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Welcome! |
WHO TO
RING
If a crime is in progress
Police
Emergency
000If you are
suspicious, or
to report a
crime already
committed
Eastwood
Police
9858 5944
Items for
newsletter,
new letterbox
plaques, to
borrow
engraving
pen, etc.
EW3 Area
Coordinator
9876 5993
Your Street Coordinator |
Welcome
to Neighbourhood Watch Area Eastwood 3 (EW3). We hope you will be very happy here in the
Dence Park area of Epping. Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) is the community
working together with the police to establish a safe environment. We believe that since
its establishment in 1986, our NHW program has helped residents keep crime low in EW3 by
encouraging them to take simple precautions. These measures are outlined on the back of
this letter, and they are reinforced in our quarterly newsletter.
Our local NSW Police Service is Eastwood Local Area Command. The police station
is in Ethel Street, Eastwood, only blocks away.
Area EW3 is bounded by Epping Road, Blaxland Road and Terrys Creek and contains
over 800 homes. It is divided into six zones, each overseen by a zone coordinator. You are
in Zone ____. The six zone coordinators plus the members of the executive comprise the
Management Committee.
The Management Committee meets quarterly at the Epping Craft Centre in Dence
Park, off Stanley Road, and all residents are invited to attend. Meetings are announced in
the newsletter, which is delivered to your letterbox shortly before each meeting. A
representative from Eastwood Police attends and we usually have a guest speaker. Free tea
and coffee are provided throughout the meeting.
There is a one-time joining fee of $2, payable through the coordinator whose
details are below. Members receive
 | letterbox plaques, which we encourage you to prominently display |
| other materials such as bumper stickers, safety brochures and forms for recording
valuables |
| repeated use of an engraving pen and an associated window sticker |
| loan of videos on home security |
| loan of The Neighbourhood Crime Prevention Handbook by Pat Daley |
We hope you will become a member, and that the measures on the back of this
letter become habits.
Again, welcome to EW3. I look forward to meeting you.
Your street/zone/area coordinator |
| Neighbourhood Watch encourages action
in four areas. You will find them following. ð ð ð |
Carelessness accounts for a large percentage of property theft.
Secure your home by installing, and using, deadlocks on external doors and key-operated
locks on all windows. Use padlocks on external buildings and keep them locked even when at
home. Install exterior lighting, interior security grills on skylights, and time switches
to turn on/off lights, a radio, etc. while you are absent. Alarm systems and floor safes
set in concrete are effective deterrents to thieves. Take these simple precautions:
| Display your house number clearly to help emergency vehicles.
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| Lock away tools, ladders, etc. that a thief could use to break
in.
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| Never leave notes for friends, the milkman, etc. which a thief
could read.
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| Don’t leave keys in "hiding places" around the
house for a thief to find.
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| Keeps valuable documents in a bank, with a solicitor, etc.
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| Don’t leave your house keys with your car keys when having
your car serviced or parked in a parking station.
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| Trim shrubs near doors and windows that could hide someone
breaking in.
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When going away, stop all deliveries and ask a neighbour to clear
your letterbox, use and put out your garbage bin, and occasionally park in your driveway.
Arrange for your lawn to be mown and someone to change your curtains around, etc. to make
your home look lived in. Turn your telephone down so it can’t be heard from the
street. Let your police know you will be absent and who has the key and a contact number
in case of an emergency.
Prevent theft of, and theft from, your motor vehicle by:
| never leaving your keys in it, even in your own garage
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| never leaving your driver’s licence or registration papers
in the vehicle
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| never leaving valuables in view, or even empty boxes if they look
like they could contain valuables
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| avoiding parking in poorly lit, quiet or secluded areas
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| installing and using steering locks, cut-out switches, an alarm
system
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| Never admit you are home alone, either at the door or on the
telephone.
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| Never allow a stranger to enter—check their ID or telephone
their organisation.
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| If using buses and trains at night, know the timetables to
minimise waiting times. Stay as close as possible to a well-lit area (shop front, etc.) or
where there are other people (railway staff office).
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| Never take short-cuts at night through parks or vacant lots.
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| Never place an ad which requires people calling when you are home
alone.
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| If forced to use a poorly lit street, walk near the kerb, not
doorways.
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| Fit and use good quality locks, front and back, to your home, and
install a peep-hole or a security door.
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| Install perimeter lighting so the whole area can be illuminated
if you suspect a prowler.
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| Always carry your handbag clutched in front of
you—don’t let it dangle from your hand or shoulder.
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| If a car is following you while you are walking, go to the the
nearest place where there are people (a neighbour’s house, a shop, etc.) Get a
description of the car and notify police immediately.
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| If a car is following you while you are driving, go straight to
the nearest police station. Get the registration number and a description of the vehicle.
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| Talk your way out of trouble if possible. Otherwise your best
protection is noise. Yell "FIRE" rather than "HELP". Carry a device
like a shrill alarm. Keys, nail files, etc.in your handbag can be used as weapons of
defence.
.
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Only a small percentage of recovered stolen valuables are returned
to their owners because police cannot find the owners or the owners cannot positively
identify their goods. Record make, model and serial numbers of valuables. Borrow an
engraver from Neighbourhood Watch and engrave your driver’s licence number, preceded
by "NSW", on the property. Display a NHW Operation Identification sticker on a
front window informing would-be thieves that valuables are permanently marked for
identification by police. Photograph jewellery, paintings, etc. and keep the photographs,
along with your serial number list, in a safe place.
A patrolling police officer may not recognise a stranger in your
neighbourhood, but you and your neighbours will. Report any suspicious behaviour to
Eastwood Police, but if you see a crime being committed, ring the Police Emergency number
000 immediately. Exchange home and work numbers with your neighbours. If you see a
suspicious vehicle in your neighbour’s driveway, telephone him to see if it is
legitimate. If your home or a neighbour’s appears burgled, do not enter—the
thief may still be there—but ring the police immediately and keep watch till they
arrive. For suspicious vehicles, write down registration number, make, model, colour and
peculiarities like dents, rust, roof racks, etc. For suspicious persons, record sex, age,
hair colour/style, height, build, peculiarities like beard, moustache, tattoos, etc.) Do
not attempt to apprehend a criminal—that is the police’s job. Just be their eyes
and ears.
Page created - 19 December, 1998. Page last updated - 14 August, 2006 15:08:54 +1000
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