Your co-ordinator is: West Kent Tel No. The Voice of the West Kent Neighbourhood Watch Association Issue 56 “Security through awareness” Summer 2021 This means they can take early action to Is it spam, or a sca m? block numbers that are generating spam on their networks. They can also use this It can be difficult to tell the difference texts to a number of organisations information to inform the regulators. between contact from a legitimate including the TPS, your phone operator, You can report spam texts directly to company or an attempted scam. Ofcom (which covers silent and abandoned your mobile phone provider free of charge Scammers are increasingly taking calls) or the ICO. by forwarding the text message to 7726. advantage of smartphones and are getting The threshold at which the ICO is CAUTION very clever with how they try to take your allowed to act has been lowered and they hard-earned money. have the power to fine companies up to Do you report spam? They can even make it look like a £500,000 that break the rules on In 2015 a whopping 90% of Which? legitimate organisation is contacting you unsolicited texts and phone calls. survey respondents who owned a via text or a messaging app by using Which? will continue to work with all mobile phone didn’t know they could identity masking technology to change the the relevant bodies to ensure that efforts to report a spam text using 7726. name displayed as the sender. This is tackle the problem are stepped up. known as ‘number spoofing’. Sending unsolicited text messages is When you report a spam text you may Fraudsters can use many different illegal. So, if you want to stop receiving get an automated response thanking you types of of messaging systems and apps, spam texts you can report this to the for the report giving you further like SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). instructions if needed. Viber, Skype, Google Hangouts, Snapchat You can also report unsolicited text and many other platforms to try to scam messages to your mobile provider. Texts from unknown numbers you out of your money. Never respond to spam texts as this will Use a dedicated text number just confirm that your number is live. Report a nuisance call or text You can report spam texts directly to your Simply delete the text. Report a nuisance call or text to mobile phone provider. All operators now Only reply ‘STOP’ if you know the the regulators. Every complaint helps use 7726 as the short code to report spam company that’s sending the message. If the in the fight against nuisance calls texts, which is free of charge. company continues to send you unwanted and texts All of the UK’s mobile operators worked texts you can report it to the ICO. together to deploy a tool which collates all Many thanks to Adam French of the You can complain about a company the information from the 7726 short code Which? Magazine for the information or a number making nuisance calls and in real time. provided in this article. Use a tow float for buoyancy. Da ngers of Wild Swimming Pack warm clothes for afterwards and stay moving to warm up. In recent weeks there have been a spate Never swim alone, always take Keep an eye out for strong currents of drownings in open water. This is a someone with you so you can look out and sudden changes in depth. dangerous thing to do and can result in for each other. Never jump in without acclimatising serious injuries or in some cases death. If you are swimming in the sea, choose to the water temperature and check the A few people became frustrated when a beach with lifeguards and pay attention landing area. local swimming pools were shut due to to the flag warnings system. Swim where others swim – but avoid the Covid 19 virus and some started what Check the water quality – does it look areas crowded with boats or ones used is currently named “Wild Swimming”. clean? Is it free from blue green algae and for water-sports. This involves jumping into the sea usually other obvious warning signs? Waterways from a high place. There are also dangers near urban areas are particularly likely of swallowing sewerage or even worse to contain harmful bacteria. British Transport Police hitting the rocks as you travel down Wear the right kit – swimming shoes Text 6 1016 to report non-emergency towards the sea and hurting yourself. to protect your feet from harmful objects, incidents on trains or the tube. For safety reasons this is an activity wear a bright coloured swimming hat. Dial 0800 405040 to give more that should not be encouraged. Plan your exit point before getting information. A 999 call is guaranteed a Here is some vital advice if you do into the water and don’t try and stay in for quick response. For Crimestoppers dial try “Wild Swimming”. too long, if it is cold. Know your limits. 0800 555 111. Members of the Volunteer Protecting Your Home and Police Cadets have been Things You Care About out in Tunbridge Wells assisting with efforts to Being burgled is a horrible experience. People living in rented tackle speeding motorists To know that a stranger has been inside your accommodation are often limited The cadets attended a number of locations home among your precious possessions to what they can do to physically highlighted as areas of concern, to carry and taken things that mean something to improve the security of their homes out checks in conjunction with local you is devastating for many victims. due to budgets or landlord restrictions. Speedwatch groups. The initiatives took Most burglaries are opportunistic and Some security improvements such as place over Tuesday 27 July and Tuesday many can be prevented. solar-powered lighting outside are 4 August and were organised by PCSOs We recommended that you use the cheap but effective. from the Tunbridge Wells Community WIDE principle when looking at how to Living within a Neighbourhood Watch Safety Unit (CSU). secure your home, and it’s very simple. scheme reduces the likelihood of being The cadets first met at the town’s a burglary victim. Households living in police station for a briefing and to practise Ensure Your Home Has: Neighbourhood Watch areas experience using the speed gun, where they were W. Window locks on every window. 21% fewer burglaries. also issued with high visibility clothing Being a victim of a burglary also raises I. Interior lights left on a timer when you to ensure they were safe and visible at all yours and your neighbours’ risk of being are away. Also tell your neighbours if times. They then visited reported hot spots burgled again. By implementing this advice you are going away; they may keep in Major York’s Road near the town centre, and joining a Neighbourhood Watch an eye on your property for you. as well as Pembury High Street and Coach scheme you reduce this risk. Road, Rusthall. D. Double or dead bolts fitted on doors. To find out if a scheme is running in CSU Inspector Ian Jones said: “These your area please contact Peter Rolington E. Exterior lights on sensor. young cadets have all worked very hard and chairman of West Kent Neighbourhood for some it will be the first time they have Taking these basics steps to protect Watch Association Committee. had hands on experience in interacting with yourself can offer many times more E-mail: [email protected] or members of the public and police officers. protection against burglary than homes [email protected]. They each took turns in operating the speed without these measures . We will be happy to help you. gun and recording registration numbers of vehicles travelling too fast. This information will be passed to the local Speedwatch Com muni ty Wardens teams who I know also greatly appreciated KCC Community Wardens continue to We work closely with all external their efforts and enthusiasm.” work in our Rural Communities supporting agencies to get the best outcomes we can The Volunteer Police Cadets scheme is our residents ensuring they feel safe and for our residents. a uniformed organisation supported by secure within their own homes. If you have any worries or concerns Kent Police for young people aged 13 to 17. We do lots of work around Anti Social that you would like to talk through, please Cadets meet once a week for two to three Behaviour, Neighbour Disputes, do not hesitate to contact our Community hours during term time and in addition Community Safety Advice, Social Isolation Warden Central Number on 03000413455 volunteer three more hours each month to and Loneliness and reconnecting our where we will be pleased to hear from you. help with a community-based project. communities with our new KCC Sandra Edmonds Interim Team Leader If anyone wishes to join a Speedwatch Community Connectors. for Tonbridge, Maidstone and Malling. team, contact your local police station. More than a dozen arrests made during Anti-social Behaviour Awareness Week More than a dozen arrests have been made Unacceptable nuisance “Our efforts will not stop, and I as Kent Police targets individuals involved Assistant Chief Constable Peter Ayling said: encourage anyone with a concern to in nuisance and abusive behaviour. “Anti-social behaviour is an unacceptable report it to us. We will always review Between Monday 19 and Sunday 25 July, nuisance that can have a serious impact on information provided and seek to take foot patrols took place across the county an affected area.