Neighbourhood Watch & Police Contacts

Reporting Incidents to the Police (Police Contacts)

Please call one of the numbers below or report a crime online.

If you see anything suspicious then that is the time to contact the Police. Be observant and make a note of as many details as possible:

VEHICLE - Try to get the registration number, make model and any distinguishing features, direction of travel.

PEOPLE - Sex, age, height, skin colour, hair, clothing in fact anything distinguishing.

The more detail we can give to the police the better chance they have of finding the vehicle or person. The police need our help and we must help to protect ourselves and our community.

Neighbourhood Watch News & Reports

Note that Headings and text in blue below are links to external websites. These links will typically open in a new tab. Helmdon Parish Council cannot accept any responsibility for the information or web links provided by external websites.

The most recent News & Reports are at the top (after the two bullet point links)

Facebook / Messenger Scam

Two elements to this current Facebook / Messenger scam
1. A Facebook account profile is cloned (duplicated).
2. Their real friends receive Friend Requests and Messages. These are actually from the scammer's (cloned) account. May seem innocent initially, but can lead to fraudulent activity.

What can you do?
Beware Friend Requests - may seem okay because you actually know the person. However the request may be from a cloned (scammed) account.

Before accepting a new friend request, check that you aren't already set up as a friend with the real account.
If you've already accepted the friend request - click on their name. A clone will have all the profile information/picture and may even show a few relevant friends. However it probably won't have an appropriate Timeline of Posts etc.
Block this new friend (clone) immediately and don't answer any messages from them.

Just one exception - you may have real friends who have more than one Facebook account (check personally not via Facebook).

Finally, if you become aware that your account has been cloned, you should change your Facebook password as soon as possible.

Posted by R. Farquharson - 30 January 2022

Spike in Thefts of Tools from Vans across South Northants

Please click on above heading to see the full message.
Message sent by Jen Harrison (Northamptonshire Police, PCSO, NS1 South Northants), November 2021

Launch of New Beat Bus

On Tuesday last week, the South Northamptonshire Neighbourhood Team, the Office of the Police, Fire, & Crime Commissioner and Northamptonshire Police launched their new Beat Bus in Blisworth.

More information about the Beat Bus can be found at: https://www.northants.police.uk/news/northants/news/news/2021/september-21/two-dedicated-neighbourhood-beat-buses-take-to-the-roads-across-northamptonshire/

We currently have two Beat Buses, once covering the western half of the county, the other covering the northern area.

We will shortly be taking these buses out into the very heart of our communities inviting you to come and speak to one of your local Neighbourhood PC's or PCSO's, and provide us with the intelligence in order for us to complete our work.

In the words of our very founder Robert Peel: "The police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence."

If you are unable to attend one of the Beat Bus sessions you can still contact us by email, telephone or via our website.

Towcester Area: NeighbourhoodTeamSouthNorthants-Towcester@northants.police.uk

Brackley Area: NeighbourhoodTeamSouthNorthants-Brackley@northants.police.uk

Website: www.northants.police.uk, where you will find as range on services accessible online, including reporting non-urgent crime.

To report information confidentially about crime please visit www.crimestoppers-org.uk or call 0800 555 111.

We remind everyone to importance of calling any matter that requires an urgent response on 999.

Message Sent By: Matthew Taylor (Northamptonshire Police, PCSO, South Northants), 02 October 2021

Worried about getting hacked?

Worried about getting hacked? Please click here for advice from Neighbourhood Watch
Alert message sent 22/03/2021 14:24:00
Information sent on behalf of Action Fraud (NFIB)

Burglary to Farm Units in Helmdon

Northamptonshire Police are appealing for information regarding a Burglary to Farm Units in Helmdon. This happened between Saturday 27th February at 1pm to Monday 1st March at 6am in Helmdon, Brackley.Unknown persons go across fields and force metal panels off with some kind of jemmy, tools removed from inside.

Please report anything that you might think is suspicious remembering to get a registration plate or description of persons as this may help to deter crime in your area. Thank you.
Did you witness anything?
Did you see any person(s) in the area that looked suspicious?
Did you see any vehicle(s) that you were suspicious of?
If so, then please contact Northamptonshire Police on 101.
101 is the number to use to report incidents and for general enquiries. In an emergency dial 999.
To report a crime or incident, provide information or for advice, call 101 or visit www.northants.police.uk
To contact your Neighbourhood Team covering Brackley and surrounding villages they can be contacted on the following email: NeighbourhoodTeamSouthNorthants-Brackley@northants.police.uk

You can also provide confidential information should you wish to remain anonymous. These calls can be made to the Independent Charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Message sent by James Herbert (Police, Police Community Support Officer, Daventry & South Northants) - 01 March 2021

Fraud Alert: Banking Fraud Scam in fake NHS vaccine message

06 Jan - Reported by the BBC. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55563748 for more information.
08 Jan - Neighbourhood Watch Alert issued: https://www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/da/358911

As always - never give out bank or other personal details to unsolicited calls or messages.

Fraud Alert: Scam warning - Fake DPD (courier) emails and texts

Click here for full details (https://www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/da/357020)
Original alert message sent 23/12/2020 17:37:00 on behalf of Action Fraud (NFIB)

Cyber Alert: Safe Online Christmas Shopping

For full details please click above heading or click here (on www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk)
From: Get Safe Online Admin (Get Safe Online, Content Director, National) 20 Nov 2020

Cyber Alert: Fraudulent Amazon Calls (Nov 2020)

For full details please click above heading or click here (on www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk)
From: Nicole Degg (Police, Police Community Support Officer, Daventry and South Northants) - 11 Nov 2020

Crime Prevention: Scam warning - Fake PayPal emails (Nov 2020)

For full details please click above heading or click here (on www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk)
From: Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National) - 06 Nov 2020

Rural Matters: Illegal Hare Coursing - Know the Signs (Nov 2020)

For full details please click above heading or click here (on www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk)
From: Nicole Degg (Police, Police Community Support Officer, Daventry and South Northants) - 03 Nov 2020

Burglary & Vehicle Theft - Hemdon (Sep 2020)

For full details please click above heading or click here (on www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk)
From: Nicole Degg (Police, Police Community Support Officer, Daventry and South Northants) - 20 Sep 2020

Home Support App To Help Victims of Crime During Social Distancing (Mar 2020)

Following is from SNVB bulletin - 02 Mar 2020

Voice for Victims and Witnesses - the free, confidential support service for victims and witnesses of crime in Northamptonshire - is today releasing the Voice Home Support Hub app, to help people cope and recover from the effects of crime during social distancing.

The app is available for download now, for free, here…

The lockdown measures imposed to help stop the spread of Covid-19 have, for many, resulted in a loss of routine structure and traditional social networks that people rely on for support following traumatic experiences. This can have a profound effect on an individual's ability to recover from crime, especially at a time when latent anxiety is prevalent in many regarding the health of themselves, friends and family.

Voice - which is still operational and supporting people by phone and online during social distancing - has therefore created its Home Support Hub application to help breakdown these barriers to recovery by providing practical information on how to stay physically and mentally healthy during social distancing. The app details elements such as how people can improve their sleep pattern or harness their creativity to help their recovery journey.

Although created for those recovering from trauma, the Voice Home Support Hub contains practical advice for anyone struggling with their mental health during this period of isolation.

Anyone who has been a victim or witness of crime in Northamptonshire can access Voice, regardless of when the crime took place, and regardless of whether they have reported anything to the police or not. Support is free and confidential. Call 0300 303 1965 or visit voicenorthants.org. (Find out more about Voice here… )

To see the complete SNVB bulletin please click here.

Crime Prevention - Charity Clothes Collections (Sept 2018)

Northamptonshire Police has been made aware that bogus, unlicensed charity clothes collections are taking place in the county.

This type of fraud deprives bona fide charities of much-needed funds generated through the recycling of people's unwanted clothes, books and other items.

Taking a few simple steps will help you check whether the collection leaflet or bag you have received is for a genuine charitable collection:

• Check to see if the collection says it is supporting a genuine UK registered charity. Look for the charity's registration number on the leaflet or bag – don't confuse this with phrases like 'company numbers' or 'export numbers'
• Check if the collection organiser is signed up to the Institute of Fundraising and the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Conduct or bears accepted kitemarks, such as the FRSB tick or the ACS/IOF membership logo. Any of these could indicate that the collection is genuine
• Find out if the named collector is a member of the Textile Recycling Association – an up-to-date list of members can be found online here

Find out more about checking if collections are legitimate here.

Issued by Katy Islip (Police, News Producer, Countywide) - Sep 2018

Learn more about crime prevention at www.northants.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/

Operation Viper - Northamptonshire Police Survey (Sept 2018)

Operation Viper is Northamptonshire Police's crackdown on serious and organised crime.

Serious and Organised Crime has no home in Northamptonshire and we need your help in telling us if you are aware of any issues in your area so we can investigate them.

Please can you take a moment to complete the below survey. We are determined to make Northamptonshire a hostile place for criminals but we are relying on our communities to provide us with a wider intelligence picture. Everything you tell us, no matter how small, counts.

Please feel free to share this link on any social media pages where the users may also want to have their say. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ViperSaxonDaventrySouthNorthants

Thank you for your time
Kind regards
Daventry & South Northants Neighbourhood Team

Katrina Heath (Police, Neighbourhood Co-ordinator, Daventry & South Northants) - posted 07 September 2018

Message Alert System for Community Safety (relaunch) (Jan 2018)

Northamptonshire Police has relaunched a free message alert system, to help people living and working in Northamptonshire be much better informed about crime and police activity in their local area, and keep their communities safe.

Police and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said: "I'm really pleased that with our support, Northamptonshire Police has reintroduced this messaging alert system. Without engagement and participation with the community the police cannot do their job. Northamptonshire Neighbourhood Alert is an excellent way for the Force and other partners to share information, and I encourage people to sign up.

The messaging service, called Northamptonshire Neighbourhood Alert (formerly known as Community Connect), now has greater functionality than previously, allowing frontline officers to send alert messages direct from their mobile devices to thousands of local people. They will be able to do this in real-time while they are out and about policing the county.

The alert service is simple to activate by registering at www.northamptonshireneighbourhoodalert.co.uk and is available to anyone living or working in Northamptonshire.

After signing up to the messaging system, people will receive regular alerts from Northamptonshire Police, Neighbourhood Watch and other partner organisations, keeping them up to date and informed about crime and issues relevant to them and the area where they live or work.

Alerts are received either by email, text message or voice message – whichever suits. People will also be given the option of what they want to receive alerts about, and how often – they will only receive messages about topics that they have selected.

Chief Inspector Lara Alexander-Lloyd said: "Our communities play a crucial part in helping us prevent and detect crime and anti-social behaviour. Police officers and PCSOs will be regularly sending out message alerts via Northamptonshire Neighbourhood Alert, appealing for help, highlighting suspicious activity, offering crime prevention advice, and keeping people up to date about general police work and safety events.

"This re-launched community messaging tool means we can now do this in real time, with officers sending out alerts via mobile devices while they are still out on patrol. This allows information to be shared really quickly and much more directly with the public about crime and activity in their specific locality, helping us to involve and protect the community much more.

"If for example, there has been a spate of distraction burglaries in a particular district or an increase in vehicle crime, we can tell people immediately. So they can better protect themselves and be more alert to any potential threats and risks. We can also very quickly share descriptions of suspects or appeal for witnesses – giving us a greater chance of arrest.

"We already have more than 10,000 people signed up to the alert system and we want many, many more to register and receive information from Northamptonshire Police and our partners. By working together, we can make Northamptonshire a safer place to live and work and help to protect people from harm."

Signing up the messaging service is really simple and quick. The alert system is completely secure and registration is free. To register with Northamptonshire Neighbourhood Alert visit www.northamptonshireneighbourhoodalert.co.uk

The types of alert messages people receive depends on the categories they select. For example, if people choose 'Farm and Rural Watch' as an area of interest, they will receive information relevant to this area. You can pick multiple areas of interest, such as business, vehicles, animals and more, as well as different areas of the county – the choice is down to the individual.

The re-introduction of the messaging tool has been funded and supported by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. In the Police and Crime Plan, Commissioner Stephen Mold stated that the public play a fundamental role in policing, and that to create real and sustainable change we need to include the public more directly.

Police and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said: "I'm really pleased that with our support, Northamptonshire Police has reintroduced this messaging alert system. Without engagement and participation with the community the police cannot do their job. Northamptonshire Neighbourhood Alert is an excellent way for the Force and other partners to share information, and I encourage people to sign up.

"As the Police and Crime Commissioner, I want our communities to be as well informed as possible. By being aware of issues, trends and criminal activity in their own neighbourhoods, this not only supports the police to catch criminals, but it also lessens the likelihood that they themselves will become future victims of crime."

Northamptonshire Police - posted 9th January 2018

History of Helmdon Neighbourhood Watch

In November 1994, the first and very successful public meeting of Neighbourhood Watch was held in the Reading Room. Seventy residents of Helmdon attended and David Brookhouse was appointed to act as Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator.

From 2007 until 2016, the post of Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator was held by Bill England.

Currently the Neighbourhood Watch representative for Helmdon Parish Council is Cllr. Steve Wheeler.