London magazine January 2018

Issue 16 January 2018
Community Watch magazine
Brigade
chief calls
for tougher
safety
measures
in tower
blocks - P7

NEWS in brief
New fraud supremo
DETECTIVE Chief Inspector Andrew
Fyfe has been appointed as the
new head of the City of London’s
Police’s Insurance Fraud
Enforcement Department (IFED).
DCI Fyfe brings with him 26 years
of experience as a police officer,
most recently within the Police’s
National Intelligence Fraud Bureau.
He takes over the role of leading
the IFED team from DCI Oliver
Little, who has become head of the
Dedicated Card and Payment Crime
Unit (DCPCU) - a special police unit.
DCI Little worked in IFED since
2014 and became head of the unit
in 2016, leading the team to
achieve over 100 arrests, over 150
convictions and more than 300
judicial outcomes.
Cop is sacked
A POLICE constable has been dismissed
for inappropriate online
communication with a young girl
following a special hearing.
PC Samuel Barton, based at
Bromley, faced allegations that he
breached the standards of professional
behaviour in respect of discreditable
conduct.
It was alleged that during the
evening of May 14, 2016 the officer
engaged in inappropriate messaging
via Facebook Messenger with a
young girl he knew to be aged
under 16 years of age.
In addition, PC Barton will now be
placed on a Police Barred List preventing
future employment elsewhere
in policing.
Sex beast jailed
A MAN who sexually abused two
young boys at a scout group in
Islington where he volunteered as a
helper has been jailed.
Ian Barker, 61, of Queen’s Head
Street, Islington, was sentenced to
10 years’ imprisonment at
Blackfriars Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to one count of
indecent assault with penetration
on a boy aged under 14, one count
of indecent assault on a boy aged
under 14, and four counts of indecency
with children.
Barker volunteered to assist a
scout troupe as a venture scout in
Islington in the late 1970s and early
1980s.
In 2015, Victim 1 reported to the
police that Barker had sexually
assaulted him when he was a scout
at the troupe between 1979- 1981.
Help police to solve
this 25 year mystery
DETECTIVES are turning the clock back 25
years tos ee if they can solve the mystery of
what happened to Darren Tunstall.
Darren, who was aged 20 at the time, disappeared
without trace froim his Walthamstow
home and has never been heard of since.
Now police have released an artist's impression
of what they believe he may look like
today in a bid to discover his whereabouts.
Darren was last seen by his family on
December 3, 1992. He told his family he was
visiting friends over the weekend - then disappeared
without trace.
At the time officers investigated the circumstances
of his disappearance and it was
deemed non-suspicious. His disappearance
was a mystery and the police missing person
case file remains open to this day.
Darren's mother, father and sister have
never given up hope of finding him and have
been working with the Missing People charity
over the years to appeal for his whereabouts.
Darren's mother Ann has appealed to her
son to come forward saying: “No words can
describe how much I miss you. If you see this
appeal, our home telephone number hasn't
changed, please please get in touch just to
confirm you are okay."
She also appealed for anyone with information
that may help trace Darren to make contact,
saying: "Anybody else who sees this
appeal and knows where Darren is, please do
get in touch."
His father Colin also appealed to Darren to How Darren Tunstall may look today
get in touch saying please try and contact us.
We are all so worried about you. We miss you and love you always."
Darren would now be 45 years old. He is 6ft 4ins tall with size 15 feet. Darren liked spending time on his
own and loved the outdoors and open spaces. He would have been familiar with parts of Cornwall and
Ireland due to spending previous family holidays in these locations.
Detective Sergeant James Hardingham, from Waltham Forest police, said: “At this time of year, when
families are looking forward to the festive season, their thoughts often turn to loved ones who are missing.
"We would encourage anyone who has not been in touch with their families or friends for a while to
either make contact with them, the police or the charity Missing People. If you prefer we will not disclose
your whereabouts or circumstances to your families but we will let them know you are safe and well."
It is hoped a new appeal for help - alongside the e-fit - may finally encourage Darren or anyone who may
have seen him to come forward.
Amy Walker, Helpline Manager at Missing People, said: "Darren, we are here for you whenever you are
ready. We can listen, talk you through what help you need, pass a message for you and help you to be safe.
“The charity is here around the clock, for free and in confidence by phone, text and email. We are here
to support anyone thinking about going missing, already away from home or missing a loved one.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Waltham Forest Missing Persons Unit on 020 3276 0936 or
on Twitter via a Direct Message @MPSWForest.
Alternatively contact Missing People on 116 000 for free, in confidence, 24 hours a day or by emailing
116000@missingpeople.org.uk
2 LONDON COMMUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392

Mayor Sadiq Khan keeps a pledge on more patrolling officers
More officers and PCSOs will ensure Londoners are kept safe from crime and terrorism
Keeping Londoners safe
THE Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has delivered
on his promise to put the capital’s communities
at the heart of his policing strategy,
with at least two dedicated PCs and a dedicated
Police Community Support Officer now
in place in every London neighbourhood.
Sadiq’s plan for additional dedicated ward
officers, who both know and are known by
the community, was his first step in helping
re-establish real neighbourhood policing after
he took office in summer 2016.
In total 529 new dedicated ward officers
have been appointed and are now helping to
police London neighbourhoods, with additional
dedicated officers on patrol in some areas
according to local need.
In a year in which London suffered four terrorist
attacks, the Mayor believes these local
officers are the eyes and ears of our police
and security services, and have a crucial role
in keeping our city safe.
Until last year most wards had just one dedicated
PC and one dedicated PCSO, with two
dedicated PCs in around 100 of the areas with
the highest demand.
His announcement helps deliver a manifesto
pledge and the Mayor’s commitment in his
Police and Crime Plan, bringing the total number
of dedicated officers working across
London’s 629 wards - smaller sections of parliamentary
constituencies - to 1258, with
additional numbers who can work across their
borough in areas of high demand.
The new ward officers are drawn from existing
non-dedicated neighbourhood roles, and
‘ring-fenced’ from being called away to other
duties, other than in exceptional circumstances
or a major emergency.
However, the Met continues to face
unprecedented pressures, dealing with rising
and more complex crime in the face of a funding
crisis caused by Government cuts.
Earlier this month, the Mayor warned that if
the Government does not provide the necessary
real terms funding to keep Londoners
safe, the number of police officers across the
capital could fall as low as 26,900 by 2021 -
even lower than previous forecasts.
The Mayor of London said: “My top priority
as Mayor is keeping Londoners safe, and this
starts with real neighbourhood policing.
“As promised, I’m putting communities at
the heart of our policing strategy and I’m
delighted that every London ward now has
two dedicated PCs and a PCSO, who know the
community and understand the local issues.
“They are our local eyes and ears, and are
vital to keeping our communities safe and
improving public trust and confidence in our
police service.
“At a time when the Met is dealing with
unprecedented pressures due to the
Government’s huge funding cuts and the shift
in the threat of terrorism, neighbourhood
policing is more important than ever.
“I am doing everything I can to protect our
frontline in London - but I have been clear
that if the cuts continue, it’s expected that
our police officer numbers will fall to a 19
year low of around 26,900, putting
Londoners’ safety at risk.”
Late last year, he announced proposals to
increase his share of council tax from April
2018 by an average of 27p a week – the maximum
amount allowed by the Government.
The vast majority of this will go to the
Metropolitan police.
Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392 www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk LONDON COMMUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE 3

Home and away
Government officials conned
HUNDREDS of people, including Eastern
Cape government officials, are believed to
have lost millions of rands in an investment
swindle.
The outfit, X-Traders Market, dubbing itself
XTM, operated from offices in King William’s
Town and Fort Beaufort, and claimed to have
a head office in Durban and other offices in
Maritzburg, Greytown and Pongolo.
It apparently scammed investors of their
savings with promises of extraordinary
growth in returns. Some of these promises
included 100% profits on investments.
Beefing up security
WORLD renowned insurance brokers Marsh
has appointed an ex-UK National Crime
Agency (NCA) director of cyber crime to its
London team, its second former intelligence
official in the capital in as many years.
Jamie Saunders will join the Tower Place
West brokerage as a strategic adviser, in a
newly created role.
Saunders was director of the National
Cyber Crime Unit at the NCA, which is
focused on policing organised crime.
He was previously director of international
cyber policy at the Foreign.
Women get scam advice
THAILAND is offering a free course to help
Thai women cope with the highs and lows of
inter-racial marriage and avoid potential
scams or falling victim to human trafficking
when moving abroad.
As Thai society becomes more accepting of
inter-racial marriages, some women view
them as a way to better their economic status,
the social development ministry says.
Although there is no recent data on such
marriages, a 2004 government study showed
more than 15,000 women from one of the
poorest regions, northeastern Isan, had married
foreign men, and sent a monthly total of
122 million baht to their families.
The course covers “legal rights, how to
seek help through relevant Thai authorities,
as well as exploring issues of culture shock,”
said Dusadee Ayuwat, an associate professor
at Khon Kaen University who helped to
design it.
Sentenced to death
THE former head of a major Vietnamese
bank has been sentenced to death for his
role in a fraud case involving millions of dollars
of illegal loans.
Nguyen Xuan Son, who served as general
director of OceanBank, was convicted of
embezzlement, abuse of power and economic
mismanagement.
Dozens of former employees also received
lengthy prison sentences in the major corruption
trial.
Nguyen Xuan Son's lawyer told Reuters he
would appeal the verdict.
OceanBank is partially-state owned, so Son's
crime of mishandling state money was
thought to be particularly serious. After leaving
the bank, he rose to be head of state oil
giant PetroVietnam.
The bank's ex-chairman Ha Van Tham,
once one of the richest people in Vietnam,
was jailed for life on the same charges, and
for violating lending rules.
In total, 51 officials and bankers stood trial,
accused of mismanagement leading to losses
of $69m (£50m).
Soccer boss’s warning
PETER Lim, a former stockbroker who owns
Spain’s Valencia football club, has warned
members of the public not to fall victim to
false claims that he has endorsed investments.
The son of a fishmonger, Lim’s net worth is
currently estimated at just over $2.1bn
(£1.6bn, €1.8bn), according to Forbes
Magazine
One scam involved several Facebook
accounts that were supposed to be Lim’s
official accounts.
However, a spokesperson representing Lim
said that Forbes’ 13th richest person in
Singapore and the 973rd richest person in
the world does not have any social media
accounts.
At least one person has been duped into
travelling to meet Lim at an overseas meeting.
Another fraud claimed that Lim endorsed
investments in cryptocurrency, which the
spokesperson said he does not.
BT joins Interpol
BT has become the first telecommunications
provider to sign a data exchange agreement
with INTERPOL as it continues to step up its
efforts to combat the growing incidence of
cyber-crime across the globe.
The accord, signed at the INTERPOL Global
Complex for Innovation (IGCI) in Singapore,
provides a framework for threat information
exchange focusing on data relating to criminal
trends in cyber-space, emerging and
known cyber-threats and malicious attacks.
The mutual data sharing agreement will
foster even greater co-operation between
the two parties as they continue their fight
to protect families, consumers, businesses
and governments against the rising tide of
cyber-crime.
BT’s threat intelligence experts will provide
the IGCI with their knowledge and unique
insight into the evolving global threat landscape,
helping INTERPOL in its efforts to
identify and take action against cyber-criminals
operating around the world.
Tackling cyber crime
The European Commission has joined the
war on cyber-crime, creating a new EU
Cybersecurity Agency to co-ordinate
responses to and prevent cyber attacks.
The agency, a substantial beefing up and
changing of the remit of a Crete-based
European agency, will organise pan-
European cybersecurity exercises annually
and ensure better sharing of threat intelligence
and knowledge.
It will also prepare plans for rapid co-coordinated
responses to large-scale cross-border
cyber attacks.
The EU will also establish a Cybersecurity
Competence Network and centre to monitor
developments in the digital world, and a
commission directive is helping to beef up
criminal law responses by suggesting definitions
and common standards of penalties for
cyber attacks to member states.
German car riddle
AMONG hundreds of thousands of
Volkswagen and Audi vehicles that were
bought back by the manufacturer under
terms of the diesel emissions scandal settlement,
at least 69 have gone astray.
The cars were supposed to have been
stored in the parking lot of the abandoned
Pontiac Silverdome football stadium in
Michigan with thousands of others.
Instead of sitting near the former home of
the NFL Detroit Lions, these TDI-badged cars
wound up with fake Michigan titles, parked
near a wholesale auction in Indiana.
£76m of fakes seized
MORE than £76m worth of fake goods were
taken off the streets of Dubai last year as the
authorities sought to tackle a global trade
that damages legitimate businesses and fuels
organised crime and terrorism.
From knock-off luxury bags from Louis
Vuitton and Burberry to cheap unauthorised
car parts, sellers were targeted in a large
number of raids and seizures.
Weight loss drugs and anti-aging treatments
were also commonly faked.
Once largely sold in the bustling streets of
Karama, many are now promoted via social
media accounts and WhatsApp and delivered
to tourists' and residents' hotels and homes.
The value of the seizures was revealed at
the Regional Intellectual Property Crime
Conference, which aims to strengthen cooperation
among international law enforcement
agencies.
The latest iPhones - or rather cheap imitations
that look like genuine models - were
also seized. When Dubai police raided a villa
in the city earlier this year, they found 214
iPhone 7s and 673 iPhone 6s Plus models,
along with more than 20,000 sets of fake
headphones.
4 LONDON COMMUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392

The real Andrew McCabe, acting director of the FBI
Make sure you’re not trumped
by this bogus FBI email
THIS is a photograph of the real acting director
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Andrew
McCabe who, in his capacity as head of one of
the world’s leading crime-fighting agencies,
makes many decisions on the instruction of US
President Donald Trump.
But offering me large sums of cash would not
be one of those decisions so the email I received
allegedly from him should serve as a warning to
residents everywhere.
The email is quite a common one as it goes,
but this fraudster actually claims to be the real
Andrew McCabe and even uses the FBI address
on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington.
It came from the email address info@fbi.comnet
and this is how it goes:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington
D.C (FBI) write to inform you that we operate 56
field offices in major cities through out the
United States of America many of these offices
are further subdivided into smaller resident
agencies which have jurisdiction over a specific
area.
These resident agencies are considered to be
part of the primary field offices. FBI
Headquarters, located in Washington D.C. The
FBI have purposely create an office in order for
us to contact you personally, soon we will provide
you with a line you can reach us with for
more information about this compensation
funds.
Our mission is to help protect you, your communities,
and your businesses from the most
dangerous threats facing our nation—from
international and domestic terrorists to spies on
U.S. soil…from cyber villains to corrupt government
officials…from mobsters to violent
gangs…from child predators to serial killers.
In regard to the previous mail sent to you
concerning your compensation fund of
$750.000.00(seven hundred and fifty thousand
United States Dollars) which was recently
endorsed by the US government to compensate
all the SCAM VICTIMS that have been scammed,
This is an instruction from the Office of the U.S
President Donald Trump.
In order for us to secure and protect your
information's against
impostor/impersonators.You are to contact the
paying Bank for the releasing of your compensation
fund directly into your account.
Therefore, we advise that you follow up their
procedure as may be required from you as that
will further hasten up the whole process regard
to the release of your compensation fund to you
as instructed by government. Just keep us updated
on anything you are ask to do by the corresponding
bank. Note: this claim will end on the
31th of August 2017 ...The Bank Details will be
released to you as soon as you get back to us
Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe
Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building, 935 Pennsylvania Ave,
NW Washington, D.C., 20535-0001, USA
Clearly the FBI would not write or email me
offering thousands of pounds from a special
scam victims fund and they would only visit me,
without warning, if I was on their wanted list.
These scams are all too common and frequently
come from people posing as ministers,MPs,
Lords or Government officials.
If you do respond then you can wave goodbye
to your savings because that's what 'Mr
McCabe' and other crooks like him need your
personal details for.
Andrew McCabe is real, but he will be horrified
to know that fraudsters, usually operating
from behind a desk in Nigeria, are posing as him
just to try and make you part with your money.
Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392 www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk LONDON COMMUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE 5

NEWS in brief
Fraud blitz saves £5m
A HAVERING Council-led crackdown on
tenancy fraud has seen officers recoup
savings of more than £5m and visit more
than 8,000 homes in the last two years.
Since November 2015, the council’s
Tenancy Fraud Team have visited 8426
homes as part of a pilot scheme aimed at
auditing council owned properties.
The project aims to find out exactly
who is living in the properties and how
they are being used.
When it’s suspected that a property is
being used illegally, the case will be
handed to the council’s fraud team who
will launch an investigation.
Councillor Damian White, cabinet
member for housing and deputy leader
of the council, said: “People cheating the
housing system costs the council huge
amounts each year and hinders our ability
to provide accommodation for people
in desperate need of a home.
“The hard work of our Tenancy Fraud
Team has led to the recovery of more
than 50 properties and saved the council
£5,359,533.
Link to sex attacks?
DETECTIVES investigating up to 25 sexual
assaults they believe to be linked across
south-east London are not ruling out the
possibility the attacker's behaviour will
escalate.
Police released new CCTV footage of a
man they would like to speak to in connection
with the attacks.
The string of assaults against women
and schoolgirls as young as eight began in
October 2016. Seventeen of the 25 victims
are children.
The attacks have mainly been in the
Lewisham and Greenwich boroughs, but
have spread as far as Bromley, Bexley and
Southwark.
Ghurka soldier robbed
A MAN and a woman have been jailed
for robbing an elderly former Ghurka soldier
in Woolwich.
Jaspal Singh, 30, of Littlemore Road,
Thamesmead, was found guilty of robbery
and jailed for five years. Kelly
Rogers, 36, of Greenwich South Street,
Greenwich, pleaded guilty to robbery
and was jailed for three years.
The pair followed a 75-year-old former
Ghurka soldier into a lift at the block of
his flats in Bentham House, Station Way,
and robbed him of a wallet containing
£80 cash, his ID card and a valuable religious
medal.
Charities lose millions
to crooked employees
The Red Cross lost almost £4m to corruption last year
CHARITIES are losing hundreds of thousands of
pounds a month to fraud, with more than 800
instances of charity employees defrauding their
organisations reported to authorities in a six
months perdiod last year, according to City of
London Police.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fyfe of the
National Fraud Intelligence Bureau at the City of
London Police said 823 employee fraud cases
against charities had been reported in the six
months up to last October.
The Red Cross said more than $5m (£3.8m) of
aid money was lost to fraud and corruption
during the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.
Auditors found overpriced supplies, salaries
for non-existent aid workers and fake customs
bills.
The largest of the others involved a trustee who
defrauded their charity of £1.2m, Fyfe said. He
said there had also been 298 cases of victim
donation fraud in the same period, worth approximately
£200,000 a month.
Fraud remained a largely under-reported crime
and is believed to cost the charity sector £2bn a
year, attendees at the launch event heard, with
cyber crimes alone now accounting for 50 per
cent of all crimes in the UK.
Fyfe said the figures the police had were much
lower than the actual prevalence of fraud in the
sector, and the figures therefore did not fully represent
the scale of the problem across the country.
In cases reported to the police of chief executive
fraud – which involves people pretending to be
senior staff members or suppliers – there had
been 4,154 reports by all businesses, including
charities, in the past six months, Fyfe said.
This meant that average losses across the country
in all sectors from chief executive fraud were
approximately £12m a month.
Computer software service fraud – where fake
technicians pretend to be from IT firms to gain
access to computers and personal data – affecting
organisations including charities had occurred
11,731 times in the past six months, Fyfe said,
and cost approximately £1m a month.
He said a number of fake websites were set up
in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, with 62
domain names associated with the fire set up in
the first week to try to encourage people to make
donations.
Fyfe said that ransomware attacks – where files
are encrypted in order to get a ransom paid to
decrypt information – accounted for about 50 per
cent of all reports of cyber fraud.
Despite the risk of fraud, Dave Carter, head of
counter fraud at the British Council, said he was
one of only four heads of counter fraud employed
in the entire charity sector, highlighting how even
larger charities remained susceptible.
Helen Stephenson, chief executive of the
Charity Commission, said a study by the regulator
of a sample of charity frauds found that a third
were perpetrated by charity employees, with the
highest reported fraud to the commission
amounting to £1m.
She said that weak financial controls and poor
governance were among the most prevalent contributory
factors to fraud in the sector, and that
strengthening these areas was the "essential
foundation for tackling fraud and developing a
counter-fraud culture in charities".
She stressed the importance of reporting fraud
to the police and the Charity Commission, and
said doing so would be seen by the regulator as a
sign of good governance at the affected charity.
6 LONDON COMMUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392

Call for tower blocks to have better fire protection following the Grenfell Tower (inset) disaster last year
Plea for tower block safety
LONDON fire chiefs along with architects are
calling for tougher fire protection measures
to be installed in all tower blocks and other
buildings with vulnerable residents.
The London Fire Brigade wants landlords to
instal sprinklers and the call comes as
Waltham Forest Council pledges to install
sprinklers in all 61 of its high priority blocks -
something the Brigade is keen to see other
boroughs replicate.
Fire Chiefs are also calling for all new high
rise buildings to be fitted with sprinklers as
standard. Sprinklers improve firefighter safety
The Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for
Fire Safety, Dan Daly, said: “Sprinklers are the
only system which detects a fire, suppresses a
fire and raises the alarm and we believe they
are vitally important as part of a package of
fire safety measures, particularly in buildings
where there are vulnerable people such as
care-homes and schools.
“We have long been campaigning about the
benefits of sprinklers, which save lives and
property and also improve firefighter safety.
“Waltham Forest Council proves that it’s
possible to retrofit sprinklers and more boroughs
and housing owners should follow their
lead to protect their most vulnerable residents,
including those with mobility issues.”
The work being done by Waltham Forest
Council includes fitting sprinklers in three of
its sheltered housing buildings. The work is
being partly funded by a one-off grant from
the Brigade’s Community Safety Investment
Fund and existing council budgets.
What the Brigade is calling for:
• All new residential developments over 18m
in height to be fitted with sprinklers• Existing
residential blocks over 18m in height should
be retrofitted with sprinklers• Sprinklers to
be mandatory in all new school builds and
major refurbishments• All new residential
care homes and sheltered accommodation to
be fitted with sprinklers• Existing residential
care homes and sheltered accommodation to
be retrofitted with sprinklers
The Brigade also strongly advocates the use
of sprinklers in:
• All homes occupied by the most vulnerable
in our communities• All other residential
properties including hotels, hostels and student
accommodation, over 18m in height• All
new London Fire Brigade buildings
The Brigade will continue to promote the
installation in the following types of properties
throughout London:
• Heritage buildings• Basements• Large
warehouses
Similar recommendations have been made
by the Royal Institute of British Architects in its
submission to independent review of building
regulations and fire safety, led by Dame Judith
Hackitt.
The review was ordered by the government in
the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in June.
RIBA’s response has been developed by its
expert advisory group on fire safety, established
by RIBA Council following the Kensington disaster.
The RIBA advisory group recommends
• re-introduction of mandatory fire certificates
for designated premises
• Introduction of a Building Regulations requirement
for central fire alarm systems in multiple
occupancy residential buildings.
• Introduction of a requirement for more than
one means of vertical escape from new multiple
occupancy residential buildings of more than
three storeys in height
• Retro-fitting sprinklers and fire alarms in existing
residential buildings that are over 18 metres
in height, or maybe even three storeys for
sprinklers.
Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392 www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk LONDON COMMUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE 7

London news and court round-up
Thugs batter victim to steal a £20,000 Rolex watch
WESTMINSTER detectives have released CCTV footage of six men and a woman they want to
speak to after a man was brutally beaten for a watch he had intended to pass down to his
young son. The victim, in his 30s, was making his way home alone from a night out with
friends when he was approached by a man and a woman in Hanover Square, who began
walking and talking with him.
Shortly after, five men followed them and set-upon the victim in Brook Street, pushing him
to the floor. They then surrounded him and started to punch and kick the victim before stealing
his £20,000 Rolex watch. The five men fled in the direction of Park Lane and the original
man and woman left in the direction of St George’s Street.
The victim to a central London hospital with a broken nose and a fractured eye socket.
DC Daniel Northcott, the investigating officer from Westminster CID, said: "The victim, who
is a serving member of the armed forces, had purchased the watch to pass down to his young
child and is extremely devastated by the loss. If anyone who recognises the people in the
CCTV we ask them to contact us so we can bring those responsible for this heinous crime to
justice."
Anyone who recognises the people in the CCTV or has any information should call
Westminster CID on 020 7321 7589 or 101 or Tweet @MetCC or call Crimestoppers on 0800
555 111.
CCTV images of the thugs
Jailed for rape and abuse
A MAN who abused his position of trust to
rape and sexually abuse a vulnerable teenager
has been jailed for 16 years at
Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Stephen Webb, 57, of Weston Green,
Dagenham, had been found guilty of one
count of rape of a child under 16 and four
counts of indecent sexual assault, and had
pleaded guilty to three counts of making an
indecent video of a child.
The victim came out to his family as being
gay when he was 14. He started using gay
chat rooms online and he became acquainted
with a 16-year-old boy.
They became friends and spent time
together.The 16-year-old told the victim he
had a friend on the chat room who they
could meet, this was Webb. The victim was
interested in meeting other gay friends and
so he agreed to go along to meet Webb.
Webb met the two boys at Elm Park
Underground Station. He picked them up in
his car and drove them back to his house in
Dagenham. The victim stayed overnight on
several occasions in 1999 and 2000.Initially
the victim slept on Webb’s sofa and there
was no sexual contact.
However, the situation soon changed. They
began watching porn movies and the victim
was not only sexually assaulted, but raped as
well. The abuse was reported to police in
August 2014 and Webb was arrested.
Fraudsters jailed
A DAGENHAM man who was part of an
organised fraud network, conning amateur
sports clubs and small businesses out of over
£300,000, has been jailed for four years.
The Nigerian national was sentenced alongside
another man who was part of the same
fraud network.
The two men defrauded their victims -
including amateur football clubs, village halls
and solicitors firms - by sending them emails
claiming to be from an individual affiliated to
their organisation, such as the treasurer or
financial director.
The email would ask them to transfer a
sum of money and the recipient, believing
the email to be genuine, would pay the sum
into an account run by the fraudsters.
Ahmed Otun, 41, of Walfrey Gardens,
Dagenham, was found guilty of conspiracy to
commit fraud by false representation and
money laundering.
He was jailed at Kingston Crown Court for
four years for conspiracy to commit fraud
and 22 months for money laundering, to run
concurrently.
Okwudili Chinze, 44, a Nigerian national of
no fixed abode had previously pleaded guilty
to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation
and money laundering.
He was sentenced to two years and eight
months' imprisonment for conspiracy to
commit fraud, and fifteen months for money
laundering, to run concurrently.
Both men were disqualified from directorships
for ten years.
Volunteer was abuser
A MAN who sexually abused two young boys
at a scout group in Islington where he volunteered
as a helper has been jailed.
Ian Barker, 61, of Queen’s Head Street,
Islington,, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment
at Blackfriars Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to one count of indecent
assault with penetration on a boy aged
under 14, one count of indecent assault on a
boy aged under 14, and four counts of indecency
with children - after Victim 1 gave evidence.
Barker volunteered to assist a scout troupe
as a venture scout in Islington in the late
1970s and early 1980s. Both victims attended
this troupe.
In 2015, Victim 1 reported to the police
that Barker had sexually assaulted him when
he was a scout at the troupe between 1979
and 1981, up to the age of 13.
While the victim was a scout, Barker had
paid ‘special attention’ to him and singled
him out for attention on the pretence that
he was coaching him for specialist scout
skills. However, this usually resulted in the
victim being sexually assaulted by Barker.
Conned out of £34,000
A ROOFER cold called on an older couple in
Lorne Gardens, Redbridge, claiming they
were doing work locally. He offered to clear
weed and grass in the guttering for £10.
A few of the tiles were removed without
asking. The roofer said that a new roof was
required due to wood worm and dry rot. The
cost then escalated from £10 to £34,000.
Scaffolding was erected.
The trader was paid a total of £30,300 and
then did not return leaving a hole in the roof.
No work was carried out.
The resident didn’t need a new roof and
the supposed wood worm showed to the
resident was likely brought on to the site by
the roofer. Cold callers should not be
engaged with nor employed as the risks of
doing so are too great.
The mode of operation is typical - fool the
resident that there is a major problem with
the roof and that a new roof is required
when there is no requirement for a new roof.
It is best not to trust anybody that calls on
your door – send them away and better still
don’t answer the door.
12 LONDON COMMUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392

Trading Standards demands action by the Government
Car clocking could cost lives if a vehicle has covered far more miles than quoted by the seller
Time for ban on car clocking
CAR clocking gives the motor industry a bad
name, but worse still it can cost lives.
Anyone buying a secondhand car wants to
know they are buying something with genuine
mileage so that the vehicle price reflects the age
and miles covered.
But Chartered Trading Standards Institute
(CTSI) chief executive, Leon Livermore, has
written to the Department of Transport (DoT),
calling for restrictive measures to halt the
increase in car clocking following their response
to odometer adjustment fraud.
Car clocking is the practice of altering a vehicle’s
odometer reading to display a lower mileage
than the vehicle has travelled. Though altering
the mileage is not an offence, the selling of
‘clocked’ vehicles without disclosing the alteration
is illegal.
Fraudulently selling clocked vehicle can raise
the sale price, as well as be used by consumers to
avoid mileage penalty fees in car finance agreements.
According to HPI, one in sixteen vehicles
are predicted to have had its odometer adjusted1.
In September last year, the government commissioned
a consultation paper on road worthiness
testing in tractors, within which a number
of concerns were raised over clocking in general
vehicles.
In the Government’s response to the consultation,
they issued a non-committal response to
the clocking issue, simply stating: “The
Government will consider further what measures,
if any, are needed.”
The response has drawn criticism from various
consumer rights groups and car-trade businesses
for failing to address the issue.
In his letter to DoT Minster John Hayes,
Livermore said: “The majority of respondents
were in favour of legal changes yet the
Government stopped short of giving a timetable
when changes would be made.”
Elaborating on the detrimental effects clocking
has on trading standards, Livermore said:
“Those providing mileage correction services can
do so with impunity despite very limited occasions
where the practice is actually justified. This
unfettered ability to reduce mileages places significant
resource and evidential burdens on trading
standards officers who have to investigate and
take action.”
Livermore is calling for new restrictive measured
to stop car clocking.
“CTSI would seek to restrict the legitimate
changing of a vehicle's mileage to the manufacturer
alone,” he said. “We would suggest that
anyone other than the manufacturer who
changes the mileage should be committing a
specific legal offence.”
“Vehicle manufacturers should also be
encouraged to build in anti-tamper mechanisms
or backup data (cloud databases) to actively prevent
third party tampering.”
Backing CTSI's call, RAC spokesman Pete
Williams said: “It is absolutely ludicrous that
shady operators are able to advertise their services
putting motorists at risk of buying a car with a
tampered mileage, disguising its true history and
likely level of wear and tear. We strongly urge the
Government to outlaw the practice, provide genuine
protection for consumers and to ensure
that this is stamped out once and for all.”
Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392 www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk LONDON COMMUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE 9

NEWS in brief
Raids ruin fake trade
MORE than £76m worth of fake
goods were taken off the streets of
Dubai this year as the authorities
sought to tackle a global trade that
damages legitimate businesses and
fuels organised crime and terrorism.
From knock-off luxury bags from
Louis Vuitton and Burberry to
cheap unauthorised car parts that
could cause accidents, sellers were
targeted in a large number of raids
and seizures.
Weight loss drugs and anti-aging
treatments were also commonly
faked.
Once largely sold in the bustling
streets of Karama, many are now
promoted via social media
accounts and WhatsApp and delivered
to tourists' and residents'
hotels and homes.
The value of the seizures was
revealed at the Regional
Intellectual Property Crime
Conference which aims to strengthen
cooperation among international
law enforcement.
Benefit fraud rises
BENEFIT fraud has reached record
levels after it rose by £200?million
in the space of a year, the
Department of Work and Pensions
has admitted.
Fraud swallowed up almost
£2.1?billion of the department’s
total budget of £174 billion – the
equivalent of £40 million per week.
It means the DWP now loses
almost twice as much money to
fraud as the entire £1.1 billion
yearly budget of the Foreign Office.
Open for mince pies
and a festive hug
SHASHI and Pallu Patel get one day off a year –
Christmas Day. But they gave up their festive celebration
day to offer anyone visiting their Meet
and Deep newsagents “a mince pie and a hug”.
With help from their sons Deepen and Meeten
the Twickenham couple, who have run the shop for
35 years since arriving in the UK from Uganda,
used to take Christmas Day off as their one day of
rest.
But eight years ago when an elderly neighbour
was scammed out of all of her pension money by
conmen posing as boiler repair men, they invited
her over for Christmas Day, starting a tradition that
still lives on.
“She had no family and was scared,” said Deepen.
“We warned others about what had happened to
Dorothy, then people started giving donations for
her, little sweets or food for her cat.
“We invited Dorothy over on Christmas Day. We
gave her the big sack of presents we’d collected
and she cried and said it was the best Christmas of
her life.”
From then on, the family realised that other
people would be alone and in need of some help
over the Christmas period.
“Although it’s a lovely time of year, it can be tough
for others,” Deepen added. “People feel they have
no one to talk to because everyone is preoccupied
celebrating, they don’t want to bring them down.”
The family began opening the shop on Christmas
Day, welcoming anyone who is lonely to join them
for a mince pie and a chat.
Their guests have not only included older people,
but divorcees whose children are spending the day
with the other partner.
“One man who came in had just got divorced, so
his children were with his ex-wife. He had all the
food and the presents at home but no one to celebrate
with,” said Deepen.
Even though Christmas Day was the one day off
they had all year, the family still think it is worth
going into work.
“My parents are getting a bit old, so we asked
them if they wanted to not work. But they said no,
they want to make sure they are serving the people
who rely on them.”
Although the Patels are Hindu, they believe in celebrating
all religious festivals.
“We have the tree and the decorations, a special
meal, light some candles and have a crucifix,”
Deepen said.
“In Hinduism the main message is to help everybody
in life, especially those less fortunate.
Everybody should have somebody at Christmas, so
we try to be that somebody.”
Sites closed down
OVER 15,000 websites have been
suspended for selling counterfeit
products
Between March and November
2017, 15,420 illicit websites selling
counterfeit goods have been suspended
by the Police Intellectual
Property Crime Unit (PIPCU).
Europol’s Intellectual Property
Crime Coordinated Coalition (IPC),
the US National Intellectual
Property Rights Coordination
Centre and law enforcement
authorities from 27 EU Member
States and third parties have suspended
over 20,520 domain names
in total, 15,420 of which were from
the UK.
Kindhearted Shashi and Pallu Patel
10 LONDON COMMUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392

Hillingdon and Sutton Neighbourhood Watch news
your part of the road or block of flats, please
let them know.
Banning order
LEE Taylor from Wallington has been issued
with a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) that
bans him for five years from drinking alcohol
or being drunk in a public place in England
and Wales.
This CBO ensures that Taylor will be unable
to continue to drink and cause disorderly
behaviour in and around Wallington, and
other places in Sutton or even outside of
Sutton.
Happy HIllingdon members proudly show off their award
Hillingdon’s top award
HILLINGDON Neighbourhood Watch has
just picked up an award at the annual
Volunteer Awards night.
They were nominated by Inspector Rob
Bryan, Link Officer for Hillingdon
Neighbourhood Watch, who said: “The
Watch steering group produce a regular
newsletter and they grow and maintain
watch schemes across the Borough.
“They attend public events to promote
neighbourhood watch and hand out free
crime prevention kits. Their role requires
them to keep in contact with hundreds of
neighbourhood watch co-ordinators and
ensure every watch is running smoothly.
“In the last few years they have increased
the number of active watches in Hillingdon
and have achieved this not only in the more
affluent parts of the borough but also within
those where it was felt it was hard to
reach.
“Their newsletter and their drive to keep
watches active has played a part in the
decrease in burglaries in Hillingdon since
2012.”
Coordinators appeal
SUTTON is looking for more street coordinators.
Although they have members in virtually
every street, some residents have moved on
so they do not have a street coordinator.
A number of roads need more than one coordinator
because of the length or density of
housing, especially where there are blocks of
flats. So if you are able to keep an eye on
Fakes crackdown
TRADING Standards and Sutton Police officers
carried out a series of visits to premises in
Sutton High Street following concerns from
residents about shops selling fake goods.
The operation targeted several new arrivals
to the High Street and mobile phone accessory
shops with several items being seized or
removed from sale.
Residents are advised to be cautious when
buying items which appear too good to be
true - they may be fake or unsafe.
New Commander
CHIEF Inspector Robyn Williams has taken
over as the new Borough Commander of
Sutton.
Robyn is looking forward to the challenges
ahead and said she is looking forward
to mobilising the sklills of officers and
keen to meet residents..
Moped crime raises concerns
SUTTON Neighbourhood Watch Committee
recently wrote to the chairman of the
Independent Police Complaints Complaints
Commission expressing their concern over
the rising number of moped crime in
London.
They were equally concerned that disciplinary
action against four officers involved in
the pursuit of Henry Hicks has resulted not
only in the rise in moped crime but also in
the difficulties the police have in pursuing
those involved in such cases.
Sutton Neighbourhood Watch is one of the
largest and most successful Watches in
London with 6,540 members and covering
83% of households in the borough. They have
a good relationship with the local police and
because of that positive relationship Sutton is
one of the safest boroughs in London.
The letter stated that: “We appreciate the
difficulties faced by operational policing,
especially with the current level of pressure
upon the MPS, and are concerned to note the
dramatic rise in crimes being committed by
those on powered two-wheel vehicles (mopeds
or motorcycles) in London, and the apparent
inability of the police to pursue such
criminals.
“It appears to us that the IPCC decision to
direct the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)
to conduct formal disciplinary charges against
the four officers involved in the Henry Hicks
case has resulted in the MPS decision to
instruct officers not to pursue those committing
crimes on powered two-wheel vehicles,
and that decision has put, and is putting, the
public at risk.
“There has been a dramatic increase in
crimes in this category in the 12 months up
to June 2017 in which 16,158 incidents of
theft by use of these vehicles were recorded
by the MPS. This compares with 5,145 such
incidents recorded between June 2015 and
June 2016, and the rise to 16,158 to June
2017 represents almost a threefold increase.
“Our understanding is that these are not
individuals committing opportunistic crime
but the same offenders committing crime
time and time again with many deliberately
removing motorcycle helmets to prevent
being pursued by police. These offenders
therefore appear to be “getting away” with
committing often violent attacks on innocent
members on the public.”
Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said
recently she had been shocked by the
"extraordinary rise" in moped crime but said
offences fell by 24% between June and
September.
Figures show the main London boroughs
affected by moped crime are Hackney,
Islington, Westminster and Camden and culprits
are predominantly aged 14-19.
But the IPPC has responded to Sutton saying
that although there were 32 deaths as a
result of 28 police related road traffic incidents
in 2016-17, there is NO instruction to
the Metropolitan Police that pursuit drivers
should not pursue vehicles.
Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392 www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk LONDON COMMUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE 11

Emergency heroes are
given New Year honours
A FORMER police constable who was instrumental
in bringing down serious and organised
crime gangs internationally and at
home, has been honoured along with other
colleagues in the New Year’s Honours.
London firefighters have also been honoured
in what is seen as a massive tribute to
our emergency services.
A total of nine officers and one member of
police staff have been recognised with these
prestigious awards that include a Knighthood.
The Met’s Deputy Commissioner Craig
Mackey has been awarded with a Knighthood
for services to policing. The recognition is a
result of his many accomplishments including,
demonstrating outstanding leadership in UK
policing and through what has been a challenging
year.
Paul Lockhart has been awarded a Queen’s
Policing Medal (QPM). Former PC Lockhart
recently retired from Brent Borough after a
36-year career serving London. In the late
1990s, he set up a team of plain clothes surveillance
officers following a rise in passenger
bag thefts at Heathrow Airport, leading to
multiple arrests. Later in his career, he identified
an organised criminal network who stole
150 catalytic convertors from vehicles across
18 boroughs.
Chief Superintendent Richard Wood,
Borough commander for Lambeth, is also
awarded a QPM. He joined the service as a
police cadet in 1987 and became a constable
a year later. His borough, once described by
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary as
one of the most challenging policing environments
in Western Europe, has seen a period
of stability in community policing and
unprecedented crime reduction.
Also receiving a QPM is former PC Neill
Tully who retired from Bromley Borough in
August following a 30-year career. He served
the majority of his career as a youth engagement
officer and began the Bromley
Volunteer Police Cadet (VPC) unit in
November 2001 with 14 cadets. He has
recruited vulnerable and troubled children,
steering some from a life of crime. Due to his
commitment and dedication, the VPC has
grown steadily over the last 15 years to 150
cadets; whilst raising more than £3,000 to
support UK Care of Police Survivors charity .
Police staff member and Assistant Director
of Legal Services for the Met, Naz Saleh
receives the Commander of the Order of the
British Empire medal. Since joining in 1988,
she has worked on many of the most contentious
issues that the Met has faced. She
also had a leading role in the inquest into the
Firefighter Simon Jakeman has been awarded the British Empire Medal
death of Diana, Princess of Wales; and her
experience in dealing with public inquiries led
her to produce a guide which is widely used
by lawyers and officers.
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
(OBE) is awarded to Acting Detective
Inspector John Simm attached to the Met’s
Counter Terrorism Command for services to
national security and counter terrorism.
A British Empire Medal (BEM) is awarded to
Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack
who is attached to the Homicide and Major
Crime Command for services to policing and
voluntary to education.
Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO)
is awarded to Sergeant Stephen Collingwood;
former Inspector Rodney Paul Feichtinger;
and Inspector Douglas Ian Thompson, all of
whom were and are attached to Royalty and
Specialist Protection.
Firefighter Simon Jakeman, retired firefighter
Peter Clarke and head of training assurance
Jackie Adams-Bonitto have all been honoured.
.
Simon’s British Empire Medal award recognises
his work on sustainability and energy
saving as ‘Super Green’ champion for the
Brigade. Over the past year Simon, 44, from
Chessington, has been encouraging all 412
watches in the Brigade, to embrace environmentally-friendly
policies in the workplace.
He joined Surrey Fire and Rescue service in
1995 and transferred to the London Fire
Brigade in 2007 and has served at Surbiton
fire station for eight years.
Peter, 63, from Crodyon, gets his British
Empire Medal for his work creating
“Crossfire”, a multi agency community
engagement project designed to reduce hoax
calling, deliberate fires and anti-social behaviour
(ASB), through education and direct partnership
working.
Set up 13 years ago, predominantly to tackle
the high number of hoax calls and non-accidental
fires in the borough of Croydon, the
project is currently working in partnership
with around 25 agencies and is being rolled
out into other London boroughs.
London Fire Brigade’s Head of Training
Assurance, Jackie Adams –Bonitto, has been
awarded an MBE for her services to the fire
and rescue service and to equality and
diversity.
12 LONDON COMMJUNITY WATCH MAGAZINE www.whocanyoutrust.org.uk Tel: 01268-566 743 Mob: 07958 475 392