HORSFORTH NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

Newsletter   November 2005

Have you seen a search light projecting this logo onto a city centre pavement and wondered what it was about? Even if you haven't I hope I've aroused your curiosity. The searchlight and the logo are part of West Yorkshire Police's campaign to encourage householders to leave a light on when they are out.

Burglars like to "work" unseen and pre­fer empty houses. A home without lights and surrounded by darkness is not only an indication that the house is empty, but also tells a burglar he can expect to work -in the dark. A house like this is much more likely to become a target, A few simple measures will reduce the likelihood of being burgled.

Leave a light on inside the house. choose a well used  room like the lounge not the hallway or landing.

The intention is to give the impression that someone is in. Light the area of your home to achieve this.

Occupied houses normally have more than one light on.

lights are switched people move around. Timer switches can be used to create impression by switching different lights on and off around the home.

Use lighting outside the house:

Security lighting should operate either on a timer or permanently from dusk till dawn. This is best achieved using a compact fluo­rescent of about 16 watts controlled by a built in light sensitive switch. Mounted high enough to be out of reach, this will fight an average garden with a pleasant gentle light that will deter burglars without disturbing neighbours. They cost about £6 a year to run.

Burglars do not want to be caught and, there­fore, do not want to be seen. A location where the criminal feels uncomfortable and exposed is less likely to be burgled.

Using low energy bulbs reduces the cost and reduces the impact on the environment.

HORSFORTH

LIGHTS UP FOR CHRISTMAS

On December 3rd at 3pm,The Green, Town Street, will see the usual Christmas cele­brations as the tree lights are switched on.

The event has become very busy over recent years and so organis­ers have asked for spectators to watch from the green, not the surrounding roads.

If you are attending don't forget to leave a light on at home.

100 FREE LOW ENERGY LIGHT BULBS

We have 100 9Watt compact fluorescent bulbs to give away. These low power units are as bright as a 40watt bulb and cut the cost of leaving a light on dramatically.

I would prefer to give priority to our older members on a 1st come 1st served basis. 07831 482,405

NEW POLICE WEBSITE CUTS NONE URGENT PHONE CALLS

A website being run by West Yorkshire Police is helping to cut the number of phone calls received by forces across the country.

The Police National Legal Database Frequently Asked Questions section provides the answers to many common queries that previously were dealt with by telephone opera­tors.

The database is managed by the Association of Chief Police Officers but is under the day to day supervision of West Yorkshire Police. The "FAQ" section is intended to reduce the number of none emergency calls by providing answers to the public directly via the internet. It also has facilities for locally based questions to be included.

Organisers say that, by finding the information required on the internet, the public is placing less of a burden on busy police switch boards, freeing operators to deal with more urgent calls.

An example of one question and its answer is:

Q       "My MOT has expired, can I drive my car to the garage for the MOT test?"

A       "If your MOT certificate has expired you can only drive your car to its test and it must have an appointment at the garage. If your car fails the MOT you may drive it to a place of repair or for scrapping, providing this is also pre-arranged. "

There is now a section on scams that allows you to check if a potential scam is known to the police before you consider responding to it.

The website has an A - Z search facility to help find the answers to your questions and there is also the means to ask a question that is not listed.

The address of the site is: www.askthe.police.uk (This is an unusual web address, but it is correct)

CONTACT US

If you would like to contact the committee or write an article for the newsletter, you can telephone me, Neil Hunt on the number below. For those who prefer E-Mail my address is also provided.