Have your say on council spending plans

Council consults spending plans   We have published our spending plans for next year and we are now asking residents, local businesses and others for their views on our proposals which include freezing our share of council tax for the third year and making £14m of savings. Most of these savings will come from efficiency measures such as renegotiating contracts, merging teams and sharing resources in order to protect our services.   We have also published our draft capital programme of £81m, which outlines investments in road maintenance - an area which residents highlighted as important in a last year’s survey – as well as street lighting and new residential care facilities.   You can view the budget proposals online. The consultation is open until 31 January 2013.

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London Road, Biggleswade - Burglary

 

 

Bedfordshire Police Messaging

 

 

 

Incident Type:	Burglary.
Location:	London Road, Biggleswade.
Date and Time:	Saturday 22nd December, between 2:30 and 11:00 p.m.
Incident Details:	The offender has gained access to the rear garden, forcing open the kitchen window. A laptop, Ipod, jewellery and bags containing Christmas presents have been taken.
Crime Reference:	J D / 4 5 0 6 1 / 2012.
Crime Reduction Advice:	Keep Doors and Windows locked at all times. Remove all keys from the locks and keep them in a safe place out of view. Keep hallways clear of valuables like keys, handbags and laptop where they may be seen. If your house will be empty after dark leave a light on or set a timer. Do not leave Christmas gifts under a tree where they may be seen from the street. If you will be away over Christmas ask a neighbour to park a vehicle on your driveway.



 

If you have information about any crime or suspicious activity please call the Control Room on 1 0 1

Text your message to 07786 200011

Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

 

A 999 call and a credit card scam

The con began with phone call from woman claiming to be an inspector

'DCI Seymour' told the couple someone was using cards to buy items

She said the card had been cloned and was being used to make purchases

Con rested on clever technical trick, specialist technology and acting skills

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2249752/A-999-credit-card-scam-cost-thousands.html#ixzz2FOROewXx

Mead End, Biggleswade - Burglary

BEDFORDSHIRE POLICE MESSAGING

Incident Type:	Burglary.
Location:	Mead End , Biggleswade.
Date and Time:	Saturday 15th December, between 10:30 a.m. and 8:25 p.m.
Incident Details:	The offender has climbed over the garage to access the rear garden. The back door has been forced open. A plasma TV, and a laptop have been taken.
Crime Reference:	J D / 4 4 2 4 5 / 2012.
Crime Reduction Advice:	Keep Doors and Windows locked at all times. Remove all keys from the locks and keep them in a safe place out of view. Keep hallways clear of valuables like keys, handbags and laptop where they may be seen. If your house will be empty after dark leave a light on or set a timer. Do not leave Christmas gifts under a tree where they may be seen from the street. If you will be away over Christmas ask a neighbour to park a vehicle on your driveway.

Courier Scam Alert



With Christmas fast approaching and online shopping ever more popular, the number of  home deliveries being made by couriers is increasing. However, the Trading Standards team would like to take this opportunity to remind residents to act on the side of caution before taking delivery of an unexpected parcel.

 

 

Over recent years various “courier” type scams have been reported. Examples include a person posing as a “courier” delivering a gift or a bunch of flowers which is accompanied by a bottle of wine. The “courier” then states that as the parcel contains alcohol, they are required to confirm the delivery was to an adult and requests that the person receiving the parcel swipes a credit card and enters their PIN into his handheld device. In the matter of minutes, the unsuspecting recipient will provide the stranger with the opportunity to clone the card and record the PIN.

 

 

Another example of a “courier” scam involves the resident returning home to find an  "unable to deliver" postcard waiting for them, with instructions to call a telephone number to re-arrange delivery. But in reality no parcel exists and they may find they are inadvertently calling a ‘090’ or ‘091’ premium rate number which will result in nothing more than a large telephone bill.

 

Another recently reported scam involves a parcel delivered to the correct address but the addressee is unknown. A couple of days later someone turns up to collect the parcel, claiming it was intended for them but had been sent to the wrong address by mistake. This person is never seen again. However, once the parcel has been handed over, the resident who took delivery will start to receive demands for payment for its contents.

 

Our advice to residents would be:

- always act with caution if you receive an unexpected parcel delivery;

- most online retailers will notify you when your purchase has been shipped so you know when to expect delivery;

- check to see if the parcel is correctly addressed to you or someone else in your household;

- never provide any credit card details or payment to confirm receipt of a parcel;

- if you are in any doubt, refuse to take receipt of the delivery;

- never feel intimidated into making a quick decision just because the courier is in a hurry;

- if you receive an “unable to deliver” card, take a moment to check you are not being asked to call a premium rate number;

- if you are not expecting a delivery, do not call the number and throw the card away!

 

If you have any information or would like to report a possible scam, please call

Citizen’s Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506 or email the Trading Standards team at :

be.scamaware@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

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