Keyless car theft is becoming a growing issue in our county and across the UK, and we want to give you the tools to prevent this from happening to you. During 2022/23 there were approximately 480 incidents of keyless car thefts in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, this is up from around 135 in 2021/22.

Thieves don’t need access to your home or to be in possession of your car keys, they have the technology to help them to connect to the signal from your key and relay it to the vehicle. They can then unlock the car and drive away without you knowing.

Thieves often target high-value vehicles, most recently we saw a rise in theft of Land Rovers, but it could happen to anyone with any vehicle that has a keyless start, if they can gain access then they will take it.
A mum recently had her car stolen (links to BBC article) despite having CCTV and the key inside her home. The thief was spotted on a CCTV camera using technology to relay the key’s signal inside her home to the car to unlock it and was able to drive away.

There are a number of steps you can take to protect your vehicle, but it’s important to use a combination of methods and utilise locks and other items to deter thieves and protect yourself to the greatest extent possible.

Disklok is offering a unique code, which is HPDSK15, it’s available for the month of July for Hampshire and Isle of Wight residents to purchase a steering wheel lock with a discount.

To protect your vehicle from being stolen, you can:
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·        Keep keys out of sight and away from doors and windows
·        Use a signal blocking pouch, known as a Faraday Bag, to store your keys
·        Turn off your Keyless Fob’s Wireless Signal
​·        Use a tested and approved Steering Wheel /Pedal / Gear Lock as a deterrent
·        Tracking devices can help track down your vehicle and the perpetrator should it be taken
·        Check with your manufacturer to make sure your car is as secure as it can be
·        Re-programme your keys if you buy a second hand car
·        Park securely or use your garage if you have one
·        Use CCTV and lighting.

Residents can report keyless car theft to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary by calling 101 or by reporting it online.

We have received the letter below regarding upcoming works, starting on Monday 26th June and running for 2 weeks at the junction of Station and New Road.   

Almost 21 million reports have been made to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS), resulting in the removal of over 235,000 malicious websites.
SERS was launched by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the City of London Police in April 2020 to enable the public to forward suspicious emails to an automated system that scans them for malicious links. Since its launch, almost 21 million reports have been made to the service.
Mobile phone providers also offer a service that allows customers to report suspicious text messages, by forwarding them to the number 7726. The service is free of charge and enables providers to takedown malicious websites and block malicious texts from being sent across their network.
As of 31 May 2023, 54,000 text message scams have been removed as a result of suspicious texts forwarded to the 7726 service.
Commander Nik Adams, from City of London Police, said:
“Every year, thousands of people in the UK are scammed by a fraudulent email or text message. Phishing scams, whether it’s a text message claiming you have missed a delivery and are required to pay a redelivery fee, or an email claiming to be from your bank are a common security challenges that both individuals and businesses across the UK face on a daily basis.
“If you receive an email or text message that you think might be a scam, don’t respond to it or click any links in the message or email. Instead, contact the organisation directly using contact information from the company’s official website, and not the links or numbers provided in the message itself.
“If you think you have been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. By reporting phishing scams or suspected fraud, you are directly helping us in our work to identify and stop these criminals and helping us protect others from these scams. If you are in Scotland, I ask that you report the fraud  directly to Police Scotland by calling 101.”
How to protect yourself from scam emails and texts
Received an email or text that seems suspicious? Report it. Your reports enable us to remove the emails and websites criminals use to commit fraud and cyber crime.
1: Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk . Send emails to this address that feel suspicious, even if you're not certain they're a scam - we can check.
2: Forward suspicious text messages to 7726 (it’s free of charge). Your provider can find out where the text came from and block or ban the sender.
3 - If you’ve lost money or provided personal information as a result of a phishing scam, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
Please note: Sometimes a forwarded email may not reach us because it is already recognised by spam detection services. You can also take a screenshot of the email and send it to report@phishing.gov.uk

Please find attached this quarter’s edition of Watch Word, your local Neighbourhood Watch magazine, which includes, amongst other things, advice on QR Code Scams, Motor Home Thefts, WhatsApp six digit text scam, knife blade clarification and  Abandoned Vehicle advice.
 
Our thanks to our editor Charles Lewry for his hard work in pulling this together.
We hope you find this interesting and informative - and, as always, welcome any feedback or suggestions for future articles.
 
The colour version of the newsletter is also published on our website in the Newsletters section at 
https://www.eastleighnhw.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WW-14-a.pdf if you prefer to send out a link.
 
The phone friendly version can be found at: https://localwatchwordblog.wordpress.com/blog-2/
 
If anyone requires a printable b/w version for their members please contact us at chair@eastleighnhw.org.uk and our editor will produce a two page version for them.
 
We hope that the contents will prove informative and helpful.  Please feel free to use any of the content on your own website/notice boards. 
 
If you would like any of the articles as individual documents, please let me know. (We have now produced an A4 poster regarding keyless car thefts, if that is of interest.)
 
Any feedback, or requests for specific articles would be greatly appreciated.

BT are reporting a significant increase in accidental calls to the 999/112 service following a recent Android update that triggers an SOS when a button on the side of your phone is pressed five times.
You can check your emergency dial settings on most Android phones by going to 'Settings' and looking for SOS settings in the options. 
Calls to 999 where the operator cannot hear anyone on the line (silent calls) are never just ignored. Call handlers will then need to spend valuable time trying to call you back to check whether you need help.
If you do accidentally dial 999, please don’t hang up. If possible, please stay on the line and let the operator know it was an accident and that you don’t need any assistance.
As always, if a crime is in progress or if there is an immediate risk to person or property, always dial 999.
If a crime is not in progress, then please consider reporting the incident online via www.hampshire.police.uk in the first instance.

A relentless pursuit of criminals, exceptional local policing and putting victims first – this is how policing across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will be delivered under changes announced by Chief Constable Scott Chilton.
Since he took up the role at the end of February, CC Chilton has been working at pace to fundamentally change the way the force is structured to bring policing much closer to the communities it serves and deliver the requirements outlined in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan.
The public now have a District Commander overseeing all aspects of policing – from the officers responding to 999 calls, the investigators dealing with crimes that cause harm in our communities and bringing criminals to justice, and more visible neighbourhood officers to deal with issues that are causing concern.
The Chief Constable has also announced the introduction of Neighbourhood Enforcement Teams, who will be able to act fast on the information and intelligence coming in from our communities to target hotspots and catch those who are committing crime.
These teams have been created from the extra 50 officers that the Police and Crime Commissioner announced on top of the 600 already recruited as part of the uplift programme.
Working with the Commissioner, CC Chilton also scrapped the requirement for officers to study for a degree to become officers and announced a new way to join policing, Hampshire Policing PLUS – the first of its kind in the country.
This means that those who want to join policing can spend their time learning the skills required to be excellent officers without the distraction of unnecessary academic study, which takes up hundreds of thousands of hours of their time which could be better used out on the streets fighting crime, arresting people and making communities safer.
Chief Constable Scott Chilton said: “When I became Chief, I was clear that I wanted my officers, staff and volunteers to not only create communities that were safe, but that felt safe. To do this I have set three really clear priorities. Relentlessly pursue those criminals that cause harm to our communities, provide exceptional local policing, and put victims at the heart of everything we do.
“Our communities want and expect to see police officers and staff dealing with the issues that they care about, responding when they need us, dealing with those who cause harm in our communities and making our two counties a hostile environment for criminals.
“I have spent a lot of time since being back in force talking about how all officers will investigate crime. I want officers and staff to be looking for every opportunity to target criminals, taking a robust approach to those who commit crime.
“There is too much time spent on unnecessary bureaucracy, or filling the gaps of other agencies, who are often much better placed and trained to deal with the issues we are being called to. This means we are diverted away from doing the job that only policing can do, and what my officers and staff joined up to do.
“This is what I expect from policing, and what the public expects, and why I have changed the way the force is set up to deliver on this.
“I am also passionate about being a force where anyone who wants to join policing should have the chance to do so. There are so many people who would be great police officers but have been put off from joining because of the need for a degree.
“There are many people, for example those who have served in the military, who want to join policing but whose skills and life experience are not recognised under the degree scheme. Not only does that make them feel completely devalued, it also means we are missing out on some really good people who could make really good police officers.
“I also heard loud and clear from many of the student officers that time spent on academic study could be better spent with more experienced officers, out of the classroom, learning on the job and tackling crime.
“That’s why I got rid of this requirement and created Hampshire Policing PLUS – the first scheme of its kind in the country. It goes live today, so to those people, who want to be part of making a difference to our communities, my message is simple. Come and join us and be part of relentlessly pursuing criminals, providing exceptional local policing and putting victims first.”