WARNING

There have been a series of incidents here in Helensvale recently which call for a new watchfulness by householders. There have been several break-ins to people's homes WHILST THEY WERE IN WATCHING TELEVISION! The thieves have removed bug-screens to open windows and climbed through very small gaps into bedrooms and rifled through cupboards and drawers, scooping up valuables then dashing out before the householder knew they were even in the house. It is thought that one of them kept watch through a gap in the curtains to make sure the householders were sitting down or occupied, perhaps warning the person or persons doing the robbery if the householders got up to investigate noise, or walked towards the bedroom.

The burglars must be small, perhaps young teenagers or children, and seem to have no fear. So far they have not been disturbed during their activities.

If you think you hear someone in your house, ring 000 immediately and do not confront them. If you discover the burglary only when you go to bed, ring the non-emergency number, 5581 2999 (if it is after 4pm) and you will be visited, but this may take time, so be patient, as priority has to be given to incidents in progress. The police are very helpful but you can help them do their job more efficiently if you have a photograph of your jewellery or valuables (do this BEFORE you are robbed) for insurance and identity purposes. If you haven't got a digital camera, contact me on 5580 1264 and NHW can photo your property and give you a print-out to keep, free of charge.

Keep your home safe by making sure your windows only open about 10cm. Putting pieces of dowling or sticks into the sliding window tracks is a very good and inexpensive prevention against anyone getting in quietly. If you can put your head in the gap, someone can get through it! Make sure you draw your curtains fully, or blinds, so that someone outside can't see into your lounge-room. They might not chance breaking in if they don't know where you are in the house. A security alarm won't help in this situation because you are in the house, and won't have it armed. Make sure you lock all doors when in or out, and front doors if in the back yard.

Also take care when strangers knock on your door, day or night. They might be trying to find out if the house is occupied, or they might be keeping you talking whilst a second person nips round the back to try their luck with any open doors, and get in to steal. Be specially careful if two people call and ask for access to taps, pipes or electrical supply equipment. One will keep you talking whilst the other picks up whatever he or she finds in the house and can pocket without suspicion. Sometimes, they will carry false ID and pretend to be from an official organisation. A genuine caller will not mind if you phone to check that the company has really sent him or her, and a bogus caller will probably be scared off. Play safe and don't let anyone inside the house you are not happy about, and try to memorise details about them.

Lastly, if you are conned by a criminal, it is NEVER YOUR FAULT. These tricksters prey on the fact that most of us are truthful and believe what we are told. It is PERFECTLY REASONABLE to believe that we have been told the truth. Societies work on trust. If this is destroyed, then great harm is done to all of us, so put the blame where it belongs!

Margaret McDermott, Coordinator.

Last Meeting of the Year

The meeting on Thursday, 29th October, in the Community Centre North Hall in Helensvale was the last for this year. Clr John Wayne and our Police Liason Officer Constable Sam Walsh were present to answer questions, and our guest speaker Brian Arnold from Electralarm Australia Pty Ltd., gave us some valuable information about domestic security systems.

We had a fair turnout, but we need more attendees to make it worthwhile for our lovely speakers who give up valuable family time to come to our meetings to answer questions. They do this for all the many small NHW groups around Helensvale, and Division 2, and are giving their time free of charge for the community. If you care about keeping our beautiful suburb safe, come along to our next meeting, the AGM, on 25th February. You can become a committee-member, a block or zone coordinator if you wish - just present yourself on the day.

Committtee-members are voted in each year : the posts up for election are Coordinator, Secretary and Treasurer. If you think you can do a good job in any of these offices, put yourselves forward.

Zone coordinators are responsible for a sub-division of our area, usually about 120 households. They organise the delivery of the newsletter, quarterly, by liasing with the block coordinators who deliver to particular streets. Zone and block co-ordinators are expected to attend two meetings per quarter, one informal gathering to collect newsletters, the other, the main meeting. Zone and block coordinators can chat with residents about NHW when they deliver the newsletters, if the opportunity arises. This does't amount to a lot of time, but we really need your presence at the meetings. Because these positions carry responsibilities, all officers have to undergo a Police check, but it usually only takes a few days for clearance to come through.

We particularly need block coordinators in Lindfield Road and Doyalson Place because we will shortly have residents in the 68 new apartments, so numbers in our area will soon total 800. If any Central residents are reading this, welcome to the area, and welcome to NHW! You are members by virtue of living in Helensvale Area 2, so we would love to see you at our next meeting.

Meanwhile, have a very Happy Christmas and New Year holiday until we see you on 25th February!

Margaret McDermott,

Coordinator

NEXT MEETING NEWS

Don't forget folks, the next NHW meeting is fast approaching! We meet at the Helensvale Community Centre North, at 7pm on Thursday, 29th October. Brian Arnold, from Electralarms, has kindly agreed to give us a talk on home security and alarm systems, and we are expecting representatives from the political scene, as well as our friendly Police Liason Officer Sam Walsh to be there to answer your questions.

For those who are not familiar with Neighbourhood Watch, you are members automatically by just living in the area (see our map lower down this blog), and there are no charges or fees at meetings whatsoever, or even voluntary collections. So what happens at NHW meetings?

You will be greeted and asked to sign an attendance list and take a seat. The meeting will begin with talks from the coordinator and committee who conduct the formal business as quickly as possible. The guest speaker(s) will give very brief talks and feedback on earlier issues. Questions may be asked at any time. The Police Liason Officer and coordinator then discuss the crimes committed in our area over the last three months. As much time as possible will then be given to new questions and issues raised by the audience.

Free refreshments are available during this last part of the meeting, with a chance to meet your neighbours, police representative and local councillor/member of parliament, who give good service to our group, listening to concerns, giving feedback and taking action where possible.

Once again, I repeat the message from the police and Crime Prevention Office, that statistics show over and over again that the best defence against crime is a strong Neighbourhood Watch. Where neighbours know each other and look out for one another, crime goes down. Joining NHW is a very good way of getting to know your neighbours and the streets near your house. This doesn't mean being intrusive and it doesn't involve a lot of time, even for the committee and block coordinators, it just means being alert to things that look and sound "wrong", and knowing who to call about it.

BUT ABOVE ALL, JUST COME TO OUR MEETINGS!!

Margaret McDermott, Coordinator

The" Screwing Session"

You would think that an offer to give motorists something that makes their cars safer would be eagerly taken, but leafleting the Plaza on Friday morning (24th July) was uphill work!! Once people knew what was on offer, they responded warmly, but most headed determindly away from us, so we had to be persistent! Shouting "free screws" turned one or two heads, but to get attention, we had to walk alongside our targets telling a longish tale of explanation. The public have "charity collectors fatigue" unfortunately, and are guarded and suspicious even when there is a genuine freebee on offer, with no catch!! To overcome this, we need to promote NHW and its activities as a trusted organisation - trusted not to ask for money. This is why we do not fund-raise at meetings.

Despite nearly all our publicity sources (except for the Newsletter) not giving us publicity, and our poster at Discovery Drive being stolen, we managed to convince nearly fifty motorists to have their number-plate screws exchanged for security ones. The Volunteers in Policing who did publicise the event, provided the materials and the service, and did a splendid job, so many thanks to them, and to the District Crime Prevention Unit who initiated this event. Thanks also to the NHW volunteers who helped.

THE JULY MEETING

The public meeting on 23rd July went surprisingly well despite the absence of all our guest speakers. Federal MP Stuart Robert sent apologies that he had another commitment, and at the last minute our Police Liason Officer Sam Walsh telephoned to say she was unfortunately unwell. The Committee was present, comprising Margaret McDermott, Coordinator and Chair, Ros Gillespie , Secretary, and Jill Holloway, Treasurer.

More people than last time attended, and we had useful discussions on several topics. The formalities were conducted speedily, and the Chair announced details of the coming NHW State Conference in Brisbane, then information about the Community Safety Awards (see below on an earlier blog for details). She then spoke briefly about NHW and the elderly, emphasising the need to keep a special look-out for those who lived alone, the infirm and the very old, to just make sure they were safe.

One issue that a member of the public had asked us to raise was about the car-parking outside Helensvale Primary School at home-time. One disabled resident had had her driveway blocked completely so that her visiting son could not get his car out. Complaints from another person in the same street were that parents would move if they saw a police-vehicle, but then came back the next day. The challenge for NHW is to change behaviour more permanently. Ideas included actually fining some offenders instead of just giving warnings, and asking the police to have a publicised random "swoop" so that the parents know that one day, if they are illegally parked, they will be caught, but do not know when! Liasing with the principal Mr Pascoe on this issue should happen soon.

Another concern discussed was the recurring problems in the tunnel between the Plaza and Westfield. Grafitti and broken glass reappeared as soon as they were cleaned up. Could a security camera be fitted there? This will be passed on to Clr John Wayne shortly.

The danger to wildlife on Highvale Drive was raised by a concerned resident. Dogs are being exercised off the lead despite a sign saying this is illegal in this wildlife-corridor area. There have been injuries to wallabies and possums here. The Chair emphasised the need to keep all dogs and cats in at night, and to always accompany, and pick up after your dogs.

The crime-figures were then analysed: this quarterly's "hot-spots" were mentioned, and the surprising fact that all the house-burglaries had occurred during daylight hours. The popular image of "Burglar Bill" breaking-in in the dead of night is largely a myth - ( but still lock up at night!!), however, it is part of NHW's role to keep a look out for anything suspicious at any time.

The crime figures are actually down this quarter, reduced from 24 incidents to 16. Is this a co-incidence, or is NHW having an effect? Do keep coming to meetings, it makes a difference. If nothing else, you get to met your neighbours over a cup of coffee or tea. We never ask for donations at our meetings, and refreshments are free. If anyone has transport problems, we can arrange lifts.

Keep safe!

Margaret McDermott

KEEP SAFE FROM THE FLU

A lot of people do not realise that flu and colds can be spread very readily by the hands. When you blow your nose or cough/ sneeze into your hands, you cover them with harmful bacteria and viruses which stay live for along time and multiply on warm moist skin. A simple habit of washing your hands EVERY time you touch your nose or mouth will help to minimise the chance of passing your germs onto others. The difficulty is remembering!!!

The correct way to hand wash, as told by a first-aid instructor was as follows:

1 Soap your hands all over thoroughly, up to the wrists,

2 Rub the soap in for the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday to You" all through,

3 Rinse the soap off.

Most of us just give a quick rinse under the tap, with or without soap, but that is not sufficient. It is the thorough rubbing-in of the soap that kills the germs. We have drastically reduced the incidence of tummy-bugs by hand-washing after using the toilet, so let's do the same for colds and flu.

FUND-RAISING OFFER

We have received news of a product which may add to the safety of the neighbourhood : solar-powered illuminated house-numbers. Having a well-lit number assists the emergency services to identify addresses quickly when called to an incident. The more people who clearly display their house-numbers, the easier it is for the ambulance or fire-engine to get to the right address, saving precious time.

The company concerned is DS Numbers. Their products can be seen at www.dsnumbers.com.au, or you can contact them on 1300 789 114 for details.

The product usually sells at $97, but until the end of August, the price is $55 plus postage. HOWEVER, FOR EVERY ITEM ORDERED THROUGH OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH GROUP, THE PRICE IS $35, AND THE COMPANY WILL DONATE $5 TO THE GROUP.

To order through us, either click on the email link on this web site, or phone 5580 1264. I will send in a bulk order after our next meeting on 23rd July, to enable those without computers to take advantage of this offer.

DID YOU KNOW?

Anyone who attends  Neighbourhood Watch meetings, and lives in our area (see map below), is a member of Neighbourhood watch.

Any  member may take any or all of the Gold Coast City Council free courses on Internet Safety, Self Defence or First Aid.  There are two First Aid courses:  Children's First Aid and Apply First Aid.  These award certificates to attenders which are valid qualifications. 

 I can personally recommend the two courses I have attended so far: Apply First Aid and Self Defence. You could save a life using the knowledge gained  on the First Aid course, and the Self-Defence course uses a combined Martial Arts approach which shows you mind-blowing moves and boosts personal confidence!

These courses run as part of the Community Safety programme, and information about dates and times may be obtained from the Community Safety Office on 5581 6603, or email communitysafety@goldcoast.qld.gov.au.

Thanks to Everyone!

Thanks to all who helped, supported and paid attention to our Awareness Day on 23rd April.  We were at Helensvale Plaza from 8.30 in the morning until 5pm.  "Bill the Burglar" attracted a lot of attention, and even made the front page of the Gold Coast "Sun" in their next edition, just in time for the Launch Meeting on 28th April. 

This first public meeting since the AGM was well attended, and we are specially grateful to our invited guests Michael Crandon, the new state MP for Coomera,  Councillor John Wayne, and our Police Liason Officer Samantha Walsh, who were able to answer questions about issues and concerns regarding crime and its prevention in our district.   There was an opportunity to socialise after the more formal proceedings, with free refreshments provided.   It was altogether a most worthwhile evening.  There were the usual leaflets and information brochures available to take away, giving useful tips on avoiding becoming a victim of crime, information about courses available free (First Aid, self-defence, etc.) and telephone numbers to ring for specific crimes and problems.  

PLEASE NOTE: NEXT MEETING THURSDAY 23rd  JULY AT HELENSVALE COMMUNITY CENTRE (North Hall this time) FROM 7pm TO  8.30pm,  SO DO COME ALONG

Margaret McDermott,  Area Coordinator

TWO WARNINGS OF SCAMS

We have heard of two scams that the public needs to be aware of:

1) Scammers posing as Neighbourhood Watch representatives have been ringing up householders asking about the security arrangements on their houses. They then use this information for burglary.  PLEASE NOTE THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH WOULD RING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THIS WAY. Anyone wanting security advice,  or any other help from NHW needs to approach us, not the other way round.

2) The following email being circulated is FALSE:

This is for Australia phone numbers

REMEMBER mobile phone numbers go public next month

REMINDER all mobile phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls.

YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

Below is a link where you can enter your phone numbers online to put an end to telemarketing calls: https://www.donotcall.gov.au/

The Telephone Co-ordination Unit has received queries regarding the content of this email.

This has been confirmed as a hoax through Telstra.

The 'Donotcall Register' email address is genuine, the pat about mobile numbers going public is incorrect.

If you receive this email please DON'T forward it. But do feel free to advise the sender that this is a hoax.

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Photo: Google Earth