PC TONY WILES WILY ADVICE
Tony's advice is always relevant, and its inherent humour is always worth a second read, so I will from now on just attach the latest at the top - all the rest are below
Scams and Cons -
It's surprising how many people fall foul of these, perhaps it's the thought however slim of making a bit of money. The thought of getting rich seems to turn off the usual guarded and careful approach to financial dealings and that is probably what the con artist is hoping for.
There is a letter doing the rounds at the moment, I've had one myself. The letter usually purports to be from a vice chairman in a Chinese bank informing you that someone with the same surname as yours invested millions in their bank, this has grown through careful investment. Then the account holder died in a tragic accident in China leaving no next of kin. The writer of the letter has sole access to the file and as you have the same surname as the deceased he can arrange for the money to come to you, suggesting for his troubles that the millions are split 50/50 between you and him. Apparently it's done all the time in Hong Kong and it's the opportunity of a lifetime. Is it heck, my guess is that if you respond to the letter there will be a twist. It will be you handing over your money to pay for this transaction to take place. You won't see the millions or your money again and Mr Lee will be happy with the couple of hundred you have sent him for no more work than writing you a letter.
I came across another opportunity of a lifetime recently. This one has a glossy website and literature and was very open about what it was doing. It suggests that there is a housing crisis and more houses are needed. As land for development is running out the government is going to have to meet this crisis by freeing up other land for development. Here is your opportunity to buy some of this land. The website makes it clear that there is no current planning permission on this land and no certainty that development will be allowed, it is a gamble, but one worth taking. I'm not so sure, I will leave you to decide if this is a con or not. You could just end up with a plot of land on which all you can do is graze a cow.
Antony Wiles PC8024 - Borough Green 8024@kent.pnn.police.uk
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CAR SECURITY MARCH 2010
As manufacturers have done more to make cars harder to steal, especially the top of the range models we have seen an increase in house burglaries where the purpose of the burglary is to find the car keys.
Investigations carried out recently into this criminal activity have shown that some of the offenders have been operating in this immediate area. Those of you living in roads where we know that there has been activity will already have received a warning letter from Kent police.
They are looking for the opportunity or perhaps lining up cars to take in the future, there are plenty to choose from in this part of Kent.
So many of us can be a little complacent when it comes to what we do with our car keys when we get home. It's no good leaving them in view on a table or hook just inside the front door or even in the back of the door itself. The fruit bowl on the kitchen table or on top of the microwave with all the other junk, which collects there, well it does in my house. I am sure that most of us without too much trouble could come up with a list of the usual places where car keys are left, so can the criminals.
Hide keys away, don't leave them on view or within reach of a letterbox. Make sure all your ground floor windows and doors are locked and secure before you retire for the night. If you can set your house alarm to cover the ground floor without too much inconvenience it may be advisable to do so. It's worth remembering that if your car is on the drive overnight and the keys are in the house then in all likelihood you are probably at home and in bed.==============================================
DOGS and THEIR OWNERS Jan 2010
Dogs and their owners - Over the Christmas holiday I took a walk from Weybridge on the Thames to Godalming in Surrey, following the towpath of the Wey navigation. During the course of the walk I became a little annoyed with dogs, or perhaps I should more accurately say with their owners. Several things caused this, firstly not everyone is happy to have large salivating dogs running towards them barking, not everyone is happy to be jumped up at and have the resulting mud and muck all over their clothes. Then there was the young family with two small children, one of whom fell over and ended up in a pile of dog mess, which got in his hair and all over his hands. On my way home that evening I called into see some friends who were bemoaning the fact that their son had ended up in a similar pile while playing rugby on a school playing field.
On returning to work several days later I found myself dealing with an incident of livestock worrying by dogs, which left six sheep dead.
Responsibility among some dog owners seems to be an issue, lets hope a more responsible attitude will evolve. Perhaps it could be a new years resolution.
Now to move onto something else - for those of you who live in Borough Green and Platt you may have been aware of a number of house Burglaries in the run up to Christmas. A couple of offenders were caught making off from a burglary in West Malling and at the time of writing this article, one has been charged with burglary with a further 18 offences to be taken into consideration. These offences were committed in Borough Green, Platt, West Malling and the Sevenoaks areas. He was not a local man and should now be out of circulation for a number of years. Great news to start off the new year.
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METAL THEFT Sept 2009
Theft of metal - I have written about this before and since my last article the thefts have become more ingenious and daring. The demand for and price of scrap metal has remained high and until it drops I fear that this is a problem, which will not be going away. I have visions of the offenders reading the FT with their morning cuppa and deciding what metals to target that day.
We are all aware of the age-old crime of stealing lead off church roofs, a problem that has escalated over the last 12 months. What you may not be aware of are some of the other ways they now target copper and lead. Electric companies often have to take you offline if they are carrying out major work in the area, to keep you supplied with power large generators are placed in your neighbourhood. These are targeted at an alarming rate as they are connected to the grid with temporary copper cables. When the cables get stolen you loose your power. In some places electric companies have to put 24hrs security on the generators to stop this happening.
Recently another method has come to light where the criminals are targeting roadside manholes, often in broad daylight to get at underground communications cabling. The cable will be cut at one manhole and then pulled out of another several hundred yards away. To the casual passer-by someone working in a manhole with a high viz jacket on may not look out of place, but look again, be sure. Are there any BT or other appropriately marked company vehicles parked nearby. If a tatty looking van is pulling the cable out with its tow bar then something could be wrong.
If you are at all unsure or feel that something is wrong then give the police a call and we will check it out.
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CANNABIS
Some years ago I was visiting a friend in Holland, a country that is well known for its liberal views on cannabis, but I was a little surprised one evening to find my friend rolling a joint which he cheerfully told me he was making to take to his grandfather in hospital. I was more concerned on arrival back at Stansted airport as I watched an excited drug sniffing spaniel leaping all over the bags in the baggage reclaim area as it dawned on me that my bag had been under the table where I had seen the joint being made, could anything have fallen in, luckily not but I looked a little nervous.
A few days ago for no obvious reason I was reading the website of the Royal College of Psychiatrists - two million people in the UK smoke cannabis, half of all 16 to 29 year olds have tried it at least once.
There has been much debate about the use of cannabis and its dangers. However there seems to be a growing body of evidence and recent research, which tends to suggest that the use of cannabis can be a major cause of psychotic illnesses especially in those who are genetically vulnerable. This research has strongly suggested that there is a clear link between early cannabis use and later mental health problems and in particular with the use of cannabis by adolescents. It suggests that those who start using cannabis before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to develop a psychotic disorder by the time they are 26. If this research is correct then a lot of kids are going to need help with mental health issues later in life.
My Dutch friend was a heavy user of cannabis in his youth. In his late 20's he tried to cut out his tattoos and attempted suicide. On more than one occasion he has been hospitalised suffering from serious mental illness including depression and psychosis. For a short time he thought he was Jesus. He has lost his job, his house and his wife.
I know he wishes now that he could go back to his youth and follow a different path, make different decisions, but he can't its too late for him. Its not too late though for many other children in our communities, they still have the time to make the right decision. Its not worth the risk, there is no point in storing up trouble for the future. There are better ways than using cannabis to chill out and relax.
Antony Wiles PC8024 - Borough Green
8024@kent.pnn.police.uk
My Phone Numbers
07800 675340
01732 770154 Tonbridge Police Station
