Crime Prevention

Rural crime prevention evening for north Warwickshire – 4 December

Warwickshire Police and partners are holding a meeting and information evening to support farmers, horse owners and rural businesses in north Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth at Atherstone Golf Club, The Outwoods, Coleshill Road, Atherstone, CV9 2RL on Wednesday 4 December at 7.30pm.

Attending the evening will be Phillip Seccombe, Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, T/Inspector Allison Wiggin – lead for Rural Crime in Warwickshire Police and Safer Neighbourhood Teams in Coleshill and Atherstone – Sgt Bob Shaw, PC Andy Timmins and RCO Carol Cotterill from the newly launched dedicated Rural Crime Team.

Also present will be National Farmers Union and NFU Mutual Insurance, representatives from Warwickshire County Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council re flytipping, the Fire Service, Trading Standards, Warwickshire Horse Watch, Cyber & Business Crime Advisor, NHW and many other supporting organisations all displaying information on the latest crime prevention equipment available,

Food is provided.

Have you seen this stolen John Deere tractor?

Some time between 12.00 on the 17/10/19 and 08.30 hrs on the 18/10/19, unknown offender(s) entered a farm near Nuneaton and stole a green and black John Deere tractor (pictured).  If you have seen a tractor matching this one in a suspicious location or have seen one offered for sale that has raised your concern and believe it may be stolen please call 101 and refer to inc 112 of 18/11/19 or email NorthWarwickshireRuralAlerts@Warwickshire.pnn.police.uk.  Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Watch out for string markers on field gates

A report has been received from another police force area of string being tied half way down on gates and just on one side if two gates are locked or fastened together.  If you have discovered string on your gates and it has not been put there by yourself, please advise on 101 or the website www.warwickshire.police.uk and remove it immediately.

DVLA scheme to register off-road vehicles

Like all vehicles, off road vehicles are at risk of being stolen. However, if they are stolen they are more difficult to find if they are not registered at DVLA. A scheme has been introduced to register off road vehicles in order to improve detection rates in theft.  For full information on how to register your off-road vehicles please visit this link.

Could the uWatch cube help with your security concerns?

The uWatch Cube is a little weather proof box that can be sited anywhere that has a mobile signal. If the cube is moved, something moves in front of it, a Bluetooth Tag activates it, the temperature is outside a range you have set or the internal clock has told it to activate you will receive an alert on your smartphone in less than 30 seconds. The uWatch Cube could therefore be used for a variety of situations including security and as such the device has Police “secured by design” approval for preventing and solving crime. To view full information on wWatch Cube please visit this website.

Rural Crime Reporting

As part of their ongoing work to tackle the serious issues surrounding criminal behaviour on farms and in the wider countryside, the NFU has partnered with the charity Crimestoppers to launch the Rural Crime Reporting Line, a service through which information about four rural crimes can be given anonymously. Rural crimes often go under-reported and their true extent remains unknown. Anyone who has experienced, witnessed or has any information about these rural crimes is encouraged to come forward and call the line – your information could be extremely valuable.

Contact number: 0800 783 0137
Website: http://www.ruralcrimereportingline.uk

Beware of fraudsters targeting farmers who receive subsidy payments

In the past, banks have warned that fraudsters pretending to be from their bank’s fraud department may try to target farmers who receive subsidy payments. Remember:
• Your bank will never ask you for your full online password
• Your bank will not ask you to make a payment over the phone using your online account.
• If you get a call from someone claiming to be from your bank (or any other organisation), make sure it’s genuine. End the call then wait 5 minutes and call them back on a number you know is correct (not a number they’ve given you).
• Never give your PIN and other passwords to a 3rd party even if you think you are speaking to your bank.

Beware of phishing email with Police branding

Warwickshire Police has been made aware of a phishing email that is using police branding to provoke responses.
The email says that the recipient is being summoned to court as a witness and asks them to follow a link, which could then lead to a virus or malware being placed on their computer.
For full information on the email please visit the link below.

Beware of rogue tarmac gangs

Farmers are warned to beware of rogue tarmac gangs targeting their premises. The gangs either door knock or more recently (and in a new twist to an old scam) phone the farm and claim they have some left over tarmac they want to get rid of. They imply that they would rather tip the tarmac on the farm driveway to cover a few potholes as a favour, rather than have to dispose of it. If the farmer agrees, the rogue gang arrive quickly, spread the tarmac and then demand thousands of pounds with menaces!
If you have been a victim or are approached and threatened please report to the police on 101 or 999 if immediately concerned for your safety.

Report a wildlife crime anonymously

Warwickshire Wildlife Watchers has added a form to their website which will allow the reporting of a wildlife crime to take place anonymously.
Lamping without permission, hare coursing, persecution of badgers, bats and birds of prey and are examples of incidents which are against the law.
Visit the website below if you want to report a wildlife crime.

Consider registering a domain name for your business if you don’t have a website

Online criminals are using a fake website scam to trick customers into paying money for goods that are never received. They do this by setting up a website using the name of a genuine business that does not have a website. The customer then thinks they are purchasing online goods from a genuine business but never receives the goods that they pay for.
If you are a business that does not have a website consider registering the domain name of your company to ensure that you do not fall victim to this scam.

Request for businesses to remain vigilent

Following a spate of robberies in Kenilworth and South Warwickshire, Warwickshire Police has issued a number of alerts in relation to incidents at business premises in recent days. A request to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour to the Police on 101 has been issued.  If you’d like to sign up to the Warwickshire Police Community Messaging Service please visit the website below.

Cyber Safety Advice

In the light of the recent cyber attacks on the NHS Warwickshire County Council has produced some cyber safety advice for businesses.
To read the advice in full please use the link below.

New YouTube videos to help businesses avoid cyber crime

A new YouTube Channel has recently been launched which is specifically aimed at businesses. The Channel houses an array of short, useful videos covering cyber crime related topics.
Some of the video topics include Ransomware, Phishing Emails and Password Management. If you’d like to view the videos or look at what other topics are covered visit the YouTube Channel below.

Scene it. Herd it. A new Crimestoppers campaign

Theft of livestock, farm tools, oil, diesel, quad bikes, trailers and burglaries from farm buildings remain top targets of thieves in the Warwickshire countryside, prompting independent charity Crimestoppers to launch a new campaign tackling rural crime across the county.
There has been a sharp increase in the theft of expensive tractors and recent intelligence suggests that organised criminals are specifically targeting British farms and machinery dealers. The problem affects communities, businesses, farmers and manufacturers.
Crimestoppers is working closely with agencies such as NFU Mutal, Horse Watch, and Rural Watch to spread the word that there is a safe, anonymous way to report crime.

Beware of storage scam

Following recent increases in fly-tipping there have been a number of incidents across the country where farmers have been paid cash to store material, for example road planings. Farmers are then discovering wrapped bails of landfill refuse stored instead, often in very large quantities and facing an equally large bill to clear the rubbish up. Please be aware of this and contact the police on 101 if you receive such requests for ‘storage’.

Horse Watch

The excellent Warwickshire Horsewatch is also open for horse owners in the West Mercia area. Warwickshire and West Mercia forces also recognise that with rural and equine crime, thieves do not respect borders and what happens in one county soon moves across to another. Therefore, alerts from many other counties are included on their Facebook page and in their Bulletins. You are invited to join the Warwickshire Scheme. To join, please visit the Warwickshire Horsewatch website: www.warwickshire-horsewatch.co.uk