Sergeant Andy Heward took over what he calls 'the coveted role' of Alresford Sergeant on 1st December 2004, with 14 years Police experience, nearly all in Central Hampshire. Winchester born, 37 years ago, Andy is married and has 4 children. His Police career started in Alton, before moving to  Four Marks and then Winchester as a City Centre Beat Officer, followed by shift patrol car work. 

In 2001, although eligible for promotion, he took the opportunity to be seconded to the United Nations International Police Task Force based in Bosnia & Herzegovina. He considers the year away as the best time of his service so far. His team was made up from officers of other nationalities which made the whole experience all the more enjoyable and challenging. 

Returning in 2002, following promotion to Sergeant, he was posted back to Winchester first as Patrol Sergeant, then in 2004 as Custody Sergeant at North Walls. 

Throughout his service he has been involved in secondary roles dealing with public order, giving him the chance to experience areas of Police work such as mass demonstrations, house entry, premises raids and video   evidence gathering. Experience he certainly hopes not to call upon during his time at Alresford! 

Andy has been impressed  by the level of public support in our area that he says is becoming increasingly hard to find elsewhere. However, he believes there are still challenges to be met, not least in tackling the complacency which can develop when crime is low.

CHIP AND PIN

This new system may increase security, but it is still open to abuse.

·                Don’t EVER reveal your PIN number

·                Don’t write it down

·                Don’t give it anyone over the phone

·                Don’t put it in an e-mail

·                Don’t say it out loud.

·                Always enter it yourself when requested in a shop

·                Keep an eye on who is standing behind you when
 you enter your PIN number  

Cards requiring signature are still available in special circumstances.

WHEN GOING AWAY REMEMBER TO…

·                Make sure you cancel the milk, papers and anything else you have delivered regularly.

·                Give a week's notice if you want the Post Office to keep your post until you return.

·                Ask a neighbour you trust to keep a key to pick up your mail, water your plants and put your rubbish out for you. (Remember to say thank you!)

·                Leave lights/radio on a time switch. Your house needs to look as if you are still there.

·                Do not draw the curtains, as it advertises you are away.

·                Padlock the back gate so that a burglar cannot get in round the back.

LOOK AFTER YOUR PROPERTY, EVEN WHEN
 YOU ARE AT HOME...

·                Mark your new possessions, especially electrical goods, with both your post code and house number.

·                Burglars particularly target jewellery and laptop computers.

·                Lock up! 25% of burglaries are committed without even having to break in.

·                Consider photographing your jewellery and sending the photos to your insurance company.

·                Lock cars and caravans, even when on your own drive.

·                Don’t leave keys in accessible places

·                Lock the back door, and garden gate, even if you are in another part of the house/garden. 

Crimestoppers is an independent UK-wide charity working to stop crime. Crimestoppers works for you, your family and your community. Call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Just tell us what you know, not who you are.

CO-ORDINATORS 

Town Watches Thanks go to Hedley Parker  for taking on Dickenson Walk/Lindley Gardens. Vacancies exist for     Co-ordinators in Makins Court and Grange Road (West) 

Rural Watches We welcome Mark Durrant as Co-ordinator for Old Alresford and Ross Curwen Bryant for Cheriton. We do still need to fill the vacancy at Micheldever.

KINGS WORTHY REPORT

A special effort has been made, spearheaded by Inspector Steve Sargent and Rob Fellows. ID badges have been produced and issued to all 28 current Co-ordinators with, hopefully, one more to be recruited for Nations Hill. Safer Homes leaflets have been issued and meetings held with Co-ordinators in the village.

HOW IS YOUR COMMUNITY SAFETY KNOWLEDGE ?  

•                     Which of the following Inspectors is in charge
   at Alresford; Morse, Wexford or Sargent?

• ·                What certificate should a door-to-door salesperson  possess?  

• ·                 What is the non-emergency phone number for  Hampshire Constabulary?

• ·                 Which organisation would you get if you phoned 0800 555111?

• ·                "Buy with Confidence" is the phrase used by which HCC department?

• ·                 How many faces appear on the Neighbourhood Watch road signs?

Find the answers elsewhere in this Newsletter!

YELLOW PAGES

The new edition will be delivered commencing 7th February. If you see one left outside a neighbour’s whom you know to be away, please take it in for them.

NEWSLETTER CIRCULATION INCREASING

It is hoped that this issue will be distributed to all houses in Old Alresford and Bighton, in addition to Cheriton, who have received the last two editions. This means we now have a circulation of over 3000 homes in the area.

USEFUL CONTACTS

ALRESFORD POLICE STATION ENQUIRY DESK

Information on crime       prevention and all Police services.

Update from WPC Jane Brookes -
Alresford’s Beat Officer

 KEEPING CRIME DOWN IN AND AROUND ALRESFORD

The good news is that crime rates in the town and its surrounding villages have hit a new low, with just 17 offences being reported in November. 

It is vital for every incident to be immediately reported to the Police. Anything which you feel is even slightly suspicious should be passed on at once. 

Most residents know what is the norm in their neighbourhood and things like unusual vehicles, or strangers knocking on doors, do tend to stand out. The Police need to be alerted to such situations and they are  anxious to respond and check them out, as they are always interested in which door-to-door callers are active in the area, who should carry a valid pedlar’s certificate.

This includes Nottingham Knockers, Brighton antique sellers, dishcloth sellers, ‘tarmackers’,  roofers,  tree pruners, and even fish sellers.

Don't think that the Police do not want to be worried by minor incidents. It is often the small pieces of information which fit into the jigsaw, leading  to crimes being solved or prevented. You can also contact HCC Trading Standards on 0845 603 0081, or 01962 846316.

In one area recently there was a spate of domestic break-ins. It is understood that someone was spotted on the roof of a garage, but this was not reported until the following morning! Far too late for Police action. Several properties were entered, resulting in the stress and anger that accompanies such events. If the person who saw something unusual had dialled 999 there might well have been a different result.

So, phone 0845 045 45 45 if your suspicions are aroused, or 999 if you think there could be a crime in progress DO IT IMMEDIATELY - your call could  protect the community from a crime being committed.

2004 /2005 Association Committee Members 

Chairman

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