Our new Police Community Support Officer Steph Annette came and talked to the parish council last week.

Although we are in a low crime area she mentioned two areas of concern – cyber safety and cold calling. This latter is particularly obnoxious because rogue traders are targeting the vulnerable residents.

West Mercia Police have created a “No Cold Calling” page with more information.

The latest issue of Herefordshire Now is available from the county council website.

 A new neighbourhood watch scheme is being set up for our area. If you are interested in joining, please email mortimernhw@gmail.com

So what’s it all about?
A watch scheme is about bringing together responsible members of local communities to look out for each other, and to work in partnership with the police to prevent and deter crime.

It’s not about being a busybody or snooping into other people’s affairs. It’s about adding our eyes, ears and voices in a combined effort to tackle criminal, suspicious and anti-social behaviour in our community so that we can keep our neighbourhood a safe place in which to live.

In brief, being a good neighbour – being alert to what is happening in the local area and responding to it.

We live in a community where information is already shared by word of mouth and on social media about issues in our neighbourhood. A watch scheme will formalise that for the benefit of all in our community.

The police cannot have an officer on every street corner, and those of us who live here are more likely to recognise something unusual or suspicious. Neighbourhood Watch is closely supported by West Mercia police and, working with them, we can make a difference.

Upon joining a Neighbourhood watch scheme, you will be joining a national organisation, with other schemes in our local area. Here in West Mercia region the “watch” network of Facebook pages already reaches 400,000 to 500,000 people each month in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.

And the final carrot?
Insurance companies approve of watch schemes and it is possible to save a few quid on house insurance premiums come renewal time if we can say we live in a Neighbourhood Watch area – according to ComparetheMarket, research carried out suggested 33% of insurance providers offer discounts to Neighbourhood Watch members.