Hatherton and Walgherton Parish Council

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Local residents are invited to contact the Parish Council if they have items or issues which they think should be raised with the Police at this meeting. Informing the Police of items in advance of the meeting is helpful.

These are notes from a meeting in July 2024 and should give an idea of the topics covered:

1. Nantwich police force have recruited 3 new officers.
2. There has been an increase in fly tipping in the area, specifically green waste.  One parish has set up cameras in a popular area to help the policy identify the culprits.  This may be replicated in other areas if successful.
3. There was a caravan stolen from a local farm.  The police urge caravan owners to keep a record of the serial number which helps identify the caravan and to remain vigilant in their security.
4. If you witness a traffic incident and have dashcam footage, you can download this to the 'Roads policing Unit' who will proactively use this to prosecute where necessary. 
5. Reported domestic incidents have increased over the last few years.  This may be linked to encouragement to report an incident. 
6. Speeding remains a concern in the area and is one of the police priorities going forward.
7. There was an incident of 2 youths firing a rifle which appeared to have a gas canister at a feeding trough near sheep. The impact of the metal pellets were enough to mark the trough. The PCSO confirmed that if anything like this should happen again, then immediately ring through to 999.

Cheshire Police Alert

You can register with Cheshire Police alert to get messages direct from the Police when there are incidents in our area. 

Meet our Police Community Support Officer (PCSO)

Our PCSO attends parish council meetings from time to time.  If you would like to meet the PCSO or want to know when the PCSO is next attending a meeting, contact the Parish Clerk.  As of July 2024, our area is being covered by Tom Jennings.

Cyber-security

The term cyber-security covers all sorts of measures to prevent crime being conducted through emails, mobile phones and internet scams.  The range of crimes is wide but in general they are attempts to extort money from the victim.  There are other types of crime but these are directed towards companies rather than individuals.  The following text is taken from the website of the UK National Cyber Security Centre (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/information-for/individuals-families):

What is cyber security?

Cyber security is the means by which individuals and organisations reduce the risk of being affected by cyber crime. Cyber security's core function is to protect the devices we all use (smartphones, laptops, tablets and computers), and the services we access online - both at home and work - from theft or damage.  It's also about preventing unauthorised access to the vast amounts of personal information we store on these devices, and online.  Cyber security is important because smartphones, computers and the internet are now such a fundamental part of modern life, that it's difficult to imagine how we'd function without them.

From online banking and shopping, to email and social media, it's more important than ever to take steps that can prevent cyber criminals getting hold of our accounts, data, and devices. 

Cyber Aware and staying secure online

From banking to shopping, and streaming to social media, people are spending more time than ever online.  "Cyber Aware" is the government's advice on how to stay secure online.  Visit Cyber Aware.  As well as the six Cyber Aware actions, the NCSC has provided further guidance for those looking to stay secure online.

• Use a strong and separate password for your email
• Install the latest software and app updates on your phone, PC or tablet
• Turn on 2-Step Verification (2SV)
• Use password managers: using browsers and apps to safely store your passwords
• Back up your data to a reliable separate device or the cloud

Further advice based on the common attempts using email is as follows:

• Never click a link in an email until you know where the link is going.  For example, a link on our site would read "https://www.handwpc.org.uk/xyz" where "xyz" goes to a page on the site.  Criminals will use links such as "https://www.handwpcc.org.uk/xyx" or "https://www.handwpcc.123.org.uk/xyz"  to make the link look like one of ours. 
• Look carefully at the email to see that it is genuine.  Banks usually say that they will insert part of your name or address or a serial number or other device which the criminal cannot obtain. There has recently been a spate of emails supposedly from "Docusign" (a genuine business) but they miss out a security number line and also have a return address such as "xxxx@9e2315ed53.nxcli.io" (see NOTE below).
• Before replying to any email asking for money or for "help", look carefully at the address to which you are replying.  The email may say it comes from "councillor@handwpc.org.uk" but is that what the reply email address says or is it "abc123@gmail.com" or something similar?
• Never send money using anonymous vouchers; if you need to send money, get the recipient's bank details.  If the recipient is honest, they will provide them and you can check them before you send money.

IF IN DOUBT, CHECK!

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(NOTE:  That address is from a real phishing attempt but I have replaced the name with xxxx; the link would take you to: https://usc1.contabostorage.com/... . When I checked the website by entering: contabostorage.com, my browser warned that the site had been reported for potential phishing.  Making a check such as this is very unlikely to be harmful as long as you do not download anything or click on links in the website.  I am not an expert but I am always willing to help if you have cyber-security concerns - Webmaster@handwpc.org.uk)