Crimestoppers - Courier Fraud

There has been a huge rise in ‘Courier Fraud’ across the area which is primarily committed against elderly or more vulnerable people.

Generally Courier Fraud is where the fraudster rings their victim out of the blue. They often then claim to be from the victim’s bank and ask various questions, ultimately asking for the card holder’s PIN. Other versions of the crime have the caller claiming to be a Police Officer who is apparently investigating card fraud and needs your assistance to investigate the matter.

The stories given down the phone vary, but usually it’s to the effect that some fraudulent activity has occurred on the victim’s card and the caller is ringing to put this matter right. They obtain the PIN during the conversation, but then audaciously arrange to have the ‘bad’ card collected so it can be replaced with a new card.

The debit/credit card is collected, sometimes by an unwitting participant such as a taxi driver or a courier company. The card is taken to a pre-arranged location where the fraudster is then in possession of your card and the PIN.

Of course, no new card is on route and it is often several days before the person realises they have been the victim of a crime – often when they are contacted by their real bank to check why thousands of pounds have suddenly be spent on their account.

Fraudsters tend to buy high value goods with the stolen cards, such as iPads and expensive watches and jewellery.

Hampshire Police is targeting these criminals so if you have received a call trying to obtain your card details, even if you were wise enough to put the phone down and not disclose anything, please do report it.

If you have elderly or more vulnerable friends, family or neighbours please do keep an eye out for them. They may be perceived to be generally less technologically aware, more trusting of someone ‘in authority’ or to have more disposable income and are therefore targeted by these criminals.
Remember, if you have information about any crime, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or click www.crimestoppers-uk.org where you can also give details anonymously.

For further Crimestoppers updates please follow me on Twitter @HantsCrimestopp

PC 741 Simon Wright

Kingsley Parish Council - 27th March

Kingsley Parish Council meet on Thursday, 27th March 2014 in the Kingsley Centre at 7:30pm

AGENDA

1. Chairman’s Opening Remarks
2. Apologies for Absence
Cllr L. McCorkindale

3. Declarations of Personal/Prejudicial Interest
4. Public Question Time: Public Questions
Consideration of agenda items which will be open to public participation

5. Approval of Minutes of the Meeting held on 27th February 2014
6. Matters Arising
7. Planning Applications
Applications ongoing:
Enforcement Appeal EC/51617/002 Land West of, Sickles Lane, Kingsley, Alton

38091/008 Birch Cottage, Sandy Lane, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NH
Detached studio and cycle store after demolition of existing garage

30633/024 Grooms Farm, Frith End Road, Frith End, Bordon, GU35 0QR
Ancillary building for events associated with existing hotel, together with landscaping, parking works (including waste water treatment plant) and retention of frith end quarry haul road for access to the site and hotel

20136/046 Land South and East of Service Station, Farnham Road, Bordon
Change of use of vacant land to hand car wash facility

55353 6 Ockham Hall, Gibbs Lane, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NE
Fell one poplar opposite numbers 6 & 7 Ockham Hall

22959/005 Unit 4, Kingsley Business Park, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9LY
Change of use from B1 and B8 to B2 use (general industry)

27107/025 Sleaford Barn, Farnham Road, Bordon, GU35 9LJ
Conversion of main part of barn to residential dwelling

55353/001 6 Ockham Hall, Gibbs Lane, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NE
Loft conversion to bedroom with new roof lights: extension to existing dormer to provide shower room

20136/047 LMC Sleaford Garage, Farnham Road, Bordon, GU35 0QP
Extension to part rear, part side workshop and parts storage building; enabling removal of existing ad hoc detached storage buildings and containers (revised application including Flood Risk Assessment and Highway information further to 20136/045)

52947/002 Land to the East of Kingsley Sports Club, Sickles Lane, Kingsley, Alton
Installation of 5mw photovoltaic (solar) farm with associated equipment

New applications:
30663/025 Grooms Farm, Frith End Road, Frith End, Bordon, GU35 0QR
Display of 5x non illuminated directional signs

55450 Area 1 and 2 Kingsley Quarry, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon
Variation of condition 3 (working scheme) of planning permission F24847/014 (Plans available to view on the HCC website)

Appeal:
APP/M1710/A/14/2214126 Appeal by: Mr Dragjoshi
Land south and east of Service Station, Farnham Road, Bordon

8. St Nicholas Cemetery & Cemetery Chapel
To receive an update from Cllr Pearson

9. Transport, Highways and Road Safety
Road Safety: To receive an update from Cllr Rigden
To consider the funding of £633 to share Speedwatch equipment with Headley and Liphook

10. Commons, Village Greens and Rights of Way
Upper Green: To receive an update from Cllr Rigden

11. Community Resilience
To receive an update from Cllr Pearson

12. Environment and Biodiversity
To receive an update from Cllr Scrivener

13. Sports, Recreation and Leisure
Allotments: To receive an update from Cllr Rigden

14. Kingsley Village Forum   
To receive an update from Cllr Pearson

15. Parish Plan 
To receive an update from Cllr Rigden  

16.  Housing, Business & Commerce
Parish representative on Whitehill and Bordon regeneration consultative tier
To receive an update from Cllr Rigden

17. Communications
18. District Councillor
19. Procedures, Finance and Payments
Payments to be made & Accounts to accept

Date of Next Meeting Thursday 24th April 2014 - 7.30 pm at the Kingsley Centre        

THE WOODS

As I have noted before, and discovered as a result of writing my series of articles for the Kings Blog, it is quite amazing just how much early impressions and experiences have a long term impact upon the rest of one’s life. I have a passion for woodlands, forests, copses, hangers and spinneys. So much so that I am never happier than when I am within the boundaries of any of these wooded or tree filled areas. Much of their charm is due to the fact that two visits are never the same, even a time as short as a month will provide quite amazing changes to an area. Depending upon the time of year and the particular season changes can be dramatic, for example, a fairly barren and quiet woods in early spring is transformed within a few short weeks to a green wonderland filled with the song of newly arrived migratory birds.

But back to Kingsley as, with many things in my life, my love affair with woodlands began there in my very early days. The woods which appear upon my Ordnance Survey map as Stephenfield Copse and which are located to the right of the Binsted road north of the Straits were then known as Wheatley Copse by the locals. The road, which is quite a steep hill, we knew as Wheatley Hill and it went between the copse and apple orchards on the left hand side. It was within the boundaries of this copse that I was first allowed to go out to play and I went with Robbie Woodward who was, for quite a while, my childhood friend. He was a bit older than I and as such, I imagine, was considered sensible enough to look after us both. In any event those woods were our regular playground and it was within them that I developed my lifelong love and fascination with woodlands. Not a huge area of woods, hence no doubt the copse title, those woods provided the habitat for a large range of birds and plants. Hazel, oak and ash were the predominant trees but towards the top, and in the middle of the woods stood a large yew tree. This we named the Greenwood Tree from the Robin Hood stories which were very popular with us at the time. We spent many hours beneath that tree and up in its branches where we played out our Sherwood Forest adventures. Primroses grew in profusion throughout the copse and bluebells followed together with large quantities of wood anemones.

Throughout the year a range of butterflies could be found and, in general terms, the place was abuzz with life of all sorts. I have a feeling that at the time there were a few pheasant rearing pens in the fields below Hoggats and to the top eastern side of the copse. Certainly there were occasions in the winter when shooting took place in and around the copse and neighbouring woods and fields. The crow of cock pheasants was common throughout the year and remains for me an evocative woodland sound. It was also here that I learned to differentiate between the holes gnawed into hazel nut shells. Mice and squirrels have differing ways of dealing with the nuts and therefore leave their identities in the process. There were then still a few red squirrels in the area and the dormouse was common, loving as it does, hazel copses.

As I increased in age so I was able to wander further afield and Alice Holt Forest became an area which I often visited. There I found much larger trees and streams as well, a double bonus. As previously mentioned, in a former edition, there was also the large pond beside the forest which was later filled in.

Deer were common, roe and fallow, early morning and evening visits could usually be relied upon for a sighting. Quietly creeping towards a corner in the forest tracks and gingerly peering around was a good way of spotting deer grazing on the rides. Newly planted areas with small trees and, therefore, tender shoots also attracted the deer and on two occasions I was lucky enough to come across a fawn concealed in the undergrowth. Quite one of the most beautiful experiences mother nature has to offer. Fawns are beyond doubt the most enchanting little creatures that woodlands conceal. Instinctively those little creatures are programmed to remain motionless and their colouring is very good at providing a degree of camouflage. It can be quite scary when the doe realizes her fawn has been discovered as she will approach an intruder very closely and stamp her feet. Abandoning their own natural fear of humans they will go to extraordinary lengths to protect their offspring. Although, in my experience, they stop short of an attack their actions make one very wary. Needless to say, in such circumstances, it is neither kind or desirable to inflict distress upon mother or baby by remaining. A quiet and slow retreat is the best course of action. There is, however, a great and abiding joy in discovering and photographing such a wonder. Apart from the deer Alice Holt provided a great opportunity to observe foxes and hares. There were, and probably still are, goods numbers of both creatures in the area. The hares used the forest for cover and shelter and could be seen in the fields along its edges feeding. In the long field owned by Old Park Farm, and known as Forest Field, it was quite common to see up to a dozen hares. The Aldershot beagles hunted this area but they didn’t seem to make much of an impact upon the numbers of hares to be seen. Litters of fox cubs were also common in the area and could often be observed after the fields of grass had been cut thus allowing the animals to be seen from long distance. Before grass cutting takes place it is easy to establish the presence of fox cubs as they romp in the grass and flatten quite large areas. Flat areas and well used tracks in the grass will lead the observer to the earth, usually situated in a hedge row. There are often other tell tail signs, of the cubs, in the form of bones and feathers etc. from the various food the vixen has provided for her litter. Sitting quietly in a hedge an watching a litter of fox cubs at play is another great pleasure which early summer evenings provide.

After the winter months when generally woodlands are at their most quiet, the arrival of the many migratory birds suddenly transforms the whole atmosphere of a woods to a noisy and busy wonderland. Of course, all of this takes place at the beginning of the breeding season for all of our birds and the non-migratory varieties also enhance the woodland bird sound with their own additions to the throng. Song Thrushes, Whitethroats, Wood Warblers, Blackbirds, Chaffinches and, of course the most beautiful of them all, the Nightingale all contribute towards the breathtaking symphony of sound which is the English woods in spring and summer. All of the aforementioned were commonly heard in the Kingsley woods of my childhood, I hope they are still and the good folk of today’s village are still enjoying them.