A COLD RECEPTION IN LLANDUDNO FOR MR ICE . . .

A fully bi-lingual campaign has beamed TV ads into living rooms throughout Wales, whilst also posting mailers through hundreds of thousands of letterboxes during May and June this year.

The campaign offers advice in the form of three clear steps which have been developed to help decrease the number of rogue trader and distraction burglary victims across Wales and, hopefully, to increase the reporting of suspicious doorstep incidents.

The three step message to the public is:

• If in doubt, keep them out!
• Be prepared, be in control
• Call a neighbour or the police

Mr Ice from the no cold calling initative recently tried his luck in the Llandudno area.

Mr Ice started off in a nice friendly manner but he didn’t expect to encounter a multi agency team of police officers, police cadets and trading standards officials.

The team were out giving information to residents and visitors to the town when they came across Mr Ice on the promenade opposite Venue Cymru.

Needless to say Mr Ice was quickly arrested and shown that Llandudno is definitely not the place to visit if you are a cold caller looking to take advantage of our vulnerable residents.

Notes:

The Doorstep cold calling campaign outlines three steps to help people stay safe and secure:

1. If in doubt, keep them out. It sounds simple, but if you don't let someone in - they will go away. Don't let them pressure you into opening the door.
2. Be prepared. Be in control. Think about what to say to doorstep cold callers in advance. And keep a list of key contact numbers near your phone so you can check out legitimate callers. Ask all other unwanted callers to go away.
3. Call a neighbour or the police. Contact a local relative or nominated neighbour who can help verify a cold caller. If you think someone is a rogue trader call us on 101. To report a distraction burglar or rogue trader who has taken your money and is still in the area - call 999.

Crime definitions:

Distraction Burglary: A distraction burglar gains access to your property by distracting or tricking their way into somebody's house to steal valuables or cash.

Rogue Traders: Rogue traders are unscrupulous criminals who take advantage of householders by pressurising them into making hasty decisions. They will convince householders to part with cash for work that is below standard, or not required.

At the centre of the campaign will be a dedicated website:

www.doorstepcallers.co.uk

The website offers advice about how to deal with unannounced doorstep callers, and also explains how people can help others. It will be rich in content, providing case studies and opportunities to download items which can be used to help tackle the problem.

The campaign, which has been funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, has been developed by the All-Wales Doorstep Crime Group which is a partnership which comprises of the Police Service, Local Authorities, Trading Standards and support groups such as Age Cymru.

Llandudno has many "No Cold Calling" zones and Superintendant Andy Jenks-Gilbert, along with two of our police cadets and Toby from the Licensing department accompanied Mr Ice to one such zone to show him the error of his ways.

Our message is simple - if in doubt, keep them out. Also don't be afraid to report anyone who is suspicious to the police.

A quick reminder that you should call the police on 101 to let them know about a suspected rogue trader or call 999 if a rogue trader has taken money from you and is in your home or still in the local area.

You should also call 999 if you think someone is a distraction burglar.

Less than 1% of people in Wales become victims each year. But it's a problem that can cost people their life savings.

We all need to report this activity. Just because a cold caller leaves your doorstep, it doesn't mean that they won't target other people in your community. Please always tell the Police about any 'suspicious characters'.

If you haven't seen the TV ad you can click on the following link for an update . . .

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZIA6qov9Z4

Thursday 24th June 2010

 was the date of the Deganwy School fayre. As usual the local Neighbourhood Police Team were asked if they could assist at the event. PCSO Jill Buerdsell offered a cycle marking session, which was gratefully received.
Pictured below is Jill carrying out this crime reduction task.

Constable Chris Perkins was asked by the school if he would be able to assist, nearing the end of his career he thought the school had asked if he would like to take stock of his time at the school, as both the School Liaison Officer and lately the School's Community Officer, he must have misheard, as the pupils wanted him to go into the stocks and hurl very wet sponges at him.

The school raised over £1,400  we were happy to play our part in helping our local school raise much needed funds for the benefit of our communities children.

This will be the last School Fair that PC Perkins will assist with as he retires after 30 years service on July 17th

Friday evening 4th June and Saturday afternoon 5th June 2010, saw the second annual
Deganwy Dash and Deganwy Promenade events.

This years events matched last years weather and the public attendance increased as a result.

The Deganwy Dash saw 115 runners complete a 5 mile circular stretch between the
West Shore in Llandudno and Conwy Castle and return. Followed by the Prom day, with varying activities.

Including  multi emergency and supporting agencies displays, from the
Fire Service, Ambulance, Police, Probation Service, Coastguard, RNLI, Neighbourhood Watch
Police Specials and Cadets.

During the course of the afternoon several fun activities were arranged, 
Dog Show, Carnival Queens, Break Dancing, Tug-o-War, Kiddies Sports
officers and volunteers present took part and assisted in the organising of some these events.

Pictured are two of the Police Cadets who volunteer their time free.



PC Chris Perkins, speaking about the Prom Day said
 " The atmosphere was fantastic.
Everyone in attendance had a very enjoyable time,
there was a lot of good safe fun."

Pictured below is Pc Chris Perkins lending a hand to the winning tug-o-war team,
the youngsters managed to beat the Dad's side.

Organising these type of large scale public events can somtimes lead to rowdy beahviour by a small minority of unwelcome persons, but the events passed without incident, in large due to the excellent planning of the committee who have worked closely with the police to ensure this occurred.

Pictured below is Special Constable Adam Williams preparing for the tug-o-war

Cllr.Jason Weyman one of the event organisers sent this comment via e-mail following the events.

Everyone I spoke with (and that was quite a few) really enjoyed and where very impressed with the day.

This was a real team effort and thank you all for your enthusiasm and time and effort.

Pictures of the Rnli water display and the Force Helicopter

During the recent Royal Visit to North Wales by H.R.H Elizabeth crowds gathered on the promenade in Llandudno opposite the Venue Cymru.

Officers on duty whilst scanning the crowd for any potential security issues,
are mindful that the majority of persons present are there to merely capture a glipse of the Monarch.

A group in attendance had travelled from Leeds (Cohearent Vision) whilst waiting
were looked after by Pc 1321 Perkins.
Who assisted in making the time go a little quicker by chatting to them and assuring them that the Queen was enroute and would be in attendance as scheduled.

One of the ladies was very happy to speak to the officer.
But her proposal was declined.....

. . . that was the massive theme taken on this year by ECG A HEART FOR THE NATIONS -  as the conference visited Llandudno over the Easter holidays. Now in its third year, with over 1500 Christians from across the British Isles attending last years event. Delegates have travelled from as far afield as Jersey, the Isle of Man and Ireland to take part.

This year more people attended ECG than ever before, with even more children and young people having the opportunity to join in the fun, games and teaching.

The conference consisted of daily events at several venues throughout the town and the surounding area. There were Childrens' Groups for the 0-10 year olds. Little Rappers, aimed at 3-4 year olds, Youth programme for the 11-14's and 15-18s and lots of different activities, concerts and meetings to keep the adults occupied.

On the Wednesday there was a skate park on the prom kindly supported by THE DROP. The team had travelled from the Southampton area just to set up the park for the afternoon. I didn't quite pluck up the courage to try my hand but Scott (he's the one who looks like a penguin) did give us all a demonstration of how it should be done.

The event proved very popular with the young people on the prom, not only those attending the conference but also many who just happened to be passing by.

Thursday saw "Mission Teams" out and about in the Llandudno area. Not content with just coming to Llandudno and having an amazing week (according to the ECG website) many of those attending gave up their time to get involved in several projects aimed at giving something back to the town. It was their way of saying "thank you" to Llandudno for helping them have a great time at their conference.

Linking with the local Youth for Christ, church leaders, the police and the council, who were asked how best they could serve the community, the ECG Mission set about their tasks with enthusiasm.

There were three projects on the go, one at the railway station where a group cleaned up an area  at the rear, filling up a large skip with rubbish collected.

Whilst at the venue they also had permission to use the blank canvas of the walls as a backdrop for spray painting. The group chose to spray simple messages using words that had great meaning to them.

The girls who helped spray the message of peace had travelled, with mum, from the Channel Islands to attend the conference. James from Cork and Josh from Anglesey are pictured with their contribution. The artwork was only ever meant to be temporary and, considering the hard work the group had put in at the railway station, was a small price to pay and the walls should be back to their former "glory" by the time you read this article.

Another group decided to spend their afternoon clearing up the mess at the former Halfords site on Mostyn Champneys. Unfortunately I don't have any before photographs but I'm sure many of you have passed the area and witnessed the litter and rubbish strewn all around the building.

A lot of hard work and effort went in to cleaning up these areas. We should be thanking the Mission team for their efforts but unfortunately, as is the norm mowadays, the good work done was overshadowed by some bad press because of the "graffiti" at the railway station.

The third project was the garden and allotment area at Ty Llywelyn Community Centre on the Hospital estate. As this particular project took place on my "patch" I was there, along with PC Gary Donnelly, to witness the hard work put in tidying up the area and getting the different patches ready for planting.

I would like to express my thanks for the help at Ty Llywelyn. The garden project is intergenerational as it brings together the older members of the community, who pass on their gardening skills, and the younger generation, who, by their own admission, have a lot to learn from the green fingered gardeners of the area. Any produce grown is given back to the community. As well as encouraging different generations to get involved, it also promotes healthy eating and, of course, there is the sense of achievement that accompanies the success of such a project. 

On the Friday afternoon between 12 – 5 pm on the prom outside the conference centre was the ECG Winter Wonderland Ice Rink. Everyone was encouraged to have a go at ECG’s very own Dancing on Ice! Once again I knew my limitations but Pam didn't need much persuading to have a go, much to the delight of all present.

Whilst attempting to make her way around the rink Pam did get to talk to lots of visitors who, like me, were content to look on whilst others tried their best to come to terms with the ice.

Throughout the week of ECG, The YFC (Youth for Christ) Llandudno Team gave those attending the opportunity to spend time with other like minded people, taking part in lots of drama activities to improve their acting skills and learn professional tips. At the end of the week they then had the chance to perform their "Play in a Week" in one of the main venues!

Sophie Ponsford, Llandudno YFC Youth and Schools Worker leads the Llandudno team and in December 2009 launched 'Reverb', an American style coffee bar in Madoc Street, Llandudno - but that story is worth an article on its own - watch this space.

Saturday saw an open air concert, held at the bandstand on the promenade. One of the highlights of the week for me was listening to a young lady, along with her band, singing at Venue Cymru. Every time I heard Philippa Hanna sing, I thought what a brilliant voice she had and the audience at the Arena were always encouraged to join in as the words to her songs were displayed on a large screen above the stage.

 Even though Saturday was a day off I just had to go and witness the open air concert. To see the large crowd enjoying themselves on a lovely sunny day warmed the heart as well as the body. I managed to record Philippa singing her song "Work In Progress". If you would like to listen and to see the crowd at the bandstand enjoying themselves just click on the link . . . or visit her website at philippahanna.co.uk to listen to more songs . . .

ECG 2011 will, once again, be held in Llandudno at Venue Cymru from Thursday April 28th- Monday May 2nd. 
The 2011 theme will be Word into Flesh.

http://ecgevent.org.uk/

If you are interested in seeing more images of the conference you can click on the link below. This will take you to a site called vimeo and acces to three short films by Russell Coppock, depicting the different aspects of the ECG conference. ECG - Party on the Promenade, ECG - Mission Work and ECG - The Week - 2010, which begins with a fantastic view of the sunrise over the Little Orme, well worth viewing. Be patient as it could take a few minutes for each video to download the first time you view them . . .

http://vimeo.com/10949962

ECG :

EQUIPPING - CALLING - GOING

At least that is what I was told whilst talking to a couple from Stoke-on-Trent, who had attended the event with their grandchildren.

The Neighbourhood Police Team recently paid a visit to the Gloddaeth United Church on Chapel Street in Llandudno. We were invited along by Bronwen Thonger to talk to a group of vulnerable adults about their personal safety.

The Montage Club is made up of a group of adults with physical disabilities, who meet every Friday at the Church Hall.  In the morning they have a tutor, from Harlech University, who works towards a curriculum and encourages the creativity of the group though art and crafts.  In the afternoon they have visiting speakers and various individual and group activities.

On this occasion it was the turn of myself, PC Gary James and PCSO Sarah Curry to talk on personal safety to the group. Bronwen told us later that the group found the discussion interesting and informative and found that officers were easy to talk to and interacted well with everybody.

Hopefully, as a result of our visit, the group will take on board the tips on personal safety and it will help them in their everyday lives. Having seen several members of the group out and about since our visit I am confident that this visit was well worthwhile and I hope that we will be able to visit them again in the near future.

GALES AND RAIN BATTER COASTLINE

Severe weather caused pandemonium along the North Wales coast on the last day of March. Wind, sleet, hail and snow took hold from the early hours of the morning.

Homes had to be evacuated as waves crashed over the sea defences all along the coast. Between Colwyn Bay and Old Colwyn the waves tore up areas of the promenade resulting in the road being closed. Homes in Llanddulas and Llanfairfechan had to be evacuated after they were flooded.

Here in Llandudno the promenade took a battering as the spectacular waves littered the area with rocks and debris from the Irish Sea. The road also suffered as rocks from the recently reinforced sea defences hurtled over the promenade in certain areas.

I was called out to a job where branches from tall trees in Craig-y-Don had been ripped from the trees and were threatening to fall into the road. I called Conwy Council Highways department and the area was eventually made safe after the branches were pulled down by a winch. It was considered unsafe to go up in a cherry picker and saw the branches down.

I was told by one of the workmen that there were people on Llandudno promenade, risking their lives, trying to get too close to the sea, which was crashing in on to the promenade.

Once the trees were made safe I decided to investigate the promenade and found that waves were still surging onto public walkway. Whilst there, I took some photographs and a short video of the swell rising and falling onto our beloved promenade. If you would like to see the waves crashing in, click on the following link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNlFSZfQaHY

I reckon that half an hour earlier I would not have been able to stand where I was to take these shots, You are right, that was someone jogging along the prom, oblivious to the waves sending rocks and debris scattering over her preferred running track.

As I was about to leave the area I noticed something on the sea wall separating the prom from the road. Closer inspection showed me that it was a claw which had, possibly, been torn of a crab by the waves. All crabs have ten legs, two of which have developed into very large and powerful claws.

A large crab will sometimes try and steal food from another crab, in the numerous fights that follow, they often lose one of their claws. The claw measured over 33cms fully extended - this must have been a huge crustacea.

After leaving the promenade my next visit was to Llandudno Youth Club who are holding an Easter half term programme of events at the Ty Hapus Community Centre. I decided that I would take the crab claw with me and see what reaction it provoked from the young people attending.

After their initial shock and, on behalf of the females, horror at the size of the claw, their natural curiosity took over. As the photographs show the claw held no fears for the youngsters and one or two were even worried about what had happened to the rest of the crab!

I was told that I could take the claw home, boil it, and crack it open and eat the meat inside. I decided to let my future daughter-in-law take charge of the claw. She is going to take it to the school where she teaches to show the youngsters and see what sort of reaction it provokes.

That was my day in the storms, I’m sure lots of you have got your own stories of how you helped on the day. Controlling traffic, helping people out of their homes whilst providing reassurance, all the time conscious of the fact that you might have to go through it all again later in the evening at the next high tide!