I am pleased to report that the coverage of Neighbourhood Watch is growing. It is better in Sanderstead and Purley Wards than in many other areas of Croydon.  However that is no reason to be complacent. We still only cover less than one third of the roads in these two Wards.  We need more volunteers.

Is your road or block of flats part of Neighbourhood Watch?  If so, you should receive four ‘Croydon Eye’ newsletters per year to keep you informed about the latest scams and advice on the precautions you can take to protect your person and property. If you do not receive Croydon Eye then you are not in a Watch. Perhaps you would like to volunteer to act as the Coordinator for a Watch to cover your road or area?

As a minimum we ask our Coordinators to deliver the ‘Croydon Eye’ to their neighbours four times a year. The Watch can be as many, or as few, homes as you are prepared to cover; thirty to fifty is the norm. Some Coordinators go further in disseminating weekly crime alerts and, if appropriate, informing neighbours of current scams, or other criminal activity in their area. We also encourage Coordinators to ‘keep an eye’ on vulnerable neighbours.

If your road does not have a Watch and you feel you would like to volunteer please contact the Neighbourhood Watch Office.  They will send you information about what is involved and help get you started.  The telephone number is 020 8649 0168 or follow this link

Some of the tips given in Croydon Eye are quite obvious. Such as checking that all doors and downstairs windows are closed (and locked) before leaving the house or going to bed. If you have a shed it is also worth checking that it is locked. Apart from the risk of losing contents they provide useful tools to help the burglar break in.  Also think about how you secure your property. It is good practice to have two good locks fitted to your front door. Your back door should also be fitted with a good quality deadlock and suitable locks fitted to windows.  Make sure your home looks lived in, even when you are away.  A trusted neighbour can help and you can return the favour.

One of the most devastating crimes is distraction burglary where a burglar will try and con their way into your house, quite often pretending to be an official of some kind.  Be on the lookout for this type of activity and keep an eye on your vulnerable neighbours.  If you think you or your neighbours are being targeted then contact the police or your Safer Neighbourhood Team.  
Remember if a crime is in progress dial 999.

We also keep hearing about scams offering prizes or rewards; usually sent by email, but sometimes by post.  For those not wary they can cost people their life savings – BE AWARE.

Finally those contact details:

Non-emergency Police Response   101 (note this is the new number)
Neighbourhood Watch Office   020 8649 0168
Purley Safer Neighbourhood Team  020 8721 2467
Sanderstead Safer Neighbourhood Team 020 8721 2470
Crime Stoppers     0800 555 111
Age UK      020 8680 5450
Croydon Trading Standards   020 8407 1311 &
Email:  trading.standards@croydon.gov.uk   
CBNWA website:- www.cbnwa.com