosworth Community Safety Partnership (CSP) e-newsletter, which will keep you up to date with the work of the partnership and how it is helping to keep individuals and neighbourhoods safer.

During these unprecedented and difficult times we will be reporting on the different ways to look after yourself, your Cllr Les home and your finances, how the CSP continues to work in Phillimore partnership to provide support to those who are vulnerable and in need, positive activities for young people and much more.

The CSP brings together a collection of people and organisations that have a real commitment to do everything in their power to have a positive impact on reducing crime, the fear of crime and to work closely alongside local communities in bringing about a sense of safety for all. We Cllr Michael Mullaney are proud to announce that the CSP was honoured with a special award for its crime protection and prevention which was recognised by the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The CSP has published a three year Community Safety Strategy which is available for download at http://www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk and www.blaby.gov.uk

Contents

Welcome ...... 1 Partnership working during the COVID pandemic ...... 3 Blaby District Council Community Hub ...... 4 Resident support revamp ...... 5 Community Safety Partnership wins award ...... 6 Hinckley & Blaby have a new commander ...... 7 Support for victims of domestic abuse ...... 8 Inconsiderate parking can put lives at risk ...... 9 Positive activities continue to be delivered for young people in Hinckley ...... 10 What is detached youth work? ...... 11 Summer activities at the Community Houses ...... 12 Rules on public order offences are renewed ...... 13 Staying safe from COVID-19 scams ...... 14 Telephone scams...... 14 Phishing emails & Text message scams ...... 14 Voucher Scams ...... 14 Romance Scams...... 14 Door-to-door scams ...... 15 How to stay safe and protect yourself from scams ...... 15 Keep your home safe ...... 16 Community leadership programme ...... 17 Joint partnership working to target violent crime in Hinckley parks and town centre ...... 18

2

Partnership working during the COVID pandemic

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, voluntary sector partners and volunteers came together to help communities through this difficult time.

As part of a Borough-wide effort to support the most vulnerable, a Resident Scheme supported residents most in need of extra help during the coronavirus outbreak, including the shielded and those self-isolating. The service initially provided assistance to those who had little or no help, the vulnerable, for example those over the age of 70 with an underlying health condition, individuals on their own and feeling isolated and families struggling to cope.

Volunteers and council staff have so far reached out to over 1,800 welfare calls, dealt with 466 resident cases and over 276 volunteers have registered to provide assistance and support to the most vulnerable residents during this challenging time.

65 clients who have been unable to get to the shops themselves were supported through a food buddy scheme, medication has been collected and delivered and 161 emergency food parcels have been distributed by Feed the Hungry. A central food hub has been set up and Feed the Hungry stores and distributes food supported by Hinckley Area Foodbanks and HBBC. Andy ‘Food Buddy’ Volunteer

The resident scheme also offers a befriending service where volunteers are matched with a volunteer to reduce feelings of loneliness and social isolation and 69 residents have been referred for support. 30 fitness friend referrals have also been made to encourage people to become more confident to leave the house and take up gentle exercise.

The resident support scheme continues to be provided and illustrates the positive work of staff and partners in ensuring that the most vulnerable residents are being supported during this difficult time.

For more information or how to request help visit https://www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/coronasupport

3

Blaby District Council Community Hub

In response to the Coronavirus lockdown in March a small group of staff were tasked with setting up a Community Hub to support the residents of Blaby District.

So far….. They have supported over 550 residents directly through the Community Hub. Additionally, they have contacted around 1250 shielded residents, not being supported by Leicestershire County Council, to check on their well-being.

52 food parcels have been delivered from the Main Council Offices, and many more people have been supported through work with local food banks.

50 Aldi shopping vouchers have been supplied, to support vulnerable people to have shopping done for them. Local partners stepped up to the mark including donations from Samworth Brothers, Marks and Spencer, Co-op and The Bulls Head in Cosby kindly donated food and drink. Aldi allowed bulk purchases of food and toiletries for distribution in food parcels.

The government have donated over 5,500 food parcels to the shielded residents of Blaby District. 226 local residents have volunteered their services, 40 of which have shown an interest in continuing to support the Council in a voluntary capacity after the pandemic.

One of 50 fresh food hampers from Samworth Brothers

At the peak, demand for the Community Hub was around 20 people a day. Currently this stands around 7 requests for help a week.

The Community Services Team have now taken over the Community Hub, making it part of Blaby District Council’s “business as usual”. This means demand will be dealt with quickly but as part of the normal work of a new Support Hub. As part of this review, processes for the Community Hub are being assessed and consolidated to enable the Council to respond quickly to any future COVID-19 emergency with a ‘pop up hub’, meaning they can act swiftly if required by changes in local and national restrictions.

Strategic Director John Richardson with Paul & Gaynor from The Bulls Head

For more information on Blaby District Council’s Community Hub, including how to request help, visit www.blaby.gov.uk/coronavirus

4

Resident support revamp

Blaby District Council’s Resident Support Service launches new online referral form.

The Resident Support Service offers support and advice for residents of Blaby District and the demand for support has increased significantly. In fact, since the beginning of March the Resident Support Team has received almost 200 new referrals!

This prompted the team to revamp the Resident Support webpage to include an online referral form. Previously, referrals have been made through professionals and partner agencies but the new form has simplified the referral process and allows residents to self-refer.

The flexible support is a free, short term service for any resident of Blaby District aged 18 years and over and is tailored to the needs of each individual. They usually work with people in their own homes and out in the community and although COVID-19 caused restrictions to the way that residents were supported, it did not stop the team from doing what they do best. The support has continued throughout COVID-19, just when it was most needed!

Some of the ways that they have supported residents are:

 Support to prevent the risk of homelessness  Maximising Income (Claiming Benefits)  Address Housing arrears  Budgeting and Debt Management  Support Setting up rent and utility payments  Registering with Health Services  Independent Living Skills (Form Filling & Phone Calls)  Applying for Grants and Funding  Setting up a new home  Signpost / Navigate to other services and make referrals on their behalf  Arranging Food Parcels  Finding local volunteer groups for shopping / collecting medications

Sue Ross, one of the Resident Support Team, said; “A resident we supported recently has cancer and was struggling to afford food and pay bills. He also struggled to get out of his home to get shopping. We maximised his benefits, which made a massive difference to his income, so that he does not need to worry about money any more. His rent, Housing Benefits and Council Tax worries have all been resolved, so he feels more in control. He has a volunteer that he can call, whenever he needs shopping and they will collect and deliver for him so he never needs to worry about running out of food.

“The resident said that he was over the moon with the fantastic service, he felt speechless and he could not believe how quickly it had all been achieved. He wished he had used the service sooner. Sometimes it can be hard to come to terms with needing to ask for help and support. But making that step to get your life back on track can really make a positive impact”.

For more information on Blaby District Council’s Resident Support Service go to www.blaby.gov.uk/residentsupport where you will find the online referral form.

5

Community Safety Partnership wins award

The Blaby District and Hinckley & Bosworth Community Safety Partnership has been recognised for its crime protection and prevention work by the Police and Crime Commissioner.

It was honoured with the ‘Special Award for a project which has made an outstanding contribution to support the Police and Crime Plan’ at the 2020 Safer Community Celebration Awards. Focusing on vulnerability protection and victim services, as well as prevention and engagement work with young people, the partnership has worked hard to ensure both individuals and the community receive long-term, effective support.

Working with people with vulnerabilities in both areas has included practical and emotional support to more than 500 victims of domestic abuse, including delivery of mental health and wellbeing courses. Nearly 300 children affected by domestic abuse have also received positive one to one and group assistance, helping to improve their wellbeing.

Joined up working to reduce homelessness and repeat offending has also been undertaken with people discharged from the Bradgate Mental Health Unit.

Work to engage young people and give them the information they need to make informed choices from an early stage has included delivering sessions from the Sophie Lancaster Foundation in borough and district secondary schools, an alcohol awareness play in school and an intensive focus to make young people aware of exploitation and knife crime. More than 4,500 young people took part in interactive workshops on anti-social behaviour, healthy relationships, road safety, drugs and personal safety.

Councillor Les Phillimore, Portfolio Holder for Community Services and Joint Chair of the Partnership, said: “We are so proud of this recognition. The team have worked brilliantly with young people and shown commitment to help victims and people with vulnerabilities. “This is a triumph of partnership working, not only with Hinckley and Bosworth but also Leicestershire Police, health partners and the Fire Service.”

Executive Lead for Community Safety at Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, Councillor Michael Mullaney said “We are all very rightly proud of this award and all that it represents but to be recognised by your peers is an accolade in itself. The partnership works incredible hard to support young people, individuals and the community and this award recognises the commitment and dedication of the team.”

6

Hinckley & Blaby have a new commander

Inspector Jamie Osbourne has taken up the role of Hinckley & Blaby Neighbourhood Policing Area (NPA) Commander

Jamie took up the post on the 10th August 2020, replacing Emma Maxwell, who has moved to a role at Force Headquarters as a Chief Inspector.

He has worked in policing for nearly 27 years – spending much of his time as a frontline officer in both neighbourhood policing and response roles, mainly in the Loughborough area.

He also spent eight years in the road traffic team and most recently spent the last year co-ordinating the delivery of officer driver and skills training across four regional police forces.

Jamie is building on the great work of Emma and the rest of the team. He has had the pleasure of meeting our policing partners and is starting to build a strong relationship and develop a strategy to improve confidence in the management of crime and ASB in the area.

His priorities are driven by community concerns so he would strongly recommend that you sign up to Neighbourhood Link and record your concerns accordingly.

So what is Neighbourhood Link…?

Basically, it’s about keeping up to date with what is going on in your local area

Neighbourhood Link is a free email messaging service from Leicestershire Police, Neighbourhood Watch and other partner organisations providing news and updates on policing matters that are relevant to you.

Sign up and receive email alerts about policing activity and initiatives in your local area as well as crime prevention advice and information. The Neighbourhood Link service is completely customisable, meaning you can choose what kinds of information you receive, and how often you receive it from:

 Having your say and completing surveys  Crime alerts in your local area  Crime prevention and safety advice  Warnings about scams and fraud

You will also have the opportunity to reply directly to your neighbourhood team.

Sign up today and receive email alerts at https://www.neighbourhoodlink.co.uk/

7

Support for victims of domestic abuse

Blaby and Hinckley & Bosworth have continued to provide an outreach service for victims of Domestic Abuse giving practical and emotional support to victims throughout the current crisis.

Initially support was offered via means available to us such as telephone, text, emails and post and now we are back to offering face to face services where it is felt necessary along with continuing non face to face sessions. The service has also supported a number of partner agency campaigns to ensure as many people as possible know about the support available for them if they are a victim. These campaigns aim at helping from the outside in as it can be very difficult for someone who is experiencing domestic abuse to reach out to an expert support service or to the police.

The campaigns also advise how to make anonymous reports about anyone you are concerned about, such as a neighbour, they then share the information with appropriate services that assess the situation and intervene if safe to do so; you can find out more information on this at www.crimestoppersuk.org

Leicestershire Police shared the social media campaign across both Blaby District and Hinckley & Bosworth.

Executive Lead for Community Safety at Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, Councillor Michael Mullaney said: “This is a difficult and worrying time for everyone and we appreciate that it has been particularly so for adults and children living with domestic abuse. Our domestic abuse support service has continued to provide victims with confidential advice and support throughout the crisis and have since March provided support to 81 individuals who needed support in Hinckley & Bosworth. We want all victims of domestic abuse to know that for confidential practical and emotional support you can contact the Council’s Domestic Abuse Outreach Service”.

During the crisis, Blaby District Council has received 61 new cases and has seen an increase in reporting from male victims. Blaby District also distributed Domestic Abuse leaflets to GP surgeries which generated a number of self-referrals.

For residents of Hinckley & Bosworth for more information visit www.hinckleybosworth.gov.uk/domesticviolence or telephone or text 07966 202181.

For residents of Blaby visit www.blaby.gov.uk/domesticabuse or telephone 0116 272 7637

National Domestic Abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247 (Freephone 24hrs).

If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are in danger and unable to talk on the phone, call 999 and then press 55. This will transfer your call to the relevant police force who will assist you without you having to speak.

If you can’t use a voice phone, you can register with the emergency services text service – do this when it is safe so you can text when you are in danger. For more information visit www.emergencysms.net/

8

Inconsiderate parking can put lives at risk

Double parking, parking on junctions and parking over fire hydrants are just some of the issues that are stopping firefighters being able to respond quickly and efficiently to incidents.

In an emergency if a vehicle is parked over a fire hydrant, it means the fire brigade’s nearest supply of water is blocked and the next nearest hydrant could be several streets away delaying possible life saving operations.

Hinckley Fire Station is asking residents to consider whether their parking could be putting lives at risk. We appreciate that people want to park outside their homes and aren’t doing it deliberately, but they have to help us help them.

On a recent fire hydrant inspection route in the Hinckley town centre area, 30% of fire hydrants were obstructed by cars. Furthermore whilst trying to establish the owners of the vehicles we discovered that some residents were completely unaware of a fire hydrant outside their property.

Under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 is illegal to obstruct a fire hydrant. You can park your vehicle up to 50cm from a fire hydrant as long as there are no other parking restrictions.

So what does a fire hydrant look like?

Fire hydrants can be in the road or on the pathway and are commonly identified by a yellow plastic indicator plate with a black H symbol and usually fixed to a nearby wall or post to make it easier for firefighters to find in an emergency.

Fire hydrant plates generally face the fire hydrant and have two numbers on. The top number signifies the size of the water main in millimetres and the bottom figure tells us the distance away in metres.

Fire hydrant covers are small rectangular manhole type covers set in the road or pavement and embossed with the word Hydrant or FH as shown below.

In an emergency every second counts! Hinckley Fire Station urges members of the public to make themselves aware of any fire hydrants close to their property and to consider the consequences when parking.

9

Positive activities continue to be delivered for young people in Hinckley

A partnership approach between Leicester City in the Community, Leicestershire County Council’s Impact Team and Turning Point have been out working with young people in parks in Hinckley.

The Impact Team have been out delivering street based youth work within Hinckley since June often engaging with large numbers of young people. The work has been focused on safeguarding in light of COVID guidelines and exploring with young people why they are out, if they are aware of current government guidelines and if they have any worries or concerns.

Throughout August the agencies formed a partnership approach and carried out detached youth work with more than 77 young people at Clarendon Park and Queens Park. Findings suggested that young people are keen to return to some sort of local provision and activities.

Leicester City in the Community (LCitC) have piloted Premier League (PL) Kicks sessions focusing on Football and BMX/Skateboarding at Green Towers and plan to continue with football provision at Green Towers and Clarendon Park on a Monday at the following times:

3.30pm – 5.00pm: Green Towers Youth Centre (8 – 11 years & 11-14 years) 6pm – 8pm: Clarendon Park

To ensure that capacity and track and trace processes are managed effectively, participants are required to register in advance of sessions via Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/2DqGc6F.

The PL Kicks sessions have not only been described as inclusive, but they have allowed local police to develop better relationships with young people and reduce youth offending.

Its long-running community programme, has been praised as inclusive by one of its participants and a short case study has been created Pre COVID which can be accessed online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLnloog7CJA&feature=youtu.be

The case study features Drew, a Kicks participant in Hinckley and who has been diagnosed with Dyslexia and Dyspraxia which delays his ability to process instructions as well as movement. Drew said: “The coaches are very inclusive and they talk nice about everyone. The sessions have made me a bit more mature and helped me grow my leadership skills more than I would have previously and I have grown a little bit closer with our local Police.” Meanwhile Drew is looking to become a coach, which the Club’s charitable arm is supporting.

PC Darren Measures from the Hinckley Neighbourhood Police said: “We set up the programme in Hinckley in 2018. If we didn’t have the Kicks project, we wouldn’t have this engagement with these young people. “It’s through Leicester City that’s enabled young people to have these opportunities that potentially could be life-changing.”

For more about the programme, please email LCitC Community Manager Dan Mitchinson at [email protected].

10

What is detached youth work?

BB19 Responsible Youth Worker, Jasbint Breyal gives us the low down.

Youth work focuses on the social needs of the young people. This involves engagement and interactions with their perspective and where their point of view might be. It means the youth worker has to be visible and accessible for young people to develop a trusting relationship and identify with the worker.

In Blaby District the Youth Workers go out in pairs and approach young people and discuss their social life and culture, what matters to them, where they meet up and why? Through this engagement we develop trust and an understanding with young people and as a result they confide in us about all sorts of things that matter to them and society.

Through establishing trust and developing the relationship with young people we begin to develop a dialogue that can support them with their political needs such as access to structures and systems that can help them navigate to services. This is important as the young people we meet are often from vulnerable backgrounds and can find themselves in a system they do not understand or feel they have control of, where they are or what is happening to them.

The youth work BB19 delivers is informative and relevant to their needs and supports the work of partners such as social services, education and crime partnerships.

Our detached youth work practice is informal and educational. It is mostly unstructured but this will depend on the scenario and the environment. The conversations can happen in a group or individually in a park, or on the street or in a precinct.

Through positive informative engagement young people have been supported when falling foul of the law or falling prey to drug pushers and other types of abusers.

In essence the detached youth work BB19 delivers helps to break down barriers, educate young people about social and political issues or support them in prevention of crime. By developing a non-judgemental and a confidential approach, youth work practice has helped build confidence and self-esteem in young people which, in turn, is informative in supporting their personal development.

For more information on the BB19 Youth Project visit www.blaby.gov.uk/BB19 or see the Facebook page www.facebook.com/BB19youthproject

11

Summer activities at the Community Houses

Due to the extraordinary circumstances, trips and activities were cancelled but children and families were kept entertained with crafts and cooking.

As the community houses in Earl Shilton, Hinckley and Barwell could not offer their usual summer programmes of activities and trips for communities in the Borough a new project was created to enable children and families to be creative while they stayed at home.

Kits containing ingredients for cooking and materials for crafts were put together and during a 4 week period more than 39 people collected the activities from the community houses to keep themselves busy and try something different,

Rachel Duncan, Community Development Co-ordinator said: “As this is the first time we had offered anything like this we were pleased with the take up and especially as we met new people who wanted to get involved. As this worked really well, we will continue to offer this to our children’s after school clubs and our adult cooking and adult craft clubs until we can return to the community houses”. A parent of one of the participants commented: “Fayth has had so much fun making these crafts, thank you to the community house staff, you have really helped us giving these things out, you are amazing and we now have a happy 6 year old that doesn’t get bored”.

Sports games and bags are also available from the houses to encourage families to stay fit and active at home.

For further information contact earlshiltoncommunityhouse@hinckley- bosworth.gov.uk or 01455 255941

12

Rules on public order offences are renewed

Rules that help tackle the problems associated with public drinking, the taking of drugs and so-called ‘legal highs’ in all public places of Hinckley & Bosworth Borough have been renewed by the Borough Council.

Councillors voted unanimously to renew the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for a further three years after the public supported it in a consultation held in the autumn of last year.

First introduced in the Borough in 2016, the PSPO is a measure created by the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime & Policing Act 2014 and is intended to deal with activities carried out in a public space that have a detrimental effect on the local communities quality of life.

Signs and maps where relevant are installed in parks and other public spaces to warn potential offenders that restrictions are in place with the aim of preventing individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in public spaces. A breach of the PSPO is a criminal offence and can result in a £100 fixed penalty fine. More serious offences can lead to prosecution with a maximum fine of £1000.

Councillor Michael Mullaney, Executive Member responsible for Community Safety, said: “The updated and renewed powers given by the PSPO will ensure our main priorities of tackling anti-social behaviour can be enforced. We are also pleased that individual parishes have also identified and targeted specific areas to incorporate in the order. It is just a small part of the work, which is going on all the time to make the borough a safe place that people will want to live, work and visit.”

Councillor Bill Crooks, Executive Member responsible for Street Scene Services, Parks and Open Spaces added: “Parks and open spaces are there for everyone’s enjoyment, but some activities and behaviour can create a nuisance to other park users. After consulting with residents we’ve now identified the real nuisance behaviour and effectively banned it which will make all of our parks and open spaces more enjoyable for everyone to use”.

The order for Hinckley & Bosworth will prohibit the use of so-called ‘legal highs’ and will also prohibit the consumption of alcohol if consumers are behaving anti-socially or causing alarm or distress to other residents. At the same time the order requires dog owners to pick up after their dog and to keep their dog under control when on or off the lead.

13

Staying safe from COVID-19 scams

As people worry about their health, families and finances during the Covid-19 pandemic, unscrupulous criminals are taking full advantage of these fears and are preying on members of the public. As scams that have been around for a while are ‘updated’ to exploit this situation, Leicestershire Trading Standards are warning residents to remain vigilant. The following are just a few of the various scams currently circulating to be aware of.

Telephone scams

Beware of cold calls pretending to be from a trusted organisation – such as banks, the police, a utility provider or a computer company. Trying to obtain personal or financial information, they encourage victims to hand over card details, or trick them into revealing PIN numbers or transferring money into accounts they control.

To make their call appear genuine, fraudsters often use a tactic called ‘number spoofing’. This enables them to alter the phone number they are calling from so that it matches a number victims recognise and trust. Then they ask the victim to check their handset display in an attempt to convince them it’s a real call. Some scammers also stay on the phone while the person they’ve contacted tries to dial out to trick them into thinking they're through to the real company. If a call wasn’t expected, it’s always best to hang up and find the real phone number from an actual bill or similar documentation.

Phishing emails & Text message scams

‘Phishing’ is when criminals try to convince those they contact to click on links within a scam email or text message. These scams tend to include a link to a fake but very convincing website designed to trick victims into submitting personal information such as bank details, a password or a credit card number. Covid-19 related examples include fake texts claiming to be from official Government sources such as HMRC or ‘Public Health’. These may not be genuine and neither of these organisations would never ask for any personal or financial details in this way, so don't be tempted to click on any links. Criminals are also using the 'number spoofing' technique in this scam, which can make a message appear in a chain of texts alongside previous genuine messages from that organisation, such as the NHS Track & Trace Service.

Voucher Scams

Scammers have been using supermarket branding to trick people into thinking they are being offered money off purchases during the pandemic. E-mails are sent with a link that invites the recipient to claim or apply for a voucher, but the scammers are really aiming to steal personal or financial details.

Romance Scams

Although this type of scam, also known as ‘Catfishing’ has been around for a long time, scammers have been taking further advantage of people’s vulnerabilities and isolation during the lockdown period. Not only via dating sites and apps but also through popular social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. As more people turn to spending their time online, fraudsters create fake profiles and take advantage of those who may be looking for love and companionship, by slowly building a relationship and gaining their victim’s trust. It’s not long until requests for money begin, often with a sob story.

14

Door-to-door scams

Is it often the elderly and most vulnerable in our communities who are targeted by criminals with cold calls on the doorstep. Scammers take their unsuspecting victims’ money and may also attempt to obtain personal information that may then be passed to other fraudsters. Recent scams include individuals turning up out of the blue with bogus offers to clean front doorsteps or driveways claiming this will kill off bacteria and help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Traders have been in local areas offering discounts to work carried out, particularly for home improvements and gardening work, stating that the discount is to help them build up their business again after being in lockdown and unable to work. These people may seem genuine, but the work is often unnecessary and substandard.

Reports have also been received of persons approaching residents stating they are from ‘Money Saving Expert’ and there to help them save money – they even have ‘Money Saving Expert’ identification badges. Money Saving Expert have confirmed that they do not cold-call and neither do they condone it.

How to stay safe and protect yourself from scams

Here are some dos and don’ts to help you protect your personal and financial information:

 Don’t respond to messages asking for personal or financial details  Don’t click on links or attachments in suspicious e-mails or text messages  Do use stronger passwords and set up two-factor authentication  Do be suspicious of cold callers asking for information or offering technical support and don’t install any software, or grant remote access to your computer, as the result of a cold call  Do challenge - genuine companies would never ask for financial information, passwords or log in details when contacting you  Do say no to unwanted, or uninvited callers at the door  Do be wise to rogue traders - Too good to be true offers, probably are and if something doesn’t feel right, then don’t agree to anything  Do make sure your back door is closed so no one can gain entry whilst you are distracted if someone knocks on your front door  Do put the chain on if you decide to open the door  Do check any identification – if they are genuine, they will happily wait whilst you close the door and verify the person. Use a number from a bill or telephone directory, do not use the number on the ID card  Do not open the door if you are not sure

If you would like to report a scam, you can get in touch with the following organisations: Action Fraud – https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ Citizen’s Advice Consumer Helpline - 0808 223 1133 To keep up to date with the latest scams’ information and advice, you can follow the Leicestershire Trading Standards Service Facebook page on: https://www.facebook.com/leicstradingstandards

15

Keep your home safe

With the days getting shorter and the nights getting longer protect your home against opportunist burglars by remembering to ‘lock up and leave lights on’.

Burglars are often opportunistic thieves who prey on houses and flats. They seek out any opening that they can take advantage of, specifically doors and windows that are left open or unlocked or are easy to force. Anything of value that they might spot through a window will only spur them on. But it really doesn’t take much to deter these thieves – just smart thinking.

Burglar facts

 Burglars target homes that they think will contain valuables. A sure giveaway is leaving packaging from expensive items outside your front door

 Burglars often look for homes with windows or doors left open or with vulnerable features that they can exploit.

 Burglars are aware of the times when someone is expected to be away from their house such as during the school run or holidays

 Burglars typically do not want to be seen or heard and if they feel that they would be noticed by a neighbour or passer by then they are more likely to feel exposed and may move on to find somewhere else to burgle

 Burglars often choose a home because they’ve spotted a specific vehicle, motorcycle or bicycle they want to steal – and the keys are more than likely to be inside the residence

 Sheds and garages are often vulnerable as they are not that secure and contain tools which the burglar can use to assist them to gain entry to a home

 It’s a fact that many burglars return to homes that they’ve previously burgled because the homeowner failed to upgrade security following the first burglary. They sometimes return to an area to try to burgle a nearby home that they spotted while committing a previous break in. Even more reason for you to ensure you keep your home as safe as houses

Over coming months Leicestershire Police will be conducting extra overt patrols in your areas to target this offending. Please look out for further information through Neighbourhood Link or speak with your local officer or PCSO for more information and advice on how to better secure your home.

For more information contact: https://www.leics.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/residential-burglary/

You can report a crime on line, call 101 for non-emergencies or 999 in an emergency.

16

Community leadership programme

Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner and the Violence Reduction Network launch an innovative Community Leadership Programme

The Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and the Violence Reduction Network (VRN) are recruiting 20 new community leaders across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR). The recruits will join a three-month learning and development programme, free of charge, to develop knowledge and skills as community leaders.

The Community Leadership Programme will empower communities to play their role in addressing local issues and challenges and develop solutions that support their community to thrive.

Launching the new scheme, Lord Willy Bach, PCC and member of the VRN’s board, said: “Every day, ordinary people are making a difference to the lives of vulnerable, disadvantaged people across the county, helping to open doors that have been closed and arming those at risk of crime with the tools they need to overcome crisis or adversity. With our support, we believe these community leaders can make a much broader impact on public safety and remove the social and economic barriers that hinder achievement and success.”

Director of the VRN Grace Strong added: “Everyone has a role to play in preventing violence and community leaders play an invaluable part in our collective efforts. If you believe you have the leadership qualities and would like to invest in your own development, we would love to hear from you. In the current climate of Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement, we understand that several communities have been disproportionately affected; therefore we particularly welcome applications from the Black community.”

Through the programme, participants will be able to better understand and develop their own leadership style, be able to identify and develop new community projects which will have a positive impact on their communities, demonstrate confidence in decision-making and confidently develop long-term plans and strategies.

To find out more visit www.violencereductionnetwork.co.uk/community-leaders-sought

17

Joint partnership working to target violent crime in Hinckley parks and town centre

Hinckley Police recently ran a proactive operation which focused in the Hinckley area and initially targeted the local parks and then later in the evening focused on Hinckley Town Centre

On 10th October, OP CONCORD-ORLEANS was supported by a total of 12 police officers and worked in partnership with staff from Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Endeavour Team. They used a passive drugs dog and a knife arch to actively target those that were likely to become involved in violent crime.

PS James Cross said: “During the operation, police conducted 6 stop and searches, arrested 2 individuals for being concerned in the supply of drugs, seized a quantity of cocaine and cannabis and dispersed several groups of young people that were in breach of the COVID rule of 6”.

Plans are in place for the operation to run again in the coming weeks.

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