OUR NEWSNeighbourhood and Home Watch Network (England & Wales)

September 2012

This edition is sponsored by Towergate Insurance

Message from the Chair

It has been a fantastic summer. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee including the River Pageant and the Big Lunch, Neighbourhood and Home Watch Week, and now the Olympic Games. The 70 day torch relay reached every corner of the United Kingdom and brought communities together to celebrate the games and we must build upon what has occurred, sometimes spontaneously.

The Olympic Games have proved an inspiration to thousands if not millions to get involved and with the riots of August 2011 behind us now, the legacy left behind by the Games, must not be wasted.

The candidates for the post of Police and Crime Commissioner for your area are being selected in time for the elections on 15th November. It is important that they understand the role of volunteers in their area and we need to be keeping up the pressure to ensure that they don’t dismiss Neighbourhood and Home Watch out of hand, and forget what they promised during the election process.

Thank you all for your continuing support.

James Maddan (NHWN Chair)

Trustworthy neighbours top for home security

One in four homeowners believes that trustworthy neighbours are the key to feeling secure at home, according to the latest consumer survey from the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

The result of this survey is exemplified by the mission of the Neighbourhood Watch, to empower residents to create safe, friendly and pleasant places to live.

However, the research also suggests that many are putting themselves at risk needlessly, with nearly three in ten respondents admitting to leaving doors unlocked and windows open when going out briefly, despite the fact that 42% of those questioned recognised the importance of good locks.

Over a third of all burglaries are opportunistic and the ABI points out that failing to secure doors and windows is an open invitation to thieves, particularly during the summer months.

Towergate Insurance can provide Neighbourhood Watch members with essential advice, such as what to do if leaving a property unoccupied for a long period and how this might affect any insurance you may have in place.

The findings also indicate that around a quarter of households have no contents insurance at all. That’s why Towergate Insurance can provide you with answers to the most commonly asked questions about home insurance.

We offer advice on how to buy the right amount of cover, set out what is covered by standard buildings and contents insurance and delve into optional extras, such as accidental damage cover.

If you’re a Child Minder, work from home or even run a Bed and Breakfast, Towergate Insurance is there to advise and assist you to ensure you have the right levels of cover in place. Even if you live in an unusual or listed property, we can find a policy to suit your needs.

Do you own a holiday home?

Insuring your holiday home can be a little daunting, especially for those lucky enough to own a property overseas. Wherever you choose to buy your holiday home, you will need the extra reassurance that your insurance policy provides adequate cover to protect your investment, as you will not be living there full time.

If you insure your overseas holiday property with Towergate, you will automatically receive access to Towergate Overseas Assist. It gives you, or anybody renting your property, free 24-hour access to an interpreting service and a domestic helpline to help you in an emergency.

For more advice or a quotation:

Tel: 0844 346 3253 (Mon – Fri 9am – 5:30pm. Sat 9am to 1pm)

or visit: www.towergatehomeinsurance.co.uk

If you have ever lost a child or vulnerable adult in your care – even briefly, then you know how stressful it can be.

Across England & Wales about 100 people a day get lost for the first time due to dementia. And this is a growing problem. It is very upsetting for their spouses and family and can occasionally be life-threatening to the person with dementia. Frequently, it is the trigger point for the family to decide the individual will have to be admitted to a care home.

Neighbourhood Return is an innovative service to help address the problem – and is being set up by the Neighbourhood Home & Watch Network as a new initiative funded by a Silver Dreams BIG Lottery grant. Starting in Oxfordshire, we are recruiting a large number of volunteers, including Neighbourhood Watch members, who can be available to help look for someone who is missing. We only expect an hour or two of help when called. That is expected to average only once every three to six months.

We have developed the Neighbourhood Alert software used by NHWN nationally and an increasing number of police forces, so that volunteers can register to offer this help. The system will also enable carers of people with dementia registering the details of their loved ones in advance which will help us if they do need an urgent search. We have partnered with Dudley Telecare Services who will run a national call centre and use a bespoke module of the software to co-ordinate searches with volunteers – and liaise with the police as necessary.

James Maddan, NHWN Chair, comments: “The Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network is all about building community capacity to respond to issues affecting residents safety. I am delighted that the lottery has approved our grant application for this service that was devised by a far-sighted consultant in dementia at the Oxford Health NHS Trust. It should also relieve some pressure on local police forces who may otherwise be called out to look for a missing dementia sufferer.”

The new NR Service Manager, Deborah Ginns, starts on 3 September. You can find out more about the service and register as a volunteer, a carer or just to receive updates at: www.ourturn.org.uk.

Article courtesy of Richard Pantlin, Interim Project Manager, Neighbourhood Return

New initiative on dementia with BIG funding

PCC’s Communication Handbook

This handbook is intended to support and advise communicators in police forces and police authorities, however, partners who work in a communications role in the community safety or criminal justice sector may also find this handbook useful.

The advice in this handbook focuses predominantly on communication plans and activities to raise awareness and understanding of the role of the PCC. However, to put this activity in a

wider PCC communications context it does provide information on the work being carried out by the Electoral Commission and others to raise awareness of PCC elections.

To download the handbook, please visit: http://www.ourwatch.org.uk/resource_centre/docu-ment_library/police_and_crime_commissioners_communications_handbook/

Doorstep selling materials available from the OFT

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is running a campaign against doorstep selling and campaign materials are now available to download from the OFT website.

Doorstep selling is when someone sells you goods or services in your home or on your doorstep. It can be a convenient way to buy - but there is a risk you may be pressured into buying something you do not want or that is not good value for money.

The 2011-12 ‘Your doorstep, your decision’ campaign launched on 20 July 2011 and aims to empower people to make effective purchasing decisions when buying on their doorstep and reduce their vulnerability to rogue traders. Campaign activity aims to encourage consumers to exercise caution and seek reassurance before agreeing to buy products on the doorstep, and in 2011-12 has been focusing on mobility aids in particular.

Find out more about the doorstep selling campaign and download useful materials by visiting:

http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/consumer-protection/campaign11-12/doorstep/;jsessionid=DE24EDB0A37F477BCD820B26CB79AD10

Congratulations to our Development Manager!

Finally, we’d just like to say a big congratulations to our Development Manager, Sundeep Gill, who wed Vapinder Moore on the 15th July 2012.

We would like to wish them both the best of luck for the future.

Copyright (c) NHWN Registered Charity No: 1142747 | Company number: 7592594