November 2022 Bulletin

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Get on your bike!

For Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) Week Southern Beaches NHW held a Bike Shed Session at Okines Community House on Thursday 10 November 22 for anyone needing a bike to buy, sell, repair or give away. This Bike Shed is run by a team of volunteers steered by John Chapman. It is open on Mondays and Thursdays.

Several students from the Dodges Ferry Primary School attended and learnt about safety while riding, as well as suitable clothing and the importance of having safe well-serviced bikes. Mr Chapman demonstrated bike tools, with signs and bikes to illustrate the importance of being safe, on and off a bike. Our NHW Coordinator, Valerie Reid, spoke about the benefits of adults and children looking out for each other, staying safe and being involved in community activities. Communities that support each other, and who look out for property and people’s welfare, tend to have a lower crime rate Valerie said. Well done Southern Beaches and an appropriate statement to promote Bikelinc.

Bikelink

On 30 November 22, Crime Stoppers Tasmania launched Bikelinc which is a free, new, online bike registration scheme designed to help police track down the owners of recovered bikes. Bikes continue to be a target for thieves, and it is not uncommon for them to be worth tens of thousands of dollars. If your bike is registered there is a greater chance that:

thieves will be deterred from stealing your bike
Police can prove if a bike is stolen
if the police recover your stolen bike, they will be able to promptly return it to you.

All the information you need to register your bike can be found at Bikelinc Australia.

Finland

Finland was recently named the happiest country in the World Happiness Report for the fifth year running. Their Ambassador to the USA was recently asked why this was so? He replied that, Finns are happy because they care for one another. Isn’t that exactly what Neighbourhood Watch is all about?

Calendars

The 2023 Tasmanian Neighbourhood Watch Calendars are out now. If you haven’t got yours yet, please check with your local Coordinator to get one before they all go! This Calendar is particularly supporting the Tasmanian Road Safety Advisory Council and Tasmania Police in their quest to reduce the rise in serious and fatal vehicle crashes. There are also a few photos showing Neighbourhood Watch volunteers in action across the state during 2022.

Annual General Meeting

Our Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony was held at the Country Club, Launceston on Saturday, 19 November 22. This was another wonderful event for NHW members from across the state to have that one day in the year when we can come together to collectively celebrate our successes. Commander Peter Harriss was included as a State Board Member and Commander Stuart Wilkinson officiated as our guest speaker and award presenter.

A special mention to Senior Constable Annabel Shegog who officiated in many support roles including impromptu announcer: and to our Treasurer, Christine Fraser who deputised as secretary and roving photographer on the day (also supported by Annette & Stephen Bourke Photography). View a selection of photos from the event

Crime Intelligence

Last month we reported on our latest Intelligence Report which used a large Tasmanian town to examine their crime activity from January to July 2022. Several key trends were identified; the prevalence of property not being locked or secured; building sites being regularly targeted; and power tools/building materials being commonly stolen items. Approximately 17 per cent of all incidents reported involved unlocked or unsecured property.
Read the full report The clear message is Lock it or lose it!

Get Online Week

Ten of our NHW groups participated in Get Online Week (GOLW), a Commonwealth Government initiative from 17 to 23 October 22 to help older Australians gain confidence in doing simple tasks online. These groups accessed a grant of $700 each to fund a social event that included non-threatening exposure to some online tips. Thanks to all those coordinators who took up the challenge and delivered an enlightening and entertaining event for people in their community.

See NHWA further in this Bulletin to find out how to help with this project next year.

Neighbourhood Watch Week & Bunnings Crime Prevention Week

Another successful partnership Week with Bunnings in Tasmania. We participated in events at Bunnings in Kings Meadows, North Launceston, Mornington and Glenorchy. Thank you to our team of volunteers and once again a big thank you to Bunnings for their generous support.

NHWA

Many of our groups participated in Get Online Week this year and delivered instructions to older Australians to help them have more confidence in using the internet. If you would like to obtain some training to do this, then NHWAs Digital Mentor program is for you. I have done it, so you can too. Enrolments are open through to the end of December 2022. It is a free online training course. Get more details here at: https://www.nhwa.com.au/resources/digital-mentor-training

Crime Stoppers Awards

Congratulations to Crime Stoppers Tasmania for winning two prestigious Crime Stoppers International Awards for programs supporting populations of 300,000 to 1 million.

Specialised Program Award for Crime Stoppers Week 2021
Media Award for the Website.

Crime Stoppers offers people a safe and secure option to report information under the assurance of being completely anonymous, with no identifying information recorded or required. Neighbourhood Watch Tasmania is a keen supporter and partner of Crime Stoppers Tasmania in our joint objectives of supporting Tasmania Police to prevent and solve crimes in our state.

Key Dates for 2022

7 December CWAC at Glebe Hill Bakery

Key Dates for 2023

7 February Safer Internet Day
14 February Pal-entine’s Day (If Valentine’s Day is not for you – do something with a friend).
1-31 March Neighbourhood Watch Month. The Month of Home Security.
5 March Clean Up Australia Day.
26 March Neighbour Day.
7 June Thank a First Responder Day.
14 September RUOK Day.
4 October International Coffee with a Cop Day.
6-12 November Neighbourhood Watch Week.

And in Conclusion

Our 2023 Calendars are on the way. Contact your Area Coordinator to get yours.

Join NHWT online at https://nhwtas.org.au/join/ it’s free!

The secret to happiness is to count your blessings while others are counting their troubles!

Yours in Neighbourhood Watch
Peter Edwards, President
Good Neighbours Create Safer Communities

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