Crime Prevention Bulletin December

Crime Prevention Bulletin December

Dear Resident,

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Goodbye Action Fraud…Hello Report Fraud #EveryReportCounts

From 4 December 2025, City of London Police is launching Report Fraud, a new service that replaces Action Fraud as the national platform for reporting cybercrime and fraud. It provides a better service for victims and delivers improved information to the police.

Members of the public can report cybercrime and fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040 (the phone number remains unchanged).

For more information about the Report Fraud service, visit reportfraud.police.uk.

Christmas crime prevention advice

Think about how you dispose of packaging for expensive goods, don’t leave it on display outside of your property.

Make your home look occupied wherever possible. Closing curtains and using timer switches for things like lights or a radio can help to deter opportunistic burglars as it gets darker earlier in the evening.

Ask a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your home if you are away visiting family or friends. Don’t advertise on social media that you are away, post

Is this love?

The Hampshire Domestic Abuse Partnership (HDAP) campaign shines a light on coercive and controlling behaviour — a hidden but devastating form of domestic abuse. Through some short videos shared across social media, and Google, they’re raising awareness of how coercive control works, how it affects people, and where to get help. Please see the HDAP website for more information.

Safe Home and Safe Online from the Blue Lamp Trust

The blue Lamp Trust has updated the names of the Bobby Scheme to Safe Home and Cyber Bobbies to Safe Online, this is to make services clearer and more accessible. All referral processes remain the same, but with an updated website and logo.

Safe Home visits are carried out by police-vetted safety technicians, providing a full home security and fire safety assessment, and where needed will install the following items:

Door and window locks

Spyholes and door chains

Long-life smoke alarms

Carbon monoxide detectors

Other approved safety equipment

Missing, lost or stolen parcels

Which? have released some good advice on what to do if your parcel delivery gets lost or goes missing, they advise:

You should contact the retailer, not the courier, about a missing delivery.

If you left specific delivery instructions for your parcel to be left with a nominated neighbour or in a specified safe place and the parcel is delivered, the retailer is not responsible if something then goes wrong (e.g. it's missing when you go to collect it).

Take caution when agreeing to a safe place or neighbour on your online account or through communication with the courier, as this will water down your consumer rights.

If your delivery is left somewhere like your doorstep – without your permission to do so – and is then stolen, or if the package has been delivered without the item inside, the retailer is in breach of contract. The retailer needs to replace and redeliver your item, or give you a refund.

My delivery or online order hasn't arrived, what can I do? - Which?

Stay alert to Winter Fuel Payment scams

Between April and September, Action Fraud have received over 2,700 crime reports relating to Winter Fuel Payments scams.

These payments are made automatically, you don't need to do anything.

If you receive any text messages about Winter Fuel Payments,it's a scam.

Not sure if a message is real? Contact the organisation directly using the contact details on their official website, not the number or web address in the text message.

Report suspicious SMS text messages for free by forwarding them to 7726.

Counter Terrorism Policing’s Winter Campaign

With a winter season full of events, such as Christmas shopping, festive markets, pantomimes and concerts, we all have a role to play in keeping each other safe.

That’s why Counter Terrorism Policing is once again running its annual winter campaign to encourage the public to stay alert and report anything that doesn’t feel right.

Businesses can help by sharing the campaign messages with customers, visitors and staff to encourage them to stay alert for anything that doesn’t feel right and report any concerns.

You can download free content to support the campaign at www.protectuk.police.uk/wintertoolkit.

Let’s keep each other safe this winter. If you see something that doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and report it at www.gov.uk/ACT. In an emergency call 999.

NBCC Retailers Crime Prevention Toolkit

A free crime prevention toolkit for retailers has been designed at the request of the Home Office, through a collaboration between the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) and Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Police CPI). The toolkit aims to provide useful information and guidance to support businesses in keeping safe from crime and helping to prevent crime impacting staff.

Gift Card Fraud

Criminals use gift cards to commit fraud in a variety of different ways:

You may receive an email purporting to be from a friend asking you to send a gift card.

You might buy a gift card from a legitimate retailer and a criminal has pre-registered the gift card so your gift goes into their pocket.

You might be targeted in an employment fraud and asked to pose as a mystery shopper buying gift cards from a supermarket.

You might be communicating with someone online, believing them to be genuine, and they ask you to buy gift cards so they can come and visit you.

Remember – always Stop! Think Fraud before sending gift cards, money or valuables to anyone.

If you’ve received a phishing email please report it to your email provider and/or forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk

If you’ve received unwanted phone calls or texts from people you think are trying to scam you, but you haven’t engaged with them, please forward the text/phone number to 7726.

Rural Times Autumn 2025

The latest edition of the Rural Times from our Country Watch team can be found here: rural-times---autumn-2025.pdf

Police CyberCheck tool

The South-East Organised Crime Unit have created a free mobile-friendly tool which gives step-by-step actions to improve cybersecurity.

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Message Sent By
Carl Boxall
(Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, PCSO, Waterlooville South NPT)