Keep Safe When Out and About This Christmas

Public transport

Many of us use public transport to get to and from work, college, university, to pop to the shops or go out. Using the train, bus or grabbing a taxi is often a safer alternative than walking on your own late night. However, there are still a number of safety precautions that you can take to make yourself seem more confident and less likely to become a victim of crime.

Obviously, if you’ve been out drinking or clubbing until the early hours of the morning you may not think about keeping yourself safe whilst you’re making the journey home.  But, it is important that you use your common sense to stop yourself becoming a victim of crime. 

It’s not just buses, trains and trams that you need to be aware of. Getting into unlicensed taxis can also put you in danger. You need to be especially cautious if you ‘hail’ a taxi after a night out. Do you really know who’s driving you home?

Here are some helpful hints to keep you safe when you use a taxi:

• Always use a taxi or licensed mini cab.
• Do not get into a private hire vehicle unless you have pre-booked it through a registered company as you will not be insured should anything happen, and it would be difficult to track your whereabouts. You may however hail a taxi (usually a black cab) on the street.
• When in a taxi or a black cab take note of the drivers details which should be displayed on his/her badge along with their taxi number. To be extra safe you could text a friend or family member the details.
• When you arrive at your destination ask the driver to wait until you’re inside. 
• Source; http://www.upbeat.uk.com

Keep Safe when out and about this Christmas

Do you know what you’re drinking?

There are a lot of stories in the press about the health implications of drinking excessively. Everyone enjoys a night out with friends and family, whether it’s having a couple of drinks with a meal or going out for a night on the town with friends. We often don’t think about the harm alcohol can cause. We know we should, but sometimes we forget.

If you are having a drink do you really know what you’re drinking? Do you leave your drink unattended? Anyone could slip something into your drink when you least expect it.

Drinking alcohol can make you vulnerable, if your drink gets spiked it can really affect you and make you susceptible to criminals.

Did you know?

• Drink spiking is illegal, whether or not an attack or assault has been carried out. It can result in a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison for anyone who is found guilty of doing it. If an assault, rape or robbery has also taken place, then the sentence will be even higher.

What should I do if I think my drink has been spiked?

If you think that your drink has been spiked, you should stop drinking it and tell someoneyou trust, that you think your drink has been spiked. If you are out on your own, ask the pub landlord or bar manager to call one of your friends. Then you need to get to a safe place, whether that’s at home or at a friends house. 

If you start to feel ill, get someone you trust to take you to your nearest A&E department andtell the medical staff that you think you’ve had your drink spiked.

How can I avoid my drink being spiked?

If your drink has been spiked it’s unlikely that you will be able to see, smell or taste any difference.

The following steps may help prevent someone from spiking your drink:

• Never leave your drink unattended
• Don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know
• Keep an eye on your friends’ drink
• Stay away from situations that you don’t feel comfortable with
• Let someone know where you are and what time you expect to be home, especially if you’re going on a date with someone you don’t know.
• Don’t give out too much information to someone you’ve just met, such as your address.
• It’s important to remember that if you’ve already been drinking, it may make you less aware of any danger.

The most common reasons for drink spiking are:

• For amusement
• To be malicious
• To carry out sexual assault or rape
• To carry out a theft

If you do go out, remember to make sure that you and your friends/family get home safely.  Get them to text you when they get home, and you text them when you get home. That way you don’t have to spend the night worrying about them.

Remember, it’s not just women who get their drinks spiked.

To find out more information about staying safe when you’re making your way home look at out ‘Walking the streets late at night/early in the morning’ BELOW

Source; http://www.upbeat.uk.com

Keep safe when out and about this Christmas

Walking the streets late at night/early in the morning

Most people know that they shouldn’t walk home late at night or in the early hours of the morning on their own, but many people still do it.

How many times have you left work, a party or a club and thought, I’m only 10 minutes down the road. I’ll be ok?

But in reality walking alone on unlit streets, across dark open land etc makes you more vulnerable to crime. To make matters worse if you’ve been drinking you’re often even more vulnerable because, you are unaware of what’s going on around you. You don’t realise how easy it is for a thief to come up behind you and take your mp3 player and mobile phone.

Its not just thieves that you need to be aware of when you’re walking the streets, there are also other people out there who will take advantage of your vulnerability. Sexual assaults are rare crimes, but they do happen.

One of the most common things to do when you’re walking home in the dark is to get your mobile phone and start texting or to ring someone. Doing this may seem like a safe thing to do. However, it lights you up like a Christmas tree and makes you a walking advertisement to opportunistic thieves.

You can take a few simple precautions to avoid becoming a victim of theft. You can also make your phone difficult to use if it’s stolen:

• Avoid talking on your mobile while walking, or having your mp3 player on show.
• Before taking out your mobile, check to see who is around and position yourself in a way that will make it difficult for thieves to approach you.
• Try to be where a CCTV camera can see you
• Always use the keypad lock function
• Register your mobile with the service provider, and immobilise
• Make a note of your mobile phone's IMEI number.
• Report a theft to the police and to your mobile service provider as soon as possible. 

So next time you’re coming home late at night or in the early hours of the morning take more notice of what is going on around you.

What advice could you give me about staying safe late at night or in the early hours of the morning?

Whether you’re going out or coming home late at night or in the early hours of the morning. We recommend you do the following:

• Don’t walk home alone. We recommend that you walk with a group of people as it makes you less of a target.
• Avoid taking risky shortcuts through back alleys, parks or waste grounds.  Stick to pavements and well lit areas.
• If you are walking along a road with no footpath, walk facing the traffic so you can see what’s heading towards you. This stops cars pulling up behind you unnoticed.
• If you regularly walk home or go out jogging try to vary your routes (without taking risky shortcuts)
• Wearing earphones is common practice these days and can make walks or jogging more entertaining. However, be aware that the earphones may appear attractive to opportunistic thieves and potential attackers, and reduce your alertness to your surroundings.
• If you’re carrying a bag make sure the clasp is facing inwards, all zips and pockets are closed. If your bag is snatched let it go, your safety is more important than your property.
• If you have expensive items on you such as jewellery, a mobile phone or an mp3 player keep it out of sight.
• If you are threatened by a person, scream and shout, set off a personal attack alarm to startle the attacker and give you vital seconds to escape. Try to make note of details such as registration plates, clothing, height etc and then report the incident to the police.

The advice given is nothing more than common sense. Sometimes we choose to ignore advice like this, but it’s given for a good reason.

Source; when-out-and-about/walking-streets-late-at-nightearly-morning

Drive to recruit more PCSOs to patrol Nantwich and Crewe

Cheshire’s PCC John Dwyer has launched a force-wide drive to recruit more Police Community Support Officers.

PCSOs work at the heart of Nantwich Neighbourhood Policing Unit as well as other teams across the county.

Cheshire Constabulary employs 200 PCSOs, and Mr Dwyer believes bringing more in will “enhance front line policing”.

He said: “I am delighted we are able to recruit new staff.

“Feedback I have received from the public tells me they really value the contribution PCSOs make to neighbourhood policing.

“I think people now understand the difference between Police Community Support Officers and police officers.

“It is their ability to spend time out and about on the streets engaging with the community and solving local problems that has a huge impact on people′s feelings of safety.

“I encourage people from all of Cheshire’s diverse communities to apply for the role.”

Applications open on Monday December 9.

Anyone interested should visit http://www.cheshire.police.uk/jobs/pcsos.aspx for more information.

7 Social Media Security Tips To Protect Your Business

Your employee's online life could open your business to some serious dangers.

Many small businesses recognize the benefits of having a social media presence for customer service and long-term marketing purposes. However, many are slow to recognize social media's security issues and how employees’ own social presence can add to the company's security issues.

Some companies restrict internal access. Others may prevent employees from having any corporate association outside of work on their own social platforms. This is due to the fact that whatever an employee says outside of work publicly can have a significant impact on the organization.

Turns out the robbers scanned the teller’s social media sites based on searching the name of the bank as employer.

Last year I presented a robbery response program to a credit union. My presentation came after a mock robbery was staged, using real cops acting as masked robbers with guns. The robbers came in, guns blazing and screaming profanities, and, quite frankly, were very disturbing in their delivery. Some tellers cried, others cowered. Pregnant women were not allowed to participate and for good reason: Cops make great robbers!

At the end of the robbery, we all circled and discussed what happened. The teller who received the robbery note read it aloud, stating: “Your husband works at the Main Street Garage. We intercepted him when he was opening this morning. He is in a trunk at an undisclosed location. If you hit the silent alarm and the police come, we will kill him.”

Turns out the robbers scanned the teller’s social media sites based on searching the name of the bank as employer. Once done, they looked up her spouse’s place of employment. They were able to learn what time he opened and closed the shop. Scary.

Follow these social media security tips for small business to prevent security issues just as scary:

1. Institute a policy. Social media policies must be in place to regulate employee access and establish guidelines for appropriate behavior. Policies must specifically state what can and cannot be said, referring to slang, abusive language, etc. Employers should train their employees on proper use, as well. At this point, many of the mistakes have already been made; a quick search for “social media policy” will return lots of great ideas.
2. Consider a no-employment disclosure. Request employees leave their employment status blank when setting up a social site profile. Employees represent their employer 24/7/365, so what an employee says on or off the job and online directly reflects on his or her employer and, as stated in my credit union story, can be used against the organization.
3. Limit access to social networks. There are numerous social networks serving different uses, from wine and recreation to music to movies, used for everything from friending to finding a job. Some are more or less appropriate, and others are less than secure. Employee association with a social network that is considered off-color in any way will come back and haunt the company.
4. Train IT personnel. Policies and procedures begin from the top down. Managers and IT personnel responsible for managing technology need to be fully up to speed with social media security risks and set leadership examples.
5. Maintain ongoing monitoring and security. Once a policy is in place, it needs to be updated and enforced, and employees’ online lives must constantly be scrutinized. Invest in consulting, hardware, software and anti-virus protection, and update critical security patches for your operating system to make sure your business network is up to date.
6. Lock down social settings. Require employees to learn about and incorporate maximum privacy settings. Most social networks have privacy settings that need to be administered to the highest level. Default settings generally leave the networks wide open for attack.
7. Don’t completely eliminate social media. Eliminating access to social media opens an organization up to other business security issues. Employees who want access will get it—and when this happens, they sometimes go around firewalls, making the network vulnerable.

Source; social-media-security-small-business

Crime down since new Cheshire Commisioner took over

AFTER 350 days in office Cheshire’s Police and Crime Commisioner says his role has resulted in less crime and fewer victims in Warrington.

John Dwyer said that since being elected last year, he has brought crime down to its lowest level for more than a decade, with victims reduced by 1000 in the last six months.

“There is absolutely less crime now than when I started in office,” he said.

“I think I am making a real difference and if the public aren’t yet aware of that at the moment they will be through my time in office.

“This is a marathon not a sprint, and there is lots more to come.”

Elected as a Conservative Party candidate when 13.7pc of Cheshire voted, Mr Dwyer is the area’s first PCC.

He replaced the Police Authority in a Government move aimed at reducing bureaucracy and costs.

With a mandate to hold chief constable Dave Whatton to account, he claims to have improved Cheshire Police.

Mr Dwyer says the way burglaries were investigated was ‘not good enough’, and that a change in approach that sees every victim visited by an officer has lead to a reduction.

Challenges have included handling budget cuts, with £36m to be saved over three years, during public demand for more officers on the street.

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There are currently 1,954 officers in Cheshire, down from 1,993 at the start of Mr Dwyer’s tenure, although there are also 222 CSOs.

That has meant 100 special constables, volunteers with police powers, have been recruited, with a further 100 expected to sign up by March.

Mr Dwyer said: “I saw a recruitment drive for specials as a way to address this issue.

“In an ideal world I wouldn’t cut any police officers but I have budget issues to deal with.

“Specials will never replace police officers, but they are of value, not pieces of cardboard.”

The commisioner will stay in office until at least the next election in 2016.

Priorities include further reducing crime and helping more victims.

So far, there have been no regrets.

Mr Dwyer added: “I wouldn’t change anything monumental.

“This is a job that no one has done before and we are all experiencing things that have taught us a lesson.

“But things are getting better.”

Source; http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/10803140.Crime_down_since_new_Cheshire_Commisioner_took_over/

Cheshire Police will help veterans who may turn to crime

CHESHIRE’S police and crime commissioner has been turning his attention to the needs of the small number of ex-military personnel who break the law. 

John Dwyer said: “Today we honour the servicemen and women who have given life and sometimes limb to serve our country but we tend to think of the older generation who served in the World Wars.

“We are now seeing a much younger population of ‘veterans’ in their twenties and thirties who have experienced combat and seen things we dare not think about.

“Some of these brave men and women we sadly find entering the criminal justice system and it is important that all public service providers are set up to identify their needs and signpost them to appropriate support services. Some military personnel struggle with the transition to civvy street and may turn to alcohol or drugs.

“There is evidence that suggests that they are more likely to commit violent offences or domestic abuse. Homelessness and debt management may also become a problem for some.”

Working in partnership with Tascor, Cheshire Police now ask all detainees in police custody whether they are ‘veterans’ as part of a health assessment.

Dr Vis Reddy of Tascor said: “I am delighted we are now able to identify veterans in custody as part of a standard screening process. The work being done in Cheshire is a big step towards offering them the right support at an early stage.”

Alan Lilly, of ‘Live at Ease’ which has been commissioned by the NHS to connect ex-service personnel and veterans to the right kind of help, has been training police officers based at custody suites across Cheshire.

He said: “We are not implying that all ex-military will go on to offend but it is important their needs are identified early so they can be put in touch with the right support networks such as the Royal British Legion, Combat Stress or SSAFA for example. In just 10 days Live at Ease received five referrals from the Runcorn custody suite alone which helped veterans receive the help they need, in particular those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.”

Mr Dwyer added, “Cheshire Constabulary, clinical commissioning groups, local authorities, Tascor and probation services among others have all signed the ‘Armed Forces Community Covenant’ which seeks to encourage public service organisations to support the service community in their area and promote understanding and awareness among the public of issues affecting the armed forces community.

“I encourage all police officers to consider the needs of ex-military personnel not just on Armistice day but every day.”

View the latest crime figures and statistics for Sandbach and Alsager here

Sandbach and Alsager

Neighbourhood Picture

The following table and graphs show you crime and ASB breakdowns and trends for Sandbach and Alsager.

	ASB	Burglary	Robbery	Vehicle	Violent	Other Total	Total
Sep 2013	100	9	0	11	19	44	190
Aug 2013	114	10	0	13	21	37	206
Jul 2013	139	8	2	4	24	44	230
Jun 2013	113	4	0	18	20	35	197
May 2013	90	15	1	6	18	49	188
Apr 2013	103	6	1	5	13	52	180
Mar 2013	87	11	0	3	11	58	170
Feb 2013	84	6	0	12	12	53	167
Jan 2013	104	6	0	5	11	63	189

Source; http://www.ukcrimestats.com/Neighbourhood/Cheshire_Constabulary/Sandbach_and_Alsager