West Leeds

May 2016

Puppy in the Park 2016 proved a success on

Sunday 22nd May in Farnley Hall Park.

The event was run by Dogwatch, a crime

busting initiative from West Yorkshire Police,

where dog walkers are able to share

valuable information to help tackle crime. It

was sponsored by your local Farnley and

Wortley Councillors.

There were lots of fun activities during the

day - including free dog chipping, children's

sports day races and a dog competition with

great prizes for each category winner and

best in show. There was a fun fair rides for

the kids, face painting and opportunities to

sit in the fire engine and Police van and try

on mini Police uniforms. In addition, there

was tasty ice creams and 40 market stalls

with all sorts of products - such as candles,

jewellery, books, plants, and cup-cakes.

Funds were raised for Reptile Rangers - a

community interest group who provide

rescue space for unwanted or abandoned

reptiles, and for Anya's Fund. Anya is a 6-

year-old local girl who was recently

diagnosed with Chordoma Brain Cancer. All

funds will be donated to her ongoing Proton

Therapy treatment in the UK and USA.

We are pleased to report that a total of

£1,800 was raised on the day - £900 for each

of our charities: Reptile Rangers & Anya's

Fund. Thanks for all your support!

In addition, we received this email from the

Guide Dogs Society who had a stall at the

event:

“I am pleased to say that we raised £165 at

the event in Farnley and this money will go

towards helping to give independence to

people in the local community who are blind

or visually impaired. It costs approximately

£5 per day to support each working guide

dog partnership. Many thanks for all your

support”

Well done to everyone who attended on

the day, bought raffle tickets or had a go on

the tombola. Stallholders also donated to

our causes so anything you may have bought

also helped us to reach our fantastic totals!

Puppy in the Park proves a ‘pawfect’ day

Photos from Dogwatch North West Leeds. Check out the Facebook page for more info and snaps!

Local Officers recently organised Operation Dodgegill, where officers work alongside partner agencies to conduct roadside checks. PCSO Muftee from Pudsey Police Station organised a two day traffic operation at Farnley on 19th of May 2016 and Thornbury on 20th May 2016. The partner agencies involved were DVLA, HMRC Road Fuel Testing Unit, Leeds Taxi Licensing at Leeds City Council and Bradford Taxi Licensing at Bradford Council. Officers present were Police Community Support Officers, Police Officers, Special Constables, the Off-Road Bike Team and Police Volunteers. Farnley:-

■ 1 x vehicle seized for no insurance and driver reported for court summons.

■ 2 x vehicles were clamped by DVLA for not having valid tax. A fee of £260 had to be paid in order to release the clamp.

Thornbury:-

■ 1 x vehicle seized for having no insurance.

■ 1 x vehicle seized because the driver was found to be disqualified.

■ 1 x vehicle was also found not to have a valid MOT so was issued with a £100 fine.

■ 3 x tickets were issued for number plate defects.

■ A small amount of cannabis was seized from a driver who will be issued a community resolution.

■ 29 x vehicles checked by Leeds Taxi Licensing. This resulted in two suspensions, including bald tyres and accident damage and three rectification notices for vehicle defects (meaning they must get the cars repaired or face further action).

■ 12 x vehicles were checked by Bradford Taxi Licensing. Of these, two suspensions were issued - one of which was for a rear break light out and no insurance documents presented. Three advisories were given, with one of note being to rectify the general cleanliness. HMRC checked numerous vehicles at Thornbury and thankfully found no one using red diesel. The Police Volunteers, along with a PCSO, were patrolling the Odeon cinema car park, the local neighbourhood and businesses to offer crime prevention advice. They spoke to local residents and explained what we were doing. The feedback they received was positive. They located an insecure vehicle which had a briefcase and a sat nav on display. Thankfully, they located the owner after some checks. Crime prevention leaflets were also left on numerous vehicles in the car park and neighbouring neighbourhood. In total around 100 vehicles were stop checked by Police and partner agencies in

Farnley and Thornbury. PCSO Muftee said “I’m really pleased with the results we’ve had. It just shows working alongside partner agencies really works, we all had our different roles and the hard work from everyone involved paid off, We will continue to run operation Dodgegill in the near future.”

Making a ‘tread start’ in tackling vehicle crime

Earlier this year, PCSOs Muftee and Broadley were invited to Farsley Farfield Primary school to talk about 'people who help us'. The talk was tailored to the reception class audience. The children also had a tour of the Police van which they really enjoyed. Here are a few comments from the children: ■ " I liked trying the hand cuffs." ■ " I liked going in the jail at the back of the van." ■ " I liked pressing the siren button." ■ "The noise was too loud!" ■ "Going in the front to drive." ■ " I liked watching the flashing lights." ■ "Closing the big jail door was funny." Officers talked about stranger danger and the different ways we help. They answered lots of questions from the group. The teachers said: 'Thank you for a fantastic afternoon with our reception children - we all had fun and learnt a lot'.

Farsley Farfield yields future Officers

Online Watch Link (OWL) sends you the

latest local crime alerts to keep you

informed of what’s going on, as well as

helping to keep communities safe and

reducing crime.

It's a shared, secure platform for the public

and local authorities to maximise the

potential of Neighbourhood Watch, Rural

Watch, Business Watch and dozens of other

schemes. OWL sends you the latest local

crime alerts and provides management

tools for maintaining and expanding

watches. OWL has also made an appearance

on BBC Crimewatch. Sign up at http://

www.owl.co.uk.

Owl’s about a view of what’s going on in your local area?

Officers have been raising awareness

around car crime as theft from motor

vehicles are still taking place.

We have come across numerous vehicles

where property has been left on display.

The types of Items regularly spotted by

PCSOs included sat-navs, laptop, coats,

money, mp3 players and a number of bags.

Easy pickings for a thief!

Please follow these simple steps which

may prevent you from becoming a victim:

• When you leave your vehicle please

make sure there is no sat-nav or cradle left

on display. If you have used a cradle with a

suction cup wipe the mark off the

windscreen (a tell-tale sign to a thief!).

• Don't leave property on show or hide it in

obvious places like under the seats or glove

box. Take it with you. If you leave any

tell-tale signs there might be something

of value in your vehicle these are the first

places thieves will look.

• Don't leave coats or bags on display.

Thieves may think they have purses or

wallets inside and break in to check.

• Walk around your vehicle and look in - can

you see anything on display? This takes

seconds and could save you hours in

arranging repairs or replacements for

property.

Get into a routine each time you leave

your vehicle and make the checks. Don't

give thieves an easy ride!

Large yellow banners have also now been

erected at the Owlcotes Centre, Pudsey and

also at Savins Mill, Kirkstall. These banners

aim to alert owners to the risk of vehicle

crime should items of value be left in cars.

Further sites in the West have been

identified for these banners and other signs

about vehicle crime.

West Yorkshire Police joined partners to help older people guard against being a victim of so-called cyber crime. The force joined Victim Support, West Yorkshire Trading Standards and Age UK Wakefield to host a webchat to offer help and advice and answer any questions older people might have about cyber crime. And they were joined remotely by older people at the Armley Helping Hands neighbourhood network and service users at Aspire who fed questions in to the webchat. Detective Inspector Vanessa Smith who leads the West Yorkshire Cyber Unit, said: "The event was very successful with users as old as 96 getting involved - a lot of very pertinent questions were sent through which we were able to answer and hopefully provide some reassurance and education to people. "What was clear was that most people didn't think cyber crime would be something that could affect them but we wanted to stress that almost anyone can be a victim. "We even had one user who explained she had been sent an email which on reflection, having joined in on the discussion, was suspicious and so she now won't open that. So that's one potential victim we have been able to help directly.

"I would also like to thank our partners for getting involved and giving a slightly different view on things - or an alternative way of looking at the problem. "It's important that young people who are perhaps more 'computer savvy' than older people take the time to have a conversation with them about the risks of cyber crime and what they can do to prevent it - whether that be speaking to their parents / grandparents or neighbours - spreading the word about the simple steps people can take to protect themselves from cyber criminals can make all the difference." Dawn on behalf of the members at Armley Helping Hands and service users at Aspire, said: "Thank you very much for giving us so much information. Many of our members at the start of the session didn't think cyber crime was an issue for them as they have limited access to a computer but have very quickly realised that they share their personal details with family members and friends and on many occasions are accessing the internet via a third party."

Joining forces to help fight cyber crime

Shed light on security

West Leeds residents are being reminded

to keep their sheds secure - especially now

the warmer weather is here and they are

likely to be used more. We would like to

offer you these crime prevention tips:

• Check the general fabric of your shed and

garage - are there any signs of decay, that

may provide an opportunity for a thief?

• Fit a ‘Shedbar’ that meets Secured by

Design standards.

• Is it possible to strengthen the door and

frame? Outside door hinges should be

secured with coach bolts or non-return

screws. Use strong padbars and close

shackle padlocks.

• What condition are the windows in? Are

they held in by inefficient fixings? Consider a

strong grille or heavy wire mesh to increase

window security and the use of net curtains

to deter casual viewing.

• Post-code items that you store in the shed

or garage. Use a visible method of

marking where possible such as permanent

marker pen.

• Keep a record of any serial numbers.

• Use a chain to secure valuable items

within the shed or garage, so even if

someone does break in they won't be able

to walk off with your valuable items.

• Remember to lock everything away in

your shed or garage once you have secured

it.

• Don't be tempted to leave things out

overnight or while you just 'nip to the

shops'. Remember, it only takes a minute

for someone to walk off with your

belongings.

For further advice, please contact your

local Crime Reduction Officer by

telephoning 101 or send an email to

leedscpo@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

The Regional Cyber Crime Unit (RCCU) is part of the Yorkshire & Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit. The unit works with the National Crime Agency and other partners, in the UK and abroad, to investigate and prevent the most serious cyber offences. The RCCU deals predominantly with the most serious pure cyber-dependent offences relating to Malware based cyber-crime, including Botnets, Distributed Denial of Service attacks, Phishing, Network Compromise and Extortion.

The unit also works with the other Regional Organised Crime Unit departments and supports our regional Forces to tackle serious and organised crime by providing investigative and technical support and a proactive cyber capability. For the latest cyber related alerts, news and for useful hints and tips helping you to stay safe online visit our Protect Yourself page at http://www.yhrocu.org.uk

West Yorkshire Police have praised the

spectators for the Tour de Yorkshire who

helped make the event a special day.

Stage two of the men’s race and the entire

women’s race started in Otley, travelling

through West Yorkshire before finishing in

Doncaster.

Despite the ‘mixed’ weather, the crowds

exceeded expectations and lined the route,

along with scores of volunteers.

Superintendent Pat Casserly from West

Yorkshire Police, said:

“This is the second year of the Tour de

Yorkshire and it gets better every year.

Months of planning between different

police forces and partner agencies went in

to making the even run as smoothly as

possible and I am proud about how

everything went.

“We had the Tour de France Grande

Depart in 2014 and the inaugural Tour de

Yorkshire last year and we have built on the

successes from those events and recognised

where we needed to make changes for this

one.

“Sadly one of the few things we couldn’t

control was the weather but despite the

changeable conditions lots of people came

out to cheer on the competitors and the sun

even managed to put in an occasional

appearance.

“If anything the weather helped the

atmosphere and the crowds exceeded

expectations. I would also like to thank all of

the volunteers and Tour Makers who got

involved today – they were simply

magnificent and I can’t praise them enough.

“We also used the event as an opportunity

to once again engage with people –

particularly by using social media and lots of

people got involved and shared their

pictures of the race.

“At present we haven’t made one Tour

related arrest in West Yorkshire and that’s

due in part to the great atmosphere

generated across the route.”

Raising hate crime awareness

Immobilise is a free property register

enabling users to create a secure record of

personal possessions such as laptops,

mobile phones, cameras and various other

items.

Protecting personal property is extremely

important and registering it on Immobilise

can assist in reuniting you with your

possessions if stolen or in deterring an

offender from stealing them in the first

place. Benefits of property registration on

Immobilise include:

■ It’s free of charge and very easy to create

your personal portfolio on-line.

■ Almost any item of property can be

registered within minutes.

■ You can add specific details relating to

items of property – i.e. serial numbers,

photographs or individual features.

■ If an item of your registered property is

stolen you simply inform the Police and

then log on to your account on Immobilise

and update the status of the item.

■ The system is linked to the National

Mobile Property Register, which enables the

Police to enter serial numbers of stolen

items that they have recovered against the

property registered. This can then result in

items of stolen property being returned to

their rightful owner and offenders being

brought to justice for their crimes.

Using Immobilise and awareness stickers

to inform people that your property has

been registered on the system can assist in

preventing and reducing crime, increasing

an offenders chance of being caught and

protecting your property and the

sentimental or important documents that

are sometimes stored on electronic items.

Once you have opened a free account on

Immobilise, it is important to keep it up to

date, either in notifying the system that an

item has been lost or stolen or in registering

new items that you have purchased.

Visit http://www.immobilise.com to find out more and sign up!

As the warmer weather is now here, West Yorkshire Police is urging homeowners to protect their homes and not to be caught out by opportunistic thieves. Thirty per cent of burglaries happen when opportunistic thieves walk in through an unlocked front door and 26 per cent through unlocked or open windows. The campaign highlights the tactics that burglars use and reminds people of the simple steps we can all take to improve our home security and deter burglars from targeting our homes.

■ Don’t let a thief catch you out!

■ Keep doors and windows locked at all times – even when you’re inside.

■ Don’t forget to lock the door behind you and remove the key from the lock.

■ Keep keys, cash and valuables out of sight and in a safe place.

■ Door chimes might deter a burglar from entering your property – but remember to always lock your door.

■ If you’re outside gardening or hanging out washing, make sure doors and windows are locked.

■ Put packaging for expensive items in the bin or take it to be recycled. Don’t advertise what’s in your house.

■ Make sure door and window locks are fitted to the appropriate standards. Cheap locks or deteriorating fittings all make your home an easy target for burglars.

■ Check that existing security, such as alarms and external lights are working and use them to protect your home.

■ Consider downloading free tracking software for items such as laptops and mobile phones.

■ Join or start a Neighbourhood Watch Group and look out for your neighbours.

■ If you have a garage use it to store your vehicle out of sight.

Find out more at http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/burglary

Online fraud covers a variety of incidents - including online banking, auction websites, identity theft and online shopping to name just a few. Users often forget that they are not dealing face to face with someone and believe what they see to be true, without reservation, or the sort of caution you might apply in dealing with someone face to face. Stay safe online by taking some simple precautions. Auction websites

Online auctions are popular with shoppers - when using auction sites always use strong passwords and never give your passwords to anyone

When paying on auction sites never transfer the money direct to a bank account, secure sites such as PayPal are usually safer – however payments can be reversed – check the seller's feedback before making a purchase.

Always make sure you have received payment for sales on auction sites before you despatch the goods – and when posting, use a fully tracked and signed for postal service.

Remember if something appears too good to be true, then it usually is.

Online banking If you use online banking it’s important you keep passwords and personal details private to stop criminals accessing your account

Banks will never ask you to reveal your full password on the phone or by email.

When using online banking be aware of who can see your screen and make sure you log out properly.

Online shopping

Shopping online can often save time and effort but there are risks too. When shopping online make sure the retailer is reputable, research them online and make sure they have an address and phone number.

Look out for secure "https" links in the address of the website to ensure the site is secure in its payment/form handling methods.

Paying online by credit card can offer greater protection than other payment methods.

Try to use different passwords for different websites - sharing passwords can be very risky.

Fake scam versions of corporate sites may be set up that look almost identical to the original site - yet may be completely fake. Always check the web address of the page and ensure it is the official website.

Phishing emails

Phishing is where an email is sent asking you to log on to your banking website or a shopping website by way a spoof / fake website. This website looks genuine and can be a clone of the genuine site. Once you log on this website then captures your login details and these can be used fraudulently.

Always check the web address of the web page you are visiting and ensure it is the official website.

Never reply to these emails - you may then be added to a 'suckers' list and receive more emails of a similar kind. Please visit our website at http:// www.westyorkshire.police.uk/BlockTheWebMonsters for loads of ideas to keep you safe online.

Block the Web Monsters

Over 400 students from Years 7 and 8 at Pudsey Grangefield High School had a presentation by Leeds Crime Reduction Officer, Richard Thornton on internet safety and the risks from the emerging cyber-crime threats recently. The students were enthusiastic and participated with the discussion. A video produced by CEOP and the National Crime Agency was shown to the students. This highlighted the risks of befriending people

on social media and real life cases were used as examples of the dangers of grooming and sexual exploitation. The teaching staff were to follow up this input with the students using resource material from www.thinkuknow.co.uk and other recognised agencies to drive the messages home. Other cyber related messages about possible frauds and scams, blackmail and malicious software were also discussed.

To find out more, please visit our help pages at http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/help-advice.

A ‘school of thought’ when it comes to cyber crime

• Outer West - @WYP_LeedsOutW

• Inner West – @WYP_LeedsInnerW

• Outer North West - @WYPLeedsOutNW

• Inner North West - @WYP_LeedsINW

West Leeds Neighbourhood Policing areas:

Outer North West: Guiseley, Rawdon,

Horsforth, Adel, Wharfedale, Otley and

Yeadon.

Inner North West: Hyde Park,

Woodhouse, Headingley and Weetwood.

Outer West: Farnley, Wortley, Pudsey,

Calverley and Farsley.

Inner West: Bramley, Stanningley, Armley

and Kirkstall.

Find out more about us at

www.westyorkshire.police.uk/leeds

• West Yorkshire Police - Leeds Inner West

• West Yorkshire Police - Leeds Outer West

• West Yorkshire Police - Leeds North West

• West Yorkshire Police - Leeds Inner North West

Newsletter designed by: