Wokingham Borough Connect
 Working to make the Norreys estate safer
We've been working closely with Thames Valley Police, Cranstoun and our colleagues in other departments to tackle the high level of exploitation and county lines taking place on the Norreys estate in Wokingham.
We've been identifying individuals and properties affected and taking action to support and safeguard individuals, protect properties and improve safety in the wider community.
Since the work has started, some of the actions taken include:
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6 closure orders, granted in a magistrates court, have been put in place to remove people responsible for causing significant impact to the community
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9 residents have been rehoused due to safeguarding concerns or being at risk of harm, including exploitation, violence and risk to life
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12 people have been convicted of various offences and sentenced to prison
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5 'Notice Of Seeking Possession' instructions have been issued, meaning we and housing associations can start legal proceedings to get a property back
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12 tenancy warnings have been issued due to breaches of tenancy agreements
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18 referrals have been made to Cranstoun (our drug and alcohol service) and to mental health services
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9 referrals have been made in relation to violence against women and girls
The work hasn't stopped and by working alongside the community and listening to our residents’ concerns we have been able to make the neighbourhood a safer place.
Reporting concerns
- Find out how to report concerns about an adult
- Find out how to report concerns about a child
- Call 999 if you think a crime has been committed or is about to be committed or someone is in immediate danger.
- Call 101 for anything that does not require an immediate response.
- You can report a variety of issues to police on their website.
 £9,500 recovered for Wokingham resident
At the beginning of summer 2023, an elderly resident was contacted on their mobile phone by a scammer and persuaded to purchase gift cards for a golf subscription.
Several cards were purchased over the phone before the bank noticed there were unusual transactions from the account and stopped any further money being taken.
But the scammer did not stop there. They coerced the resident to go into their bank where they withdrew £5,000 in cash and £3,000 on the following day, which was all given to the scammer.
Bank staff are trained in detecting the warning signs of someone being scammed. If the branch suspects the customer to be a victim of a scam, there are steps they should take to protect the customer and their money.
This did not happen in the case of this elderly resident and they lost over £8,000.
Our Public Protection Partnership’s fraud victim support officer challenged the victim’s bank on their behalf.
When the bank refused to accept responsibility for the losses, it was escalated to the Ombudsman who found in favour of the victim, resulting in the bank having to refund £8,000.
The victim’s credit card company was also contacted and refunded the victim £1,500 for the gift cards purchased.
Protecting yourself
Fraud is on the increase; so everyone needs to be more careful when answering the phone or responding to emails or texts. Make sure you take time to evaluate what is being said or what you are reading. Do your own research rather than taking things at face value.
Remember the ABCs:
- Assume nothing
- Believe nothing
- Challenge everything
The Public Protection Partnership (PPP) provides Trading Standards Services to Wokingham Borough Council.
Information on keeping safe from scams can be found on the Citizen's Advice website
Precious items returned to resident
In February we received a report of fly-tipping on Barley Road, Arborfield.
Our enforcement officers went to investigate and found a partially burnt van full of items, all wet through.
Our officer noticed that their was a 'baby's first year' box, as well as other irreplaceable items including photographs.
Among the items was a name and a commercial address so they called and left a message. The call was returned by a local resident.
They explained they had been moving house and all their items were left in the van overnight, which was then stolen and set fire to.
Fortunately, our eagle-eyed officer was able to reunite the grateful owner with their precious possessions.
If you find any items that you suspect have been dumped please report fly-tipping with the exact location so the team can investigate.
 Safety for late-night workers in new licensing policy
Safe travel home for late-night workers has been included in our updated licensing policy following feedback.
In our consultation, we asked about women’s safety when out late at night. While people agreed that businesses should consider steps such as promoting ‘Ask for Angela’ and providing bystander training, they felt women who work late at night should be offered a safe journey home.
We’ve taken this one step further and made it an expectation for anyone wanting to get a new license or renew a current one that goes past 11pm to put provision in place for safe travel home for all staff, such as supplemented taxi travel.
Other updates to the policy include a pre-application service to provide support and guidance as well as some updates in line with national policy changes, such as protecting children from harm.
This policy focuses on licences for supply of alcohol, late night refreshments and certain types of entertainment, but we are responsible for all licensing in the borough, covering activities such as animals, charitable collections, fireworks, scrap metal, taxis, tattoos and piercing.
 Protect your property this spring
With school holidays and the bank holiday fast approaching, you may have a holiday booked or be planning some days out.
Follow our tips below to help keep your property safe so your time off doesn't end in heartache.
Going on holiday
- Use a timer switch on lights and radios to make your house appear occupied, even when it isn’t
- Don’t advertise that you are going on holiday on social media – wait to upload your snaps until you get home
- Ask someone you trust to keep an eye on your house while you are away.
- Don’t leave spare keys in obvious places such as under doormats or plant pot
Staying Home
- Lock all front and rear doors at night and when you are out
- If you have a UPVC door, remember to lift the handle and lock it with the key
- Keep all valuables and keys, including car keys and keyless car entry fobs, out of sight and out of reach of windows and letterboxes
- Double check your vehicle is locked
- Ensure side gates are locked to prevent access to the rear of the property
- Move bins away from side walls and fences
- Keep ladders and tools stored away - don’t leave them outside where they could be used to break into your home
For more advice and tips, visit Thames Valley Police's crime prevention hub.
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