Domestic burglary levels rose by 14% in the period 2010 – 11 according to the British Crime Survey, so now is clearly not the time to get complacent.

There are two key strands to the strategy for protecting your home: create the impression that someone is there and make sure adequate security measures are in place.

People often draw their curtains when they go away, but this is a clear signal that the house is unoccupied.

It is better to keep the curtains open, and move any valuables out of easy sight of the window.

Milk and other deliveries should be stopped, and it is also important to ensure that mail is not going to pile
up.

It is a good idea to ask a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on the house – they may also be able to draw
curtains for you and manage your post while you are away.

The most basic form of security measure to get right is locking doors and windows properly (around 20% of
all household burglaries are carried out by entering through an unsecured door or window).

Security lighting will illuminate anyone coming close to your property which can be a significant deterrent
for would-be thieves.

Alarms also make burglars think twice. There are two types of alarms – ‘bells-only’ and ‘remotely monitored’. Bells-only alarms provide an on-the-spot alert that an intrusion has taken place, but do not receive an automatic police response. With a remotely monitored alarm, activation signals are sent to a monitoring service so that the police are contacted on your behalf.

More tips for keeping your home safe:

• Be careful not to advertise holiday plans on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
• Don’t announce you are away on answer machine messages.
• Create the impression you are at home with security timer switches which turn appliances such as lights and radios on automatically at a particular time.
• If you don’t know what to do with mail, the Royal Mail’s ‘Keepsafe’ service will keep it for you until you get back.
• Ensure sheds are secure too or consider moving valuable items indoors.
• Security products and services should meet appropriate standards – a register of approved suppliers of electronic security equipment is available on the National Security Inspectorate’s website – www.nsi.org.uk.

A recent poll by YouGov has found that almost half of British people would support utility companies having to pay a fee to dig up roads.

It has been suggested that charging companies for each day the road remains dug up would minimise the frequency and time that roads are obstructed, but some argue that any fees would just be passed on to customers in the form of higher bills. More than a third of those who were asked said they are were opposed to the fees.

• 47% of British people supported utility companies being made to pay a fee to dig up roads
• 34% said they were opposed to the charges and thought any costs would just be passed onto customers through higher gas and water prices

The poll was taken as a Government consultation paper proposed charging utility companies for digging up roads during busy times.

Announcing the 12-week consultation for the scheme, which began last week, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said:

“Everyone knows how frustrating it can be when you are sat in a traffic jam, unable to get to work or drop off the children at school because someone is digging up the road.

“This disruption is expensive as well as inconvenient, with one estimate valuing the loss to the economy from road works congestion at £4billion a year. We simply cannot afford this.

“That is why I am putting forward proposals which would incentivise utility companies and local authorities to carry out their works at times when they will cause the minimum disruption to the travelling public.”

Alasdair Reisner, director of external affairs at the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, said its members had been in favour of lane rental schemes for years. He said:

“Road works are a major cause of congestion on our roads and irritation for motorists, and anything that reduces their impact is welcome,”

With a week to go before the MPs commence the last Commons debate on the Government’s Health and Social Care Bill, leading Liberal Democrat critic, Andrew George MP, is warning his colleagues of the damage it will do to the NHS.

Mr George – a member of the Health Select Committee – who will hold a public meeting about the Bill in his constituency this evening (31st August 2011) will be proposing a raft of amendments which seek to counter what he sees as the risk of a health service “driven more by private profit than by concern about patient care”.

Mr George said, “The Bill breaks the Coalition Agreement, is based upon a false claim that the NHS performs poorly in comparison with health systems across Europe and represents the biggest upheaval of the NHS in its history at precisely the time it needs stability and certainty.

“The Bill runs the high risk of producing a national health service which is driven more by private profit than by concern about patient care; risks undermining emergency services through the fragmentation of health systems; is a major missed opportunity to produce a health service that is more accountable to the patients and communities it serves; and fails to do what really needs to be done, i.e. streamline the pathways between health and social care.”

Fun is at the top of the agenda when residents from North East Lincolnshire’s Nunsthorpe, Bradley Park and Grange areas meet up on Friday, September 2, for an end of summer holiday celebration at Sutcliffe Avenue Recreation ground.

Along with traditional activities like face painting and tombola, young and old will have the chance to throw wet sponges at local PCSOs while they are locked into old fashioned stocks. Visitors can also enjoy mini go-karts and inflatable bungee games.

Representatives from North East Lincolnshire Council, Humberside Fire and Rescue and Trading Standards will be available for advice and information. Young people can also spend time on the Young People Support Services youth bus and have a go at penalty shoot out. Community Pride will be available to offer a dog chipping service at discounted rates.

The Nunsthorpe community centre in Sutcliffe Avenue will also be open for food and drinks with a number of indoor stalls.

The fun day is open to anyone, not only people living in Grimsby’s South Ward.

Councillor Susan Pickett, Mayor of North East Lincolnshire, will officially start the fun at 11am. At 3pm the event will close with Grimsby in Bloom volunteers releasing 1,000 balloons in a race to see which goes furthest – previously they have been found as far away as Germany.

South Ward resident, Councillor and former Mayor Norma Lincoln, said: “We’re all looking forward to having a good laugh together, this is a great area to live in, and we’re very proud of it. Personally, I’m particularly looking forward to the cake stall, but I know some kids who can’t wait for a go on the mini go-karts.”

Budding entrepreneurs are being invited to Grimsby Central Library on Monday, September 12, for a session on how to get started in business.

Enterprise coaches from the borough’s local business start-up advice organisation, E-factor, will be on hand from noon to 2pm to talk to people about their business ideas.

The group session will look at success and failure factors and E-factor will provide further information about the ongoing support available for new and existing businesses.

The session takes place in the library’s learning centre and places need to be booked by calling E-factor on (01472) 887005.

Seven green flags were awarded to North East Lincolnshire’s parks and open spaces this year and now the Green Flag Award Scheme is urging everyone to show their support for their local park or green space, as voting for the nation’s favourite park reaches the final stages.

Nominations for the People’s Choice Award closes at midday on Monday, September 12, and this annual online vote gives the public the power to decide which one of the 1,290 parks or green spaces flying the Green Flag Award or Community Award this year, should be named the site of the year.

Competition to reach the top spot is already hotting up, with over 4,500 votes cast already,

Now is the time to vote if you feel your local park is worthy of the People’s Choice award. I certainly feel we have some outstanding areas in the borough for people to be outdoors with their families, using them for sporting activities or just taking a stroll to enjoy the fresh air. Ensure your local park or green space gets the recognition it deserves.

Simply visit www.greenflagaward.org.uk to register your vote. Select Yorkshire and Humberside on the interactive map, find your favourite park or green space and click the ‘vote for this site’ button.

Paul Todd, Green Flag Award scheme manager said:

“We know how important having access to quality parks and green spaces is to the public. The People’s Choice Award gives them the chance to decide which park or green space deserves the accolade of the nation’s favourite.

“With 1,290 award-winning sites to choose from competition is fierce so we urge everyone to get voting if they want to see their local park pick up the award.”

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, September 21.

Counter Measures, a new report from Consumer Focus, says that all UK high street banks should allow their customers full access to personal bank accounts through the post office network to meet consumer demand.

The research suggests that if such a service was available, the number of people who would be able to use their local post office to access their current account would increase significantly from the four million people who are crrently using the service.

Consumer Focus estimates that there are potentially up to 18 million customers who would make use of the service, which would allow customers to make cash withdrawals, deposit cash and cheques and access information on their account balance at the Post Office.

This would offer more flexibility and convenience to customers, particularly in areas where there are no local bank branches, and could also give the post office network a boost.

Around four million customers from the majority of high street banks are estimated to use the post office network for some current account services, but HSBC and most Santander customers, whichmake up a combined total of one in five UK current account holders, are unable to make any transactions at the post office.

Of the banks who do offer services at the Post Office, many only allow post office customers to make a restricted range of transactions, for example they may be able to withdraw money but not make a deposit or check their account balance.

Andy Burrows, post office expert at Consumer Focus, said:

“Our research shows there is real consumer appetite to do everyday banking over the post office counter. Four out of five people were unaware they could access their account through a post office with two-fifths of this group telling us they would consider doing so if they knew it was possible.

“‘Thousands of UK communities have only one bank branch or even none at all, with more bank closures likely in the future. Better current account access at the Post Office would be a win-win situation – customers enjoy the convenience of more face-to-face counter access and the post office network benefits from greater footfall. This should help lead to a more sustainable future for the post office network which many people rely upon.”

Extending access at post offices would particularly help rural areas that have been victims of bank branch closures.

Around a third of bank and building society branches have closed in the last 15 years, with more than a fifth of the total (2,200 branches) closing since 2000.

There are now more post offices in the UK than bank and building society branches combined6 and the post office network offers nine or ten times as many branches as some leading banks.

Research by Consumer Focus shows that half of those who currently access their current account at a post office found the post office easier to get to than their bank. Around a third (31%) said their bank had no local branch in the area, and 5% said banks had closed where they live.

Consumer Focus is calling for five steps to improve access to banking services at the post office for consumers:

•HSBC and Santander should join other major banks and allow all of their customers access to current accounts at post offices

•All banks should offer full current account transactions at post offices, in line with the good practice demonstrated by Halifax, Lloyds TSB, Co-operative Bank, Smile, former Alliance and Leicester, Cahoot, Clydesdale and Bank of Ireland. While it is welcome that major high street banks including Barclays, First Direct, Nationwide, Natwest and Royal Bank of Scotland offer some banking transactions through the Post Office, Consumer Focus would like to see them all offering cash withdrawal, cash and cheque deposit and balance enquiries

•Banks should agree to promote awareness of post office access through messages on statements, ATMs and online banking services

•Post Office Limited must improve the service it provides in its branches – queues and poor quality of service could be disincentives for consumers wishing to access their bank accounts at post offices

•To make this service workable it will also be important that Post Office Limited offers competitive commercial terms to banks for services provided to their customers.

IT company Civica and credit experts Experian are to join forces to in an attempt to reduce the cost and scale of social housing fraud in the UK, which has been estimated to cost taxpayers around £5 billion a year.

Civica and Experian’s ‘Tenancy Verification Service’ uses data matching and risk profiling to identify instances where there is a high probability of social housing fraud which can then be followed up and investigated.

Experian’s data and analytics has already identified many instances of social housing fraud, including where tenancies are in names that are deceased, sub-let illegally or where tenants are advertising their properties for rent.

It is expected the new partnership will help help to reduce significantly the estimated 50,000 council homes that have been illegally sub-let or occupied in the UK.

John Hood, managing director of Civica’s Housing & Asset Management division, said:

“Housing providers face a massive challenge of improving core services while cutting operating costs, Civica’s Tenancy Verification Service will provide a solution to target resources to effectively combat housing fraud ensuring social housing is provided for those with genuine need.”

Nick Mothershaw, director of Identity and Fraud at Experian, added:

“The partnership means our combined reach and unique offering will accelerate the success and returns we have already demonstrated with a number of councils and social housing providers.”

The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has used analytical software to scan around 128 million insurance records in order to identify and produce a national table of regional hotspots for ‘crash for cash’ activity.

‘Crash for cash’ takes different forms and includes the deliberate targeting by criminals of innocent motorists.

Such practices are distasteful, can be distressing for motorists and are criminal acts.

Working in partnership with insurers and compensators, the IFB is working in partnership with Police forces and
regulators, and also carries out intelligence sharing arrangements and joint operations concerning ‘crash for cash’.

The IFB has 29 live organised insurance fraud operations with 17 different Police forces which are focused on fraud valued at approximately £59.5 million. Many of these operations involve crash for cash activities.

IFB Operations have to date resulted in more than 486 arrests, 119 criminal convictions and sentences including over 91 years imprisonment for trials that have beenconcluded so far, and further action is taking place to liquidate the assets of insurance fraudsters.

Glen Marr, Director of the IFB commented:

“We use our powerful analytical software to interrogate a significant level of industry data, which includes that
relating to insurance claims. This provides the insurance industry with unique capability to identify insurance
fraudsters, link parties together, to include professionals that are assisting this criminal activity, and ultimately
disrupt their illegal activities

“Experience has demonstrated that it requires a sustained collective industry effort to reduce the incidence of this type of fraud, and that is precisely what is in place.

“Insurers have invested heavily in reducing insurance fraud, to include ‘crash for cash’. This investment is also being supported by consumers, who intolerant of insurance fraud and the criminals associated with such, are taking a stand by reporting suspicions to their own insurers and to the industry fraud Cheatline managed by the IFB.

“It is estimated that undetected insurance fraud costs the industry up to £2billion a year, adding, on average, an extra £44 a year to the insurance bill for every UK policyholder. Consumers should not be subsidising the actions of criminals and the industry is committed to rooting out fraudsters.

“For anyone with suspicions or knowledge regarding any type of insurance fraud, particularly concerning those
organising or encouraging fraud, information can be shared in strictest confidence and anonymously, if necessary, with the IFB through the Cheatline.

“Reports can be made by calling the Cheatline freephone on 0800 328 2550, or by reporting on-line:
www.insurancefraudbreau.org/report.”

According to the IFB, the top twenty crash for cash hotspots ( listed by postal area) are:

1.Birmingham (B)
2.Sheffield (S)
3.Manchester (M)
4.Nottingham (NG)
5.Cardiff (CF)
6.Liverpool (L)
7.Newcastle-upon-Tyne (NE)
8.Leicester (LE)
9.Bristol (BS)
10.London South-East (SE)
11.London East (E)
12.Coventry (CV)
13.Glasgow (G)
14.London North (N)
15.Peterborough (PE)
16.Leeds (LS)
17.Brighton (BN)
18.Reading (RG)
19.Guildford (GU)
20.Portsmouth (PO)

It has been claimed that only a third of the items donated to door-to-door charity bag collectors end up in high street charity shops, with most of the items being sold abroad.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) research suggests that many charities use commercial firms to carry out letterbox collections on their behalf, but the BHF says that the companies are allowed to retain the donated goods and then resell them for private profit, only making a small royalty payment to the charity.

The BHF is urging transparency from companies.

The BHF said it was “vital commercial companies act responsibly and be transparent on their charity bags”.

According to the BHF many charities, often those without retail outlets of their own, make agreements with commercial companies who make door-to-door collections for them with bags carrying the logo of the charity, but the donated goods are often resold for profit.

The BHF’s research says that in some cases charities receive only £50 to £100 per tonne of goods collected – but the goods can sell abroad for anything up to £1,800. This means that as little as 5% of the cash can end up being paid to good causes.

A poll of 2,000 people which was carried out by the BHF, and showed that 70% of the charity bags which are received by an average householder originate from commercial companies, who are selling the donated items overseas and giving a proportion of the money received to the charity.

The BHF estimates that the increase in home collections has caused a loss of donations made directly to BHF shops worth £4.6million in the last two years.

Mike Lucas, retail director for the BHF, said:

“It is vital commercial companies act responsibly and be transparent on their charity bags – particularly around how much profit the named charity will actually make from a collection.

“Householders have the right to know what happens to their donations and currently this information is not clear.

“Although this is a legal way to raise money, companies working for commercial gain are a huge problem for charities with high street shops.

“BHF shops do not work with these companies and because of this 100% of the profits made from charity bag donations stay with the charity – helping us continue our lifesaving work.”

The BHF released their findings in support of their Big Donation campaign for September, when they are appealing for items to sell in theirnationwide network of 670 shops.