Wokingham Borough Connect
 Protecting our residents from 'cuckooing'
Cuckoos are the birds that often signal the start of spring, they lay their eggs in other bird's nests and the unsuspecting nest owner is left to raise their chicks.
'Cuckooing' is the term given to those who take over the home of a vulnerable person and then use it for their own nefarious purposes. It can often be related to 'county lines'.
Recently our Community Protection Officer received a referral from one of our housing association partners who suspected one of their residents was being ‘cuckooed’.
It turned out that these people were gaining access to the flat through the back door unknown to the staff at the supported living accommodation. At around the same time the victim’s mother reported to the police that people not known to her were living in her son’s flat, that they had his mobile phone and that he was buying drugs for them. Police visited and found the flat in a very untidy state and other people present.
The Community Protection Officer arranged a meeting with the Problem Solving and Safeguarding policing team, the Neighbourhood Policing team (NHPT), the housing association support team, the Fire Service and the Serious Violence and Exploitation Officer.
It was established that the occupant was being financially exploited and possibly cuckooed. The Safeguarding and NHPT teams visited the address the next day and one of the people there was arrested as they were already wanted by police.
The fire service completed a fire safety check and installed extra fire alarms. Measures were also put in place to ensure any visitors now have to enter through the main entrance.
This is an example of multiple agencies working together to keep a resident safe. If you have concerns about anyone please either contact the police on 101 or via their website. You can find out more about raising a safeguarding concern about an adult or child on our own website.
 Small Talk Saves Lives
Since its launch in 2017, Small Talk Saves Lives has encouraged people to start a simple conversation if they think someone is not all right at railway stations or other public places, if they feel safe to do so. This campaign is delivered by The Samaritans in partnership with Network Rail and British Transport Police.
This year the campaign ran from 4 March to 25 March, and volunteers from the local branches of Samaritans (which has centres in Reading and Bracknell, as well as Slough and Newbury) spent a day at Reading station to improve awareness of the listening support and signposting offered by the charity (free to call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org).
Two in five of adults in the UK (44 per cent) say they sometimes find themselves struggling to cope. In fact, 67 per cent of people in the UK say they would appreciate someone checking on them, offering words of support, if they were struggling.
A simple question such as “Hey, are you okay?” or “Hi, do you know where I can get a coffee?” and a small conversation can be all it takes to interrupt someone's suicidal thoughts.
There’s no evidence that starting a conversation with someone who doesn’t seem all right will make things worse, and there’s no perfect approach - just do your best, especially as around three women a week die by suicide as a result of domestic abuse.
If you want to find out more about what to do if you know someone or see someone who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide there is free training available. If there is an immediate risk to life, call 999.
 Underage sales operations in Wokingham
It is a criminal offence to sell age restricted products to any underage person. Trading Standards Officers frequently enforce and carry out inspections, sometimes in partnership with Thames Valley Police, and conduct regular test purchases to enforce this.
Age restricted products and services include alcohol, vapes, cigarettes and tobacco, lottery tickets, knives, fireworks, botox and fillers.
Since January 2025 Trading Standards Officers and some of our underage volunteers (aged 15 to 17) have been visiting premises that sell these age restricted products. The underage volunteers have attempted to purchase vapes on 18 occasions, they have attempted six alcohol purchases and tried to buy knives in 8 shops.
Of the premises visited our trained and supervised underage volunteers were unfortunately able to make two vape purchases, one alcohol purchase and one knife. Investigations and enforcement action is being undertaken in respect of these premises.
If you have any suspicions or information relating to premises you think may be selling age-restricted products to underage residents, please can we ask you to notify us in confidence at tsadvice@westberks.gov.uk
More information for businesses on age restricted products. If you are aged between 15 and 17 and would like to sign up as a volunteer please email.
 Walk and talk in Twyford
Twyford Neighbourhood Policing Team are holding a "Walk and Talk" session on Saturday 26 April. In attendance along with police will be our ASB Team and Twyford Parish Council.
They will be meeting at Loddon Hall (King George V playing field) at 4pm with the intention of starting the walk around shortly after.
Please come on down and speak with us and others in your community - problems shared are problems halved.
If you are not able to make it, the Neighbourhood Policing Team would still value your feedback and concerns, so please complete the survey for Twyford.
 Spring warning over rogue traders
As Spring seems to have arrived and residents are starting to think about home improvements our Trading Standards service is urging caution against rogue traders and unscrupulous home improvement companies.
Officers are advising people to be wary of unsolicited calls to their homes, are urging residents not to sign up on the doorstep for services and not to be pressured into accepting offers of work. Warning signs include requests for large upfront payments, the absence of written quotes and a lack of a physical business address.
Doorstep and property related crime has cost residents in the borough more than £670,000 already in 2024/25 and the average cost to each victim is more than £9,100.
There are currently 10 cases with Wokingham borough based victims (often amongst many others) being investigated by Trading Standards Officers or in the court system. Active interventions have already recovered or saved residents over £85,000.
If you witness a doorstep crime in action or feel threatened please report it online, or call 101 or in an emergency dial 999.
If you are concerned you may have been contacted by a rogue trader then please contact our Trading Standards team on 01635 519930 or email.
 Can you help us find a space?
Cranstoun Drug and Alcohol service are expanding their offer of support for women in the borough by offering a safe space away from the main service premises, to encourage more women to access support for their drug and alcohol use.
Cranstoun are in the process of identifying a suitable premises that could be used as a dedicated women's only space one day per week. Days and timings are to be discussed as this is the very start of the project, at this stage the only criteria is that there will be no males on site during this time.
If you know of a venue that may be suitable, please email the Cranstoun Service Manager, Vikki Lake or call 07495 984328.
 Smoke alarms save lives – it's time to test
The smoke alarms we have in our homes can often be overlooked. That’s why, as part of the Fire Kills campaign, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is encouraging people to make testing them a part of their regular routine.
Paul Scott, Central Hub Prevention Manager for RBFRS says: “The latest fire statistics show that in cases of primary dwelling fires, the smoke alarms within the properties failed to operate around 25 per cent of the time.
"Don’t let your home add to this statistic. It only takes a few seconds to test your smoke alarms, but could save the lives of you and your loved ones. Mark ‘test it Tuesday’ on your calendars, to remind yourself to do this simple safety step once a week.”
Buying and installing smoke alarms:
- Make sure you have enough smoke alarms – there should be one installed on every level of your home
- The best places to fit them are at the bottom of the stairs and on each stair landing
- The ideal position is on the ceiling, as near as possible to the centre of the room, hallway or landing
- Avoid placing smoke alarms in kitchens and bathrooms – small amounts of smoke or steam could accidentally set them off
Looking after your smoke alarms:
- Once a week – test the batteries
- Twice a year – gently vacuum around it to remove excess dust
- Once a year – change the batteries (unless it is a ten-year alarm or a mains-wired alarm)
- Every ten years – replace the entire smoke alarm
Extra advice and support:
- Take some time to check on vulnerable relatives and neighbours by testing their smoke alarms for them and making sure they have one installed on every level of their home.
- For advice specific to you and your home, complete an Online Home Fire Safety Check (OHFSC). The National Fire Chiefs Council, Fire Kills and Safelincs have developed a new easy-to-follow home fire safety check tool, which will give you a simple personalised fire safety action plan to help keep you and your household safe from fire.
- Request a Safe and Well visit. This is a free service that RBFRS provides to eligible residents across the county. They are tailored to individual needs and can be arranged at a time convenient for you.
For more information on smoke alarms, please see the safety advice on the RBFRS website.
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