Royston Community Team

Rural Watch

January 2009

Covering Arbury, Ermine, Weston & Sandon Wards.

Over the last few months it has become apparent that we have a problem with youths egging cars in our area. While no permanent damage has occurred it is extremely annoying for residents who wake up to find either their vehicle or house smeared with eggs.

It appears to be happening in the hours of darkness and youths in a vehicle are driving through the villages throwing eggs out of the car window as they pass bye.

We are appealing to you for help in trying to identify who these culprits and would appreciate any information you may have in relation to a vehicle or descriptions of the youths.

This is not isolated to our area and is occurring in several other villages/towns.

A cowboy builder, whose bill for relaying a driveway rose by more than £4,000 after he cold-called a 62-year-old man from Rushden, has been successfully prosecuted by Hertfordshire Trading Standards.

Royston Rural neighbour hood officer PC Paul Marina assisted Hertfordshire Trading Standards in bring the case to court. Jessey James, trading as Beacon's Civil Engineers, pleaded guilty to offences under the Trade Descriptions Act, Consumer Protection Act and Fraud Act, as well as failing to provide notification of cancellation rights, at Hertford Magistrates on Wednesday (December 10).

James, of Dunedin Place, East Riggs, Dunfries, Scotland, and the company were fined £350 and £2,100 respectively.

The victim was cold-called at his home on April 30 this year and quoted a price of £10 per tonne of material to resurface his driveway. James falsely stated that he was a contractor resurfacing the road on behalf of the council.

As the work neared completion, James claimed that a price of £10 per square metre had been agreed, which would have changed the overall cost from £180 plus VAT to approximately £4,500.

When the victim refused to pay, James threatened to rip up his driveway, the court heard. The police were called and Hertfordshire Trading Standards launched an investigation.

James also failed to provide the necessary paperwork informing the victim of his right to cancel the contract within a seven-day cooling-off period.

County Councillor Richard Smith, Executive Member for Community Safety, said: "Consumer and trade laws are in place to protect the public from this kind of shoddy behaviour. We are determined to ensure that they are followed to the letter and any traders failing to comply should be warned that we will pursue them through the courts."

Hertfordshire Trading Standards advise consumers to make checks on any trader before hiring them, and to consider using a Trustmark-approved trader. If consumers are concerned that they or someone they know has been caught out by a doorstep trader or needs advice on any other consumer issue please contact Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.

New legislation which came into force on October 1 requires a seven-day cancellation notice to be given for most contracts made at the home from both solicited and unsolicited visits. If a consumer wants work to start within the seven days then they must indicate this to the trader in writing. Failure of the trader to comply is a criminal offence and the contracts become unenforceable against the consumer.

This year officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary have successfully caught seven distraction burglars who have been convicted and sentenced to a combined total of 41 years in prison.

The criminals, who are uncovered in the force’s online gallery, are serving sentences for crimes committed across the county.

They have been caught by the proactive work of the constabulary’s Operation Manhunt team, which targets distraction burglars and rogue traders. Officers from the team have been working hard to protect the elderly and vulnerable people in the county from these unscrupulous criminals.

The burglars convicted are:

- Michael Wall, 18, from London, sentenced to 4 years in July 2008 for three offences in Rickmansworth, Radlett and Borehamwood

- Michael Myers, 28, from Luton, sentenced to 8 years in August for two offences Stevenage & Stapleford

- Neil Newling, 36, from London, sentenced to 6 years 4 months in August for 22 offences in Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, Broxbourne, Sawbridgeworth and Essendon

- John McCarthy, 19, from Luton, sentenced to 3 years in September for an offence in Croxley Green

- James McDonagh, 31, from Edmonton, sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in September for an offence in Croxley Green

- Andrew Hanrahan, 27, from Harrow, sentenced to seven and a half years in October for four offences in Watford and St Albans, as well as one in London and three in Bedfordshire

- Barabara Mc Cann, 23, from Uxbridge, sentenced to six and a half years in October for four offences in Watford and St Albans and three in Bedfordshire

Ashwell	West end / Newham way	12/12/08 1145 - 1215	30 veh / 36 mph / 26.7 mph
Ashwell	Station rd (40 limit)	05/12/08 1830 - 1900	24 veh / 47 mph / 35.9 mph
Bygrave	Lower Bygrave	04/12/08 1900 - 1925	22 veh / 32 mph / 27.4 mph
Barley	London Road	11/12/08 1150 - 1210	50 veh / 35 mph / 28.6 mph
Barkway	Royston Road	12/12/08 1020 - 1045	43 veh / 38 mph / 27 mph
Therfield	Hay Green	05/12/08 1920 - 1945	17 veh / 31 mph / 24.45 mph
Newham	Ashwell road	12/12/08 1450 - 1520	30 veh / 36 mph / 26.7 mph
Weston	Damask Green Road	03/12/08 1750 - 1815	30 veh / 33 mph / 25.2 mph
Rushden	Moon and Stars	03/12/08 1835 – 1900	17 veh / 43 mph / 29.2 mph
Hinxworth	High Street	04/12/08 1815 - 1840	20 veh / 40 mph / 28.2 mph

G4E; - Ashwell, Hinxworth, Bygrave, Newnham & Caldecote

Crime No.	Offence	Location	Time & Date
G4/08/1184	G4/08/1186	Dixies Close Ashwell	28/11 - 01/12
Offenders Have Forced Lock To The Driver's Side Door And Have Gained Entry To The Vehicle; They Have Then Pulled The Wires Out From The Ignition.

Crime No.	Offence	Location	Time & Date
G4/08/1186	G4/08/1186	High Street Ashwell	01/12/08
Offenders Have Used A Screwdriver To Force Lock On Passengers side Of Vehicle, Nothing Stolen

Crime No.	Offence	Location	Time & Date
G4/08/1200	Theft	Ashwell Road Newnham	07 – 08 /12/08
Between Material Times Offender (S) Has Removed Wheelie Bin From Front Driveway

Crime No.	Offence	Location	Time & Date
G4/08/1208	Theft – from motor vehicle	Green Lane Ashwell	13/12/08
Between material times whilst vehicle was parked in car park offender (s) have forced drivers side lock to gain entry and property has been taken.

Crime No.	Offence	Location	Time & Date
G4/08/1221	Burglary	Gardeners Lane Ashwell	17/12/08
Offender ( S ) Has Smashed Window Entered The Foyer Area

Crime No.	Offence	Location	Time & Date
G4/08/1226	Theft of Fuel	Back Street Ashwell	18 – 20/12/08
Offender has entered premises. Has damaged petrol caps of two unused vehicles and has attempted to siphon petrol from vehicles.

G4D; - Barkway, Barley, Reed, Nuthampstead, Newsells, Kelshall & Therfield

Crime No.	Offence	Location	Time & Date
G4/08/1199	Burglary	Windmill Close Barkway	08 – 09 /12/08
Offender (S) Have Entered Rear Garden And Entered Shed, Offender (S) Have Then Removed Property From Shed

G3C; - Sandon, Wallington, Rushden, Clothal & Weston

No reported crime.

Reported Hare coursing Incidents in our area.

	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	April	Total
03-04	3	13	28	3	8	13	9	3	80
04-05	4	13	4	0	4	0	1	0	26
05-06	0	3	0	0	1	1	1	0	6
06-07	0	4	4	6	1	0	2	0	17
07-08	3	10	4	6	9	2	4	3	43
08-09	7	5	2	4

Number of Sunday Hare Coursing and Nuisance Vehicle Patrols Carried Out to Reduce. coursing Nusience Motor cycling and Nusience 4 X 4 use, patrols per months, early start preferred, 7am or 8am.
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
07								3	3	3	0	3
08	9	5	6	8	8	2	2	2	2	3	1	4

Last time we attended

RUSHDEN	02/07/08	SANDON	26/03/08
THERFIELD	26/11/08	REED	05/03/08
BARKWAY	15/07/08	BARLEY	04/02/08
KELSHALL	21/04/08	NUTHAMP	01/05/07
ASHWELL	01/10/08	BYGRAVE	04/02/08
CALDECOTE	05/05/08	WESTON	13/03/08
RADWELL	29/04/08	WALLINGTON	02/07/08
HINXWORT	14/02/08	CLOTHALL	02/07/08

Area	Last Meeting	Next Meeting	Location and Time
G4E	19th November 08
G4D	9^th October 08
G3C	23rd October 08

Locality

Members

Martin Dingemans, Howard Marshall, Simon Holtom, Robert Law, Teddy Faure-Walker, , Steve Jarvis, Andrew Young, Tony Hunter, Peter Shuttlewood, Keith Bone Christine Schwick, Janette Kingsley.

Meeting

12/08/08

Tasks set

1. High visibility patrols in daylight hours in a bid to Reduce Incidents of hare coursing, Nusience Motor cycling and Nusience 4 X 4 use. Three Sunday Hare coursing Nusience Motor cycling and Nusience 4 X 4 use patrols per months, early start preferred, 7am or 8pm. Log to be published each month.

2. Continue with crime prevention and evidence gathering securing evidence in relation to suspicious vehicles. All suspicious vehicles that appear in rural locations to be full checked and information forwarded to police information systems.

3. Continue with speed checks by PCSO’s to monitor vehicle speeds. Details of locations to be taken from Parish Councils and details published each month. Enforcement was not considered a good use of resources.

4. Next meeting Tuesday 10^th march 2009.

Please click on the below link to meet some of the people we wish to becomes friends with.

http://www.herts.police./CCTV/gallery.htm

Rural Watch

Jan

RUSHDEN

SANDON

THERFIELD

ASHWELL

BYGRAVE

CALDECOTE

Please click on the below link to meet some of the people we wish to becomes friends with.