Below are summaries of the latest news from our courts over the last week – please click on each headline to read the full story.

Huntingdonshire

Knife point Ramsey robber jailed

Fenland

Former mayor jailed for rape

Peterborough

Burglar stole Champagne and jewellery

Convicted paedophile sent back to jail

Robber walked victim to ATM and demanded cash
Pair broke into Peterborough pubs

Robber jailed for stealing boy’s bike

Burglar caught and detained by brothers

Cambridge

Lavish lifestyle ends for pair of drug dealers

Dangerously worn tyres caused life-changing crash

Jail for man who targeted the elderly

You can find more news from the force online here.

Read the Police and Crime Commissioner’s latest Annual Report.

Yesterday Police and Crime Commissioner, Darryl Preston published his second Annual Report following endorsement by Police and Crime Panel members last week.  The Report, which covers the financial year 2022/23, provides a snapshot of progress against the Police and Crime Plan which set policing priorities for Cambridgeshire Constabulary over a three-year period in 2021.   You can read the Report online here: PCC annual report 2022-2023 – A4 web edition (cambridgeshire-pcc.gov.uk) or alternatively contact the OPCC office if you require the Report in another format. Please subscribe to the monthly newsletter so you can keep up-to-date with my news and activities. You can do so by visiting the sign-up page on: PCC’s Newsletter (cambridgeshire-pcc.gov.uk).

Welcome to my July newsletter

This month, I share details of the huge progress being made across our Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) in Cambridgeshire following on from my £730k investment. The CSPs are delivering a stronger response to a wide range of issues including persistent anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping – problems that really matter to you – our local residents.

My Annual Report for 2022/23 has also been published and is available to the public. It reflects on the many milestones achieved during the past 12 months.  As always, the hard work continues to make Cambridgeshire and Peterborough even safer.   Darryl 

See the link below for the July newsletter

The latest news from Darryl Preston, Police and Crime Commissioner (govdelivery.com)

Our next South Cambs meeting will take place on 8^th August. The quarterly meeting hosted by your neighbourhood Inspector Simon Birch and his team. You will hear about work that has taken place across the area over the past three months, have the opportunity to address any concerns or ask and questions and help shape the local policing priorities for the coming quarter.

If you can make it, please register your attendance via the link and you will be sent a Teams invite for the evening – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/south-cambs-community-engagement-meeting-august-2023-tickets-491855191117

If you can’t make the meeting, please take a few minutes to fill in the survey. Every response is read and helps us to understand what concerns residents most – https://bit.ly/3Wx8krJ

21 million scam emails reported

Dear subscriber,    Almost 21 million reports have been made to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS), resulting in the removal of over 235,000 malicious websites.   SERS was launched by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the City of London Police in April 2020 to enable the public to forward suspicious emails to an automated system that scans them for malicious links. Since its launch, almost 21 million reports have been made to the service.   Mobile phone providers also offer a service that allows customers to report suspicious text messages, by forwarding them to the number 7726. The service is free of charge and enables providers to takedown malicious websites and block malicious texts from being sent across their network.   As of 31 May 2023, 54,000 text message scams have been removed as a result of suspicious texts forwarded to the 7726 service.   Commander Nik Adams, from City of London Police, said: “Every year, thousands of people in the UK are scammed by a fraudulent email or text message. Phishing scams, whether it’s a text message claiming you have missed a delivery and are required to pay a redelivery fee, or an email claiming to be from your bank are a common security challenges that both individuals and businesses across the UK face on a daily basis.   “If you receive an email or text message that you think might be a scam, don’t respond to it or click any links in the message or email. Instead, contact the organisation directly using contact information from the company’s official website, and not the links or numbers provided in the message itself.   “If you think you have been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. By reporting phishing scams or suspected fraud, you are directly helping us in our work to identify and stop these criminals and helping us protect others from these scams. If you are in Scotland, I ask that you report the fraud  directly to Police Scotland by calling 101.”     How to protect yourself from scam emails and texts Received an email or text that seems suspicious? Report it. Your reports enable us to remove the emails and websites criminals use to commit fraud and cyber crime. 1: Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk . Send emails to this address that feel suspicious, even if you’re not certain they’re a scam – we can check.   2: Forward suspicious text messages to 7726 (it’s free of charge). Your provider can find out where the text came from and block or ban the sender.   3 – If you’ve lost money or provided personal information as a result of a phishing scam, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.   Please note: Sometimes a forwarded email may not reach us because it is already recognised by spam detection services. You can also take a screenshot of the email and send it to report@phishing.gov.uk   (If you found this information useful, please forward it to your friends and family)

Message Sent By Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)

To reply or forward please use the below or these links: Reply, Rate, Forward / Share.

ASB Awareness Week 3rd – 9th July 2023

Neighbourhood Watch knows that Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) can be the highest contributor to negative influence in our community.  Often affecting an individual person or group, a whole community and the place we live.  We know, because we have heard the distress from people that are going through this, here and now.

ASB Awareness Week is an opportunity to raise awareness of what it covers, provide methods of how and who to report it to, understand your right to your case being reviewed and more importantly, what support you can expect from various agencies and organisations.

We would like to encourage the conversations and we have arranged for 4 webinars to help you.  We have speakers from Resolve, ASB Help, British Transport Police and from our Central Support Team, all talking about the many facets of antisocial behaviour in our communities and helping you to know the changes that were announced earlier this year and how that affects you, understanding your rights, knowing what to do when faced with ASB whilst on transport and what Neighbourhood Watch is doing to help communities deal with ASB in public spaces, through the Community Safety Charter.

ASB Awareness Week is spearheaded by Resolve and we are delighted to welcome Rebecca Bryant OBE, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  Resolve is a Centre of Excellence solely focused upon community safety and antisocial behaviour (ASB) who strongly advocate that community safety issues and ASB can be tackled effectively, and everyone has a right to feel safe. ASB should be treated as a priority, it is not low level and is a precursor to serious crime.

Our webinar programme for ASB Awareness Week is as follows.  If you see a webinar that you would like to attend online, please click on the below links (webinar title) to book your space.  You will need to do this for each individual webinar that you wish to attend.  All webinars are online and are via the platform Zoom.

Date	Time	Webinar	Speaker
Monday 3rd July	12pm – 1pm	Understand the changes to ASB legislation and know your rights	Rebecca Bryant OBE CEO Resolve UK
Tuesday 4th July	6pm – 7pm	Understanding the changes in the Community Trigger	ASB Help Specialist Victim Project Manager- Charlotte Hamilton-Kay & Practitioner Support Manager – Katy Anderson
Wednesday 5th July	12pm – 1pm	ASB on Public Transport	British Transport Police Led by Chief Inspector David Rams
Thursday 6th July	12pm – 1pm	How does the Community Safety Charter help you tackle ASB?	Neighbourhood Watch Network

Hello Mandy   ASB Awareness Week 3rd – 9th July 2023   Neighbourhood Watch knows that Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) can be the highest contributor to negative influence in our community.  Often affecting an individual person or group, a whole community and the place we live.  We know, because we have heard the distress from people that are going through this, here and now.   ASB Awareness Week is an opportunity to raise awareness of what it covers, provide methods of how and who to report it to, understand your right to your case being reviewed and more importantly, what support you can expect from various agencies and organisations.   We would like to encourage the conversations and we have arranged for 4 webinars to help you.  We have speakers from Resolve, ASB Help, British Transport Police and from our Central Support Team, all talking about the many facets of antisocial behaviour in our communities and helping you to know the changes that were announced earlier this year and how that affects you, understanding your rights, knowing what to do when faced with ASB whilst on transport and what Neighbourhood Watch is doing to help communities deal with ASB in public spaces, through the Community Safety Charter.   ASB Awareness Week is spearheaded by Resolve and we are delighted to welcome Rebecca Bryant OBE, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  Resolve is a Centre of Excellence solely focused upon community safety and antisocial behaviour (ASB) who strongly advocate that community safety issues and ASB can be tackled effectively, and everyone has a right to feel safe. ASB should be treated as a priority, it is not low level and is a precursor to serious crime.   Our webinar programme for ASB Awareness Week is as follows.  If you see a webinar that you would like to attend online, please click on the below links (webinar title) to book your space.  You will need to do this for each individual webinar that you wish to attend.  All webinars are online and are via the platform Zoom.   Date Time Webinar Speaker Monday 3rd July 12pm – 1pm Understand the changes to ASB legislation and know your rights    Rebecca Bryant OBE CEO Resolve UK Tuesday 4th July 6pm – 7pm Understanding the changes in the Community Trigger ASB Help Specialist Victim Project Manager- Charlotte Hamilton-Kay & Practitioner Support Manager – Katy Anderson   Wednesday 5th July 12pm – 1pm ASB on Public Transport British Transport Police Led by Chief Inspector David Rams   Thursday 6th July 12pm – 1pm How does the Community Safety Charter help you tackle ASB?   Neighbourhood Watch Network   Information about our speakers organisation   Resolve, Rebecca Bryant OBE – Rebecca brings her knowledge and expertise an anti-social behaviour to explain the changes made earlier this year. Rebecca joined Resolve in October 2018 as the chief executive with over 15 years’ experience of working with community safety and having worked in Manchester City Council as a Head of Crime and Disorder.  Prior to becoming chief executive Rebecca worked as a senior associate with resolve for a number of years and is a well-respected consultant within the industry possessing a broad and extensive noise around community safety and anti-social behaviour solutions.   ASB Help – ASB Help is a registered charity in England and Wales set up to provide advice and support to victims of anti-social behaviour.   ASB Help aims to provide information and advice to interested parties and members of the public involved with and suffering from anti-social behaviour. They believe there is a clear need for coordinated information and advice that is readily accessible to those who need it.     British Transport Police – Their mission is to help the millions of people who use the railways of England, Wales and Scotland get home safely and on time. We police Britain’s railways, providing a service to rail operators, their staff and passengers across the country. We also police the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, the Midland Metro tram system, Croydon Tramlink, Tyne and Wear Metro, and Glasgow Subway.    Antisocial Behaviour on public transport focuses on trains and underground services. It explores the behaviour from passengers that should be reported.  They will go into the different ways you can report ASB, either at the time or after the event, how not to put yourself at risk and how you can support victims. David will talk about the work of British Transport Police and how technology plays a part in reporting.   Neighbourhood Watch Network – Neighbourhood Watch Network is the umbrella charitable organisation which supports Neighbourhood Watch membership across England and Wales, making it the largest crime prevention movement.  They are the National body that represents the interests and needs of it members and promotes crime prevention, community health and wellbeing and connectiveness.  A grassroots organisation which is proud to continue to have communities and neighbours at its heart.   We would like to encourage you to book your space now to avoid disappointment, as our webinars can fill up very quickly.  Spaces are limited.   Best wishes   Central Support Team   Please note that this message has been sent to all Neighbourhood Watch supporters, members and volunteers.  However we would love for you to share this message.  You can do this by clicking SHARE in the icons below.

Following a detailed review of our demand for service, webchat is only available from 8am-5pm as part of a brief trial.

This is to allow us to provide extra resource for emergency 999 calls during peak periods.

The web forms, as opposed to webchat, are still available and they will be dealt with in the same manner as a 101 call. These cover a wide variety of non-emergency scenarios.

After the trial, the situation will be reviewed again to establish the most suitable ongoing solution for us to provide the best possible service to the people of Cambridgeshire with the resource we have available. Thank you 

Dear Subscriber,   Why are email accounts so important? Your emails contain a lot of information about you, so it’s crucial you make your email password strong. If criminals get into your email account, they could access personal information that could be used to scam you or others. To make it harder for them, always use an email password that you haven’t used elsewhere. Your email inbox can also act as a ‘gateway’ to your other accounts. Once they can access it, a criminal could use the ‘forgot password’ option to request emails enabling them to get into other accounts, such as your social media.   How to secure your email account   Your email password Using a combination of 3 random words creates passwords that are long enough and strong enough. Avoid words that can be guessed, like your pet’s name or birth month. Adding numbers and symbols is a good way to make your password even harder to guess.   Turn on 2-Step Verification (2SV) for your email 2-Step Verification (2SV) gives you twice the protection so even if cyber criminals have your password, they can’t access your email. 2SV works by asking for more information to prove your identity. For example, getting a code sent to your phone when you sign in using a new device or change settings such as your password. You won’t be asked for this every time you check your email.   Hot to turn on 2-Step Verification (2SV) ·      Turn on 2SV for Outlook ·      Turn on 2SV for Gmail ·      Turn on 2SV for iCloud   If you are using an email service that does not offer 2SV, please consider switching to an email provider that does.   How to check if one of your online accounts may have been compromised Services such as www.haveibeenpwned.com can tell you if your personal information or any of your account passwords have been made public in a major data breach.   If you have been affected by a data breach, you can find some useful information here from the National Cyber Security Centre on how to how to protect yourself from the impact of data breaches.   For more advice on how to stay secure online, please visit www.cyberaware.gov.uk     (If you have found this information useful, please forward it to friends, family members and colleagues)   Message Sent By Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)

View as a webpage

Clickbait ads on Facebook pages Watch out for Facebook pages that are using simple games or number puzzles to bait users into engaging with their posts so they can be lured into sharing their personal and/or financial information via private messaging, or a fake website. Your data is gold to fraudsters and there’s a lot of these “clickbait” posts around. In fact, one of our eagle-eyed Cambridgeshire residents has just shared one she’s spotted on local Facebook groups (see below) where the user is asked to “spot the number” in an image and offered a cash prize. The scammers ask you to private message (whether you give the right answer or not) to see if you have won the prize (there is no prize, of course). If you do question them, they might claim that they’re issuing the prize money on behalf of a reputable company like Aldi, but we know organisations like that (or their employees) wouldn’t operate like this. As always, if it is too good to be true, it usually is. Report fake Facebook ads here: How to report an ad | Meta Business Help Center (facebook.com) Follow us on Twitter| Facebook|Cambridgeshire.gov.uk/against-scams

WhatsApp account takeover scam

Criminals have been targeting WhatsApp users by posing as a friend and asking for a security code. Action Fraud has received over 60 reports relating to this scam. The scam begins when a criminal gets access to another WhatsApp account which has you listed as a contact. The criminal, posing as your friend or someone that’s a member of a WhatsApp group you’re in, will then send you seemingly normal messages to try and start a conversation with you. However, around the same time you will receive a text message from WhatsApp with a six-digit code. This is because the criminal has been trying to login to WhatsApp using your mobile number. The criminal will claim that they sent you their code by accident and ask you to help them by sending it to them. Once the criminal has this code, they can login to your WhatsApp account and lock you out. The criminal will then use the same tactic with your WhatsApp contacts in an effort to steal more accounts and use them to perpetrate fraud. What you need to do: ·  Set up two-step verification to give an extra layer of protection to your account: Depending on your phone, tap Settings > Account >Two-step verification > Enable. ·  “THINK. CALL.” If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity. ·  Never share your account’s activation code (that’s the 6 digit code you receive via SMS). ·  You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions. If you have been a victim of fraud or cyber crime, report it to Action Fraud or 0300 123 2040. Please share this alert with your friends and family to warn them and others.

Getting in touch

Dear Mandy,   Between the 1st-6th February, we received 5,905 calls to 101 – on top of the 2,494 calls we also received to 999 during the same period.   Needless to say, call handlers and dispatchers in our Demand Hub are often extremely busy dealing with serious incidents across the county.   Therefore, we want to remind the public about the quick and easy, self-service ways to get in touch with us in non-emergencies, that don’t involve waiting in line for a phone operator.   The first one is online reports. You can visit the force’s website and report non-urgent crime to us in just a few minutes, and then go about your day. We have dedicated forms for missing people, lost / stolen property, antisocial behaviour, road traffic incidents, domestic abuse, fraud, and more.   Simply tell us some details about yourself and the issue at hand (using a phone, tablet or desktop) and the form will be reviewed within a matter of hours. Our Demand Hub team will then decide whether your case has sufficient evidence / witnesses, and get in touch with you regarding the next steps.   We ask that you don’t call to ask for an update on forms that you have already submitted.   Another way to contact us is using live web chat. Over the past three months, our Demand Hub has responded to more than 9,500 web chats, with an average response time around 45 seconds meaning it’s the most efficient way to speak with us in a non-emergency.   Simply visit our website and click the green chat icon in the bottom right of the screen to launch a chat. Our specialist web chat operators are available around the clock to offer advice, answer questions and raise crime or intelligence reports, often without the wait.   If it is an emergency, always dial 999. If you do not have access to online services, 101 is always available. Learn more about ways to get in touch in our ‘Contacting the Constabulary’ guide on the force website.   Kind regards,

Message Sent By Lauren Watchorn (Police, Digital Marketing Officer, Corporate Communications)

We are delighted to invite you to attend our free crime prevention webinars running during February.

Each webinar will be delivered by Neighbourhood Watch with an expert speaker on each of the topics of knife crime, burglary prevention and scams. Places are free but limited. We traditionally fill places very quickly so book your place soon to avoid disappointment. As our webinars are very popular, we ask that you only book a place if you intend to attend, to open spaces for others.

The PREVENTING BURGLARY WITH WIDEN and UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SCAMS webinars will each be run twice – you only need to book on one of those, not both.

The EXPLOITATION, GANGS AND KNIFE CRIME AWARENESS FOR PARENTS AND CARERS is a two-part course; and we ask that ONLY PARENTS AND CARERS attend those and that you commit to attending both sessions.

BOOK YOUR PLACES HERE

More about each webinar

PREVENTING BURGLARY WITH WIDEN
Dates and times: 14th Feb 1pm – 2pm and 22nd Feb 6pm – 7pm – please attend one session only 
Speaker: Inspector Matt Coe, Sergeant Matt Coe, Crime Prevention, London Safety Centre

Sergeant Matt Coe is going to lead us through a webinar on burglary prevention and the importance of keeping your property safe and working with your neighbours. Matt has worked in the Metropolitan Police for the last 21 years, his early career was spent working in a variety of departments, from neighbourhoods policing to intelligence and surveillance, on promotion Matt ran the counter pickpocket and theft teams across Westminster where his passion for crime prevention was born. Since 2012 Matt has worked in crime prevention related roles covering the design and guidance for new housing in London, introducing new legislation and leading an innovative collaboration with the Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service to reduce demand across all three services. Additionally Matt leads on Crime Prevention as a subject matter expert and is the Crime Prevention training lead for the Metropolitan Police.

UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SCAMS
Dates: 15th Feb, 3.30-4.30pm and 28th Feb, 5.30-6.30pm – please attend one session only
Speaker: Paul Maskall from the Fraud & Cyber Crime Prevention Manager, Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU)

Back by popular demand, Paul Maskall will host a fireside chat on the psychology of scams and explain why scammers are so effective at their crimes. This fascinating insight into the way cyber criminals identify targets, often using data sold to them by other criminals, execute scams which use emotional blackmail and rational reasoning.

Although a scary topic, the much better news is that he will teach you how to question and swiftly deal with approaches from the criminal fraternity. An unmissable opportunity to learn more about cybercrime and fraud.

EXPLOITATION, GANGS AND KNIFE CRIME AWARENESS FOR PARENTS AND CARERS
Dates: Tues 21st Feb, 7-9pm and Tues 28th Feb, 7-9pm (Both should be attended to take full advantage of this opportunity.) 
Speaker: The workshops are hosted by The Ben Kinsella Trust and they will be facilitated by Anoushka Dunic and Patrick Green.

Parents and carers will gain a greater understanding and awareness of gangs, knife crime and how to keep young people safe. Parenting children and young adults is hard. Sometimes it can be scary and overwhelming, with news stories and social media influencing how safe we feel our children are and the risks they may face in today’s climate.

These two workshops help you learn more about what is regular teenage behaviour and what might be signs that a young person in your care is vulnerable to being groomed or exploited by others. During the 2-week workshop, you will develop an understanding of the following topics:

Week 1 – Tuesday 21st of February 2023, 7-9pm

·  Introduction to the work of The Ben Kinsella Trust

·  “Attachment” and “peer” orientation

·  Stress and how this affects brain development and behaviour of young people

·  Why some children may be vulnerable to being exploited

·  Stages and signs of exploitation

·  Free resources for parents

Week 2 – Tuesday 28th February 2023, 7-9pm

·  What street gangs are, what they do, how and why

·  Language, social media, and drill music

·  The risks involved in gang lifestyles

·  County lines

·  Trauma experienced by those affected by gangs

·  Why exploited children and young adults may resist help and support

·  Building resilience within the family and community

·  Further support available for families

We hope to see you at one of the workshops.

Best wishes

Central Support Team, Neighbourhood Watch Network

ourwatch.org.uk / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn / online shop
Neighbourhood Watch Network is a charity registered in England & Wales, CIO no: 1173349

WE ARE MAKING THIS A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. TOGETHER.Please note: This email has been sent to all Neighbourhood Watch supporters within our network

We’ve been patrolling Bar Hill this week, paying particular attention to the Tesco car park, after receiving reports of theft. On one occasion a woman in her 80’s was approached by a man and asked for information about the nearest vet and later discovered her purse had been stolen. Her bank cards were used and more than £700 taken. During a separate incident, a woman in her 70s was asked for directions whilst loading the shopping into her car. She later realised her bank cards had been taken. We’re urging shoppers to remain vigilant and if you are approached by an unknown man or woman, please do not engage with them and either call police or make security staff at Tesco aware. We’ve held meetings with Bar Hill Parish Council, Tesco and their security team in relation to these thefts and we’re making CCTV enquiries to identify those responsible. Kind Regards, Sergeant Rob Taylor South Cambs Neighbourhood Policing Team

When you need to contact the police, it can often be a distressing time, and with a range of different contact methods available to you, it might not be clear which one you should choose. 

It is important that our residents understand when to call us, when it’s better to go online, and when you should contact a different authority altogether. 

Click this link to access a ‘Contact us’ guide, which can be accessed any time via the Constabulary’s website. The guide breaks down each method of contact so you can learn about how and when to use the phone lines and online services for the police. Click into each section for further information and advice. 

A better understanding of the different contact methods (and when to use each one) will ensure that should you require the police, you will know where to turn to receive the appropriate help. Not only that, but it will also help alleviate unnecessary pressure on our call handlers, who often receive misplaced / inappropriate calls. 

Neighbourhood Alert