Community Safety Newsletter

Protecting you from fraudsters

Latest crime statistics

Becoming a Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator

Truth or Trap? Staffordshire’s Fraud Campaign

Launched by Staffordshire Police, Truth or Trap? is a campaign focussing on the top three types of fraud to help people identify if they have been targeted by scammers.

Action Fraud has revealed that from April 2024 to March 2025, in Staffordshire, there were 428 reports of investment, courier and romance fraud, with victims losing an average of £19,665. Investment fraud saw the highest amount of reports with 283 reports in our county which totalled £7,465,527.

Investment, romance and courier are the types of fraud harming our communities most:

Investment fraudsters will usually be cold callers and will talk to you about a good investment opportunity. The fraudsters will try to convince you to invest and once they have received payment, they will stop all contact with you. Contact can be via phone, email or social media through fake adverts, websites or documents to make the investment seem more genuine.

Things to look out for:

• A contact out of the blue with someone who is talking to you about an investment with high returns and a low risk
• The conversation and documentation feels unprofessional
• The payment method is unusual

Things to look out for:

• The suggestion that someone comes to your home to collect money or a bank card
• Asking you to provide personal information (PIN or account details)
• Unexpected calls from someone claiming to be from the police or a bank – they will never call out of the blue
• If you are encouraged to call your bank, use another phone as fraudsters can stay on the line pretending to be your bank when you call back.

Romance fraudsters begin a conversation online, usually through dating platforms or social media. They start by showering you with affection, expressing deep feelings really quickly, or sending you gifts. Then they begin asking for money which is usually for emotive reasons such as medical care, travel costs or family emergencies.

Things to look out for:

• Always providing an excuse why they can’t meet in person or video call you
• Asking you to take the conversation from the dating app to a private platform
• Asking you to purchase gift cards and send them on (these are harder to track than bank transfers)
• Suggesting you keep the conversation a secret from family and friends

Tips to help you from becoming a victim of fraud:

• Be wary of unexpected cold callers offering a deal that sounds too good to be true
• Hang up the call if you feel uncomfortable with a conversation
• Never send anyone money unless you can trust who they say they are or what they are offering is genuine
• Never give out your personal information such as PIN numbers or account details – your bank or police will never ask for this information
• Contact your bank if you have sent money to someone but you now suspect it is fraud
• Take your time with making any decisions – do your research, ask for documentation and seek advice from family and friends

Report anything suspicious by calling 101 or visiting www.staffordshire.police.uk

You can also contact Action Fraud online: actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040

Working in partnership to keep crime figures low in South Staffordshire

Figures based on a 12 month rolling comparison show that all recorded crime in South Staffordshire has decreased by 5%, with vehicle crime reducing by 17% and shop lifting decreasing by 25% showing the highest reduction in Staffordshire with business owners, South Staffordshire Council and Staffordshire Police working together to look at crime prevention measures and building up a good rapport. Although there has been a slight increase in reports of domestic violence by 2%, within that figure violence against women and girls has decreased by 3% with targeted campaigns introducing the Hollie Guard app for alerting emergency contacts and free personal alarms for residents when they’re out and about.

Drugs offences have increased by 45% which are a reflection of the proactive work being done by police officers in relation to stop and search and warrants to search and seize for cannabis grows, which have led to multiple arrests.

Anti-social behaviour has seen an increase of 15% which can be evidenced throughout the summer months with hotspots in Wombourne and Penkridge. Tools and Powers to tackle anti-social behaviour have been implemented and these include Community Protection Notices and Public Spaces Protection Orders.

Police Community Support Officers are out and about in the localities of South Staffordshire and have regular engagement events. Find these and other information about your local area at www.police.uk

Please continue to report crime or anti-social behaviour as it enables the Community Safety Partnership to identify hot spot locations, put resources in place and begin a targeted campaign. You can report on 101 or online at www.staffordshire.police.uk

Neighbourhood Watch – have you thought of becoming a volunteer coordinator?

Neighbourhood Watch has over 60,000 active volunteers and over 2 million supporter households in England and Wales. In Staffordshire it is aligned to the Staffordshire Police force area and is supported in South Staffordshire by the Local Policing Team.

Neighbourhood Watch groups are run within communities by volunteer coordinators whose role it is to share crime prevention information; run community projects e.g. litter picking; liaise with local police and, if there’s a desire to get to know each other better, hold social events for the group.

There’s support for the volunteer coordinator role in South Staffordshire by a Neighbourhood Watch Champion, by South Staffordshire Local Policing Team and via the national Neighbourhood Watch Charity.

If you would like to volunteer or get more information about the organisation, contact communitysafety@sstaffs.gov.uk or https://www.ourwatch.org.uk

Seasonal activities

Advice for Trick or Treaters

Here’s a few things to remember when you’re out this Halloween.

• If you’re going trick or treating, make sure you go with an adult and let your parent or carer know where you’re going and when to expect you back.
• Don’t knock if there’s a sign saying ‘No trick or treat here.’
• Be careful not to frighten elderly or vulnerable people.
• Don’t go trick or treating alone – stay with your group.
• Only visit areas where there are streetlights.
• Don’t throw eggs and flour.
• Be careful crossing roads in the dark.

Have a great time, stay safe and look out for each other. If you or someone you know is in danger call 999.

If you do have fireworks at home always remember they can be dangerous.

Some tips for handling fireworks and sparklers:

• Only buy fireworks that are CE marked
• Light them at arm’s length, using a taper
• Stand well back
• Light sparklers one at a time using gloves
• Never give sparklers to a child under five
• Keep pets indoors
• Don’t set off fireworks after 11pm

For more information about firework safety visit https://www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk