This page is relevant to all villages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nottingham Knockers

A great deal of people, especially the lone elderly, do not like opening their front door to be face to face with a young man selling what most households already have in their possession. If anything, the Nottingham Knocker call is more akin to menacing begging based on some of the Facebook posts regarding this activity. Often, a Facebook post raises the alarm for locals so that they can be more wary of opening the door. Stickers on doors stating 'No doorstep Selling Zone' do not deter these people. Most of the time the Facebook alarm is too late and so a simple Whatsapp group for an instant alert would work better. A simple statement of Road and Village will quickly highlight where these activities are taking place.
If you want to be notified by and/or notify your neighbours of activity in the areas covered by these pages follow the instructions below.
Click here to join if you're reading this on your mobile or scan the QR code with your phone if looking at this on your PC.

 

 

Operation Grotto Update

 

Operation grotto patrols have been continuing, specifically in towns and parishes in the South Buckinghamshire region where we continue to see the most reports of burglary. The units have been carrying out their burglary prevention patrols, attending burglaries in progress and stopping suspicious vehicles nightly.

 

We are pleased to see that burglary rates across Bucks has seen a 30% decrease in November, with this reduction being consistent across all areas, hopefully proving that the prevention efforts have been effective.

 

Please assist us in ensuring this number continues to be reduced by following the "Going away" checklist each time you leave your house:

 

• While we understand burglars use other means of breaking and entering, avoid making it easy, make sure all door and windows are securely locked, never leave keys in the door and be cautious about leaving spare keys out and hidden in places that are easily accessible
• Check that garden gates, sheds or garages are also locked and that tools and ladders are not accessible, there is evidence of many burglars utilising what they can find at the property to break in rather than bringing their own tools
• Do not leave any keys or valuables out in plain sight next to doors or windows
• Avoid leaving your home in total darkness, leave a light on or use a timer switch - often times burglars do not want a confrontation, if you can make it difficult to guess whether the house is empty or not that may be enough to deter them

 

 

👮For more burglary prevention tips, please visit: Crime prevention advice | Thames Valley Police

 

Quishing Fraud

 

Please find below a revised TV Alert confirming the correct email address to report suspicious emails to as report@phishing.gov.uk (not as previously stated).

 

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.

 

Thames Valley Police are urging the public to remain vigilant to fraudulent QR codes which can easily turn from convenience to con.

 

‘Quishing’ or ‘QR Code Phishing’, involves tricking someone into scanning a QR code which once scanned, will take you to a bogus website where you innocently input your details thinking you are paying for a service or visiting the genuine site, when in fact, you are unknowingly sharing all your personal details with criminals, which could lead to Identity fraud

 

QR codes are often found on things like parking machines, charging points, emails, even restaurant menus.

 

Detective Inspector Duncan Wynn, Head of Central Fraud Unit at Thames Valley Police said:

 

“While QR codes offer a convenient option for saving time, they can lead to fraud if they have been tampered with by fraudsters.

 

I encourage you to take a moment to stop! think fraud when reaching to scan a code.

 

• If the QR code is on a poster in a public area, always check whether it appears to have been stuck over the original. If the sign or notice is laminated and the QR code is under the lamination or part of the original print, chances are it is more likely to be genuine.

 

• If in doubt, download the app from the official Google or Apple store or search the website on your phone’s internet browser, rather than scanning a QR code to take you there. It may take longer, but it is more secure.

 

• Check the preview of the QR code's URL to see if it appears legitimate. Make sure the website uses HTTPS rather than HTTP, does not have obvious misspellings and has a trusted domain.

 

• Use your phone’s built-in QR scanner (available in most Camera apps) rather than downloading third-party QR scanning apps, which can sometimes be risky.

 

• Trust your instincts. If something does not seem right, do not scan, alert the owner of the QR code and police by calling 101 to report. “

 

Quishing can also occur on online shopping platforms, where sellers received a QR code via email to either verify accounts or to receive payment for sold items.

 

Fraudsters may impersonate banks, or other UK government organisations such as HMRC. If you receive an email with a QR code in it, and you are asked to scan it, you should be cautious due to an increase in these types of 'quishing' attacks.

 

If you receive a suspicious email, report it by forwarding it to report@phishing.gov.uk

 

Find out how to protect yourself from fraud

 

If you have been a victim of fraud, report it at Guide to reporting - Report Fraud or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Council calls for more community tree planting
​
Buckinghamshire Council is celebrating National Tree Week by announcing plans to expand the scope of its Bucks Tree Mission project - which has planted over 216,000 trees on council-owned land during the past four years.

Last winter, five new woodlands were planted across the county, from Billet Field Wood, by Black Park in the south, to Roddimore Wood, near Winslow in the north. This took the total number of new woodlands established under the Bucks Tree Mission to nine.

The next phase of the Bucks Tree Mission will provide new opportunities outside of council-owned land to encourage individuals and organisations to get involved with tree planting and help to achieve the ambition of planting over half a million new trees by 2030.

The council is already working with over 25 partners across the county to plant more trees including environmental groups, charities, and parish and town councils.

Find out more about Bucks Tree Mission at: Tree planting schemes | Buckinghamshire Council

 

 

 

 

Quishing for Trouble: When Scanning Leads to Scams” - Police warn of QR code fraud.

 

Thames Valley Police are urging the public to remain vigilant to fraudulent QR codes which can easily turn from convenience to con.

 

‘Quishing’ or ‘QR Code Phishing’, involves tricking someone into scanning a QR code which once scanned, will take you to a bogus website where you innocently input your details thinking you are paying for a service or visiting the genuine site, when in fact, you are unknowingly sharing all your personal details with criminals, which could lead to Identity fraud

 

QR codes are often found on things like parking machines, charging points, emails, even restaurant menus.

 

Detective Inspector Duncan Wynn, Head of Central Fraud Unit at Thames Valley Police said:

 

“While QR codes offer a convenient option for saving time, they can lead to fraud if they have been tampered with by fraudsters. I encourage you to take a moment to stop! think fraud when reaching to scan a code.

 

If the QR code is on a poster in a public area, always check whether it appears to have been stuck over the original. If the sign or notice is laminated and the QR code is under the lamination or part of the original print, chances are it is more likely to be genuine.

 

• If in doubt, download the app from the official Google or Apple store or search the website on your phone’s internet browser, rather          than scanning a QR code to take you there. It may take longer, but it is more secure.
• Use your phone’s built-in QR scanner (available in most Camera apps) rather than downloading third-party QR scanning apps, which can sometimes be risky.
• Trust your instincts. If something does not seem right, do not scan, alert the owner of the QR code and police by calling 101 to report.

 

Quishing can also occur on online shopping platforms, where sellers received a QR code via email to either verify accounts or to receive payment for sold items.

 

Fraudsters may impersonate banks, or other UK government organisations such as HMRC. If you receive an email with a QR code in it, and you are asked to scan it, you should be cautious due to an increase in these types of 'quishing' attacks.

 

Detective Inspector Duncan Wynn, continues:

 

“Resolving identity fraud, which can happen because of scanning a fraudulent QR code is often a lengthy and complex process.

 

When criminals use stolen personal details to obtain financial products such as loans or credit cards, victims can face significant challenges in proving their identity, restoring their credit profile, and regaining financial security.

 

This can take considerable time and effort, underscoring the importance of vigilance and preventative measures.”

 

Taking an extra few moments to double-check really can save time overall.”

 

If you receive a suspicious email, report it by forwarding it to phishing@report.gov.uk

 

Find out how to protect yourself from fraud: https://stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk

 

If you have been a victim of fraud, report it at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.

 

Beware of winter fuel payment scams

 

Between April and September 2025, Action Fraud has received 2,790 crime reports relating to Winter Fuel Payment scams, with victims reporting losses totalling over £27,000.

 

Winter Fuel Payments are made automatically, you do not need to do anything. If you receive any text messages about Winter Fuel Payments, it’s a scam.

 

Not sure if a message is real? Contact the organisation directly using the contact details on their official website, not the number or web address in the message. Your bank (or any other official source) won’t ask you to supply personal information by email or text message.

 

If you have spotted a suspicious SMS or RCS message, you can report it for FREE by forwarding it to 7726.

 

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040, or call Police Scotland on 101.

 

 

Buckinghamshire ‘Speaks Up’ against stalking
​
Buckinghamshire Council is proud to support White Ribbon Day 2025, the UK’s leading campaign to end violence against women and girls (VAWG).

White Ribbon Day takes place annually on November 25 and the theme for this year is “We Speak Up” — a powerful call to action encouraging everyone, especially men and boys, to challenge sexist or harmful behaviour that can escalate into harassment, stalking, or abuse.

At the heart of the campaign is a focus on stalking awareness and spotting the signs. To support this, the Buckinghamshire Domestic Abuse Board held its annual conference on 17 November, themed ‘Recognising and Responding Effectively to Stalking’. Over 120 professionals attended, hearing from speakers including Clive Ruggles, father of Alice Ruggles, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2016.

The council is working closely with Thames Valley Police and local partners to share the ‘Think FOUR’ model, helping people to recognise stalking behaviours.

Think. Is the behaviour Fixated, Obsessed, Unwanted and Repeated? If the answer is “yes” and the unwanted behaviour has happened more than once, it is stalking and should be reported quickly before it escalates.

Demonstrating its commitment to ending men’s violence towards women and girls, the council is currently running free ‘Tackling and preventing Domestic Abuse’ training courses that are open to everyone. To find out more visit: bucksdap.org.uk

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse, contact the Buckinghamshire Domestic Abuse Services Helpline on 01296 437777 (24/7).

For more information and resources, visit the Buckinghamshire Domestic Abuse Partnership website: bucksdap.org.uk