Sussex Police

From 1 November, 101 , the national police non-emergency number, has come into use for all police forces across England and Wales .

Why do you need a new non-emergency number?

The Government is committed to cutting crime and empowering citizens to keep their neighbourhoods safe. Key to achieving this is making it easier for the public to contact the police and report crime and disorder. The 2010 British Crime Survey found that only 54% of the public know how to contact their local police if they want to talk to them about policing, crime or anti-social behaviour. Giving people an easy and memorable number to call to contact their local police force could improve reporting of crime and disorder, ease the pressure on 999, and help efficiently and effectively tackle crime and disorder.

How much will it cost the public to call 101?

calls to 101 will cost 15 pence for the entire call, no matter how long you are on the phone – this applies to both landlines and mobile phones. For the first time ever, everyone calling the police for non-emergency matters will know exactly how much it will cost them and will be assured of equal access whether they are on a pay-as-you-go mobile or a home landline. For many, this will be cheaper than the current cost of calling the police when it is not an emergency – calls to some existing police non-emergency numbers can cost 40 pence per minute on pay-as-you-go tariffs.

Lisa Shadbolt PCSO 27388 Chichester Police Station

Chidham,Cot Lane: Theft of Garden Items: At 12.25 Tue 09/08/11 two plant pots complete with flowers, one blue the other terracotta, were taken from the front garden of a property.

The driver of the Ford Transit van, a 29-year-old man from Chichester, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been bailed until July 14.

The collision, which happened at 9.15am led to the A259 Road at Chidham with the junction of Cot Lane being closed for four hours.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact 0845 60 70 999 quoting Operation Heaton.

Theft from Farm in Liphook
Horse trailer five saddles and bridles stolen

A farm building in Liphook was broken into overnight on 1st June. Entry was gained through a gate, by cutting a padlock and a navy blue and white topped Ifor Williams horse trailer was stolen along with five saddles and bridles.
At the time of being stolen the horsebox had a vehicle registration plate on it which reads as S483 SDX.
If you have any information in relation to this, please call us on 0845 6070999 quoting Serial 592 01/06.
Please ensure that you keep any property left outside secure and please report to us any suspicious activity.
Lisa Shadbolt PCSO 27388

Are you involved in recreational airborne activities or employed in the aviation industry?
Do you own an aircraft or microlight?
Do you live near small airstrips or areas where aircraft can land?

Help keep your airspace, aircraft and equipment safe! Report anything suspicious or seems out of place - call Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999, quoting Project Pegasus.

You can register with Project Pegasus to receive, by email, timely appropriate general aviation crime information and intelligence updates providing summaries of incidents which are of interest to you. We may also contact you with specific reports and requests that you may be able to assist us with, for example - reports of suspicious persons, vessels or stolen boats. Please note that your contact details will be kept for Project Pegasus purposes only.

You can enrol in Project Pegasus today by completing the online registration form by clicking here:
http://www.sussex.police.uk/advice-and-support/project-pegasus
When completing your online registration please ensure you include your name and postcode. Thank you.

Beware this Fraud
An elderly man from Bosham was duped into giving his PIN number to a man purporting to be from Lloyds Banking Group and has been conned out of over £50,000.

Detectives in Chichester are appealing for information following the fraud, which was reported to police yesterday (Tuesday 1 March).

The partially sighted victim, who lives with his disabled wife in High Street, was called at home on Thursday 24 February by a man with an Indian accent who claimed he was from Lloyds and there was a problem with the gentleman's bank card which needed to be replaced.

He said that a courier would go to his address the following day to collect the card and provide him with a new one; during the course of the conversation, he cleverly managed to obtain the victim's PIN number.

At about 9.30am on Friday 25 February, a man in his late teens went to the victim's address and handed him an envelope containing a new card, before taking the old one away with him. The 'courier' is described as white, of thin build, about 6ft tall, wearing a fluorescent tabard and holding a clipboard. He spoke with an English accent.

Shortly after the exchange took place, the victim received a further call from a man who claimed to be from BT. He said that there were some problems with the line, and the victim should switch off his phone or not answer it as checks were being carried out.

Yesterday (1 March), the victim discovered that his BT landline had been cancelled; shortly after, he was made aware that significant sums of money had been taken from his account.

Detective Sergeant Colin O'Hare, from Chichester CID, said: "This was a despicable fraud where a vulnerable and very elderly couple has been targeted and conned out of their savings. The people who carried this out were extremely clever and plausible so the victims had no reason to believe that the call was anything other than genuine.

"We are hoping that someone in the High Street/Shore Road area of Bosham may have seen the 'courier' who went to the address to exchange bank cards. We're also anxious to hear from anyone who has other information about the fraud, or has been called in similar circumstances.

"We are investigating whether this offence is linked to any others and enquiries are on-going to try and identify the offenders. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999, quoting serial 677 of 1 March, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111."

Beware this scam
Residents have made us aware of a potential scam that may be taking place via telephone.

It appears that calls have been made to residents from a company stating to be part of Microsoft Tech Support Network or similar.

The caller states that they have monitored the home owners computer system and that the system needs cleaning and that the virus protection needs updating to prevent any faults occurring. They then request bank details over the phone in order to carry this out.

Police are currently investigating these reports but we ask that if any one is to receive a similar phone call to this, do not pass any personal information or bank details to the caller. If you are experiencing problems with your computer or laptop then contact the manufacturer direct.

We will send out a further update once the investigation is completed to clarify these reports

Chichester Neighbourhood Policing Teams are continually seeking ways to improve how we engage with the community and make ourselves identifiable, accessible and responsive to your needs and concerns.

We introduced Neighbourhood Management Panels in September 2008 and will continue to develop and enhance them during 2009. We have committed to expanding this concept with the formation of twenty four panels within Chichester District consisting of local persons representative of the community in which they live. This approach will allow you the community to choose your own priorities which the police and partner agencies will work together on to solve. Examples of priorities already set by existing panels within the district are involve issues such as speeding in villages and anti social behaviour in set locations to name but a few.

Interested in becoming involved in a Neighbourhood Panel for your area? or if you would simply like further information please contact myself either by e mail or leave me a message on my voicemail (Tel 0845 60 70 999 Extn: 27372) and I will happily get back to you.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH - Neighbourhood Watch is one of the biggest and most successful crime prevention initiatives ever. It is not just about reducing burglary figures, it's also about creating communities who care. It brings local people together and can make a real contribution to improving their lives. Neighbourhood Watch is a method of developing close liaison between households in a neighbourhood and the police. The aims are to help people protect themselves and their properties and to reduce the fear of crime by improved home security, greater vigilance, fast and accurate reporting of suspicious incidents to the police and fostering a community spirit. Householders are the ‘eyes and ears' of the community and they usually know who and what people and vehicles belong in their road. All they need to do is to be reactive as to what is occurring.

‘RAISING AWARENESS' - Police can only react to problems and crime if they are made aware of it. If incidents of crime or anti social behaviour occur they need to be reported as this paints a picture for the police as to where problems are taking place. Police and Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) will target such areas. There are a large number of PCSO's, plus some District Council Wardens. They are briefed to patrol these areas and hold ‘street' briefings in order to discourage incidents from occurring and to foster good relations with the community.

INCIDENTS / CRIME - All incidents and crime reported to the police is recorded. In some situations when crime is reported and there is no evidence at the scene and there is no likelihood of an arrest being made, the police may not necessarily visit the scene. Similarly, if an incident occurs, there may be other more serious occurrences taking place in the area, at the time, that the police have to give a higher priority to, therefore your incident cannot be attended to. Such calls are graded according to their severity.

WHICH NUMBER TO CALL - These guidelines should help you to decide as to which is the best number for you to call, should you require the police:

999 – EMERGENCY - You should only use the 999 number when:
A crime is in progress.
A life threatening situation is occurring.
A serious road crash has taken place.
Or if you genuinely believe that the police need to attend as a matter of urgency.

0845 60 70 999 (or e-mail contact.centre@sussex.pnn.police.uk ) - NON EMERGENCY You can use this telephone number to contact Sussex Police in all other situations. Switchboard operators answer these calls in Lewes and transfer you to the appropriate person. You will either be transferred to the local police station or the Call Handling Centre depending upon the nature of your enquiry. You should use this number when:
You witness a suspicious incident but you haven't actually seen a crime take place.
You belatedly discover that a crime has been committed which still needs the attention of the police.
You see evidence of a crime recently having taken place, but no obvious offender
You want to speak to a member of the Sussex Police staff

NEIGHBOURHOOD SPECIALIST TEAMS (NST) – Each area has its own NST police officer and PCSO. To find out who covers your area go to www.sussex.police.uk and search on your area or postcode, or call the police on 0845 60 70 999 .