The uppermost photo above was taken last Sunday afternoon in The Bookstore Cafe in the former Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road in Erith. The Bookstore Cafe hosted a pop - up Vietnamese restaurant, which proved to be extremely popular. Many other events are being held in the former library building, including yoga classes which are held every Saturday morning from 8.30 until 9.30am in the Conversation Room, adjacent to The Bookstore Cafe. I know the details on the graphic above differ from those I have just supplied; I would strongly suggest that you contact the organiser, Ashley Bailey at ashley@bayleafyoga.com for the latest details and class timings. Visitors to the yoga classes are advised to bring a yoga mat, and to wear loose, comfortable clothing. The weekly classes cost £8 drop in, and £5 low income. Block booking discounts available. Click here for booking details. A new activity taking place in The Bookstore Cafe is a new board gaming club called The Wandering Meeple Express, which meet every Friday evening from 5.30 - 10.30pm. They are described thus:- "Join the Wandering Meeple Express @ The Exchange on Friday evenings for some tabletop gaming. The geeks will be on hand with the Wandering Meeple’s TOP 50 games for you to choose from, one of the games you wish to play not in the TOP 50 then make a request via messenger and we will have it there for you. Fridays 5:30pm till 10:30 in The Bookstore Cafe, which serves a range of snacks, soft drinks along with beers, wine and spirits". You can see members of the Wandering Meeple Express in the middle image above - the photo was taken on Friday evening; click on it to see a larger version. A further pop - up restaurant event is happening in The Bookstore Cafe on Thursday the 22nd August from 7pm - 9.30pm. A group called Isle will be cooking and serving Contemporary Asian Food Fusion – Inspired by authentic Indian dishes with modern touches. Including Pakoras, Samosas, Tandoori Chicken and Lamb Curry. For the full menu, download by clicking here. Isle are passionate about providing good quality food in a relaxed environment. They use quality produce to bring perfectly spiced dishes to the table.
It would seem that the children's nursery operator, Sarah Carnegie - who very publicly announced that she was opening a new day nursery in the former Bright Steps nursery premises in Electricity House, adjacent to the fish roundabout in Erith, has now pulled out of the venture. The Bright Steps nursery had attracted a lot of negative publicity; After a number of interventions by Ofsted and Bexley Police, the Bright Steps day nursery, which had been run by Mr. Saula Ogunkoya was closed down after a series of legal compliance and child welfare violations. During a series of hearings at the Royal Courts of Justice during July, August and September last year, the proprietor of Bright Steps lodged a legal appeal against the withdrawal of the licence by Ofsted. The decision of the Judge - Gillian Irving QC, was published on the 11th October. The case - Mr Saula Ogunkoya (Bright Steps Nursery and Day Care) v Ofsted determined that:- "We find as a fact that:- (i) the Appellant failed to identify risks of harm, issues of health and safety, and to implement appropriate and safe child-handling practice; (ii) the Appellant repeatedly failed to manage children’s behaviour appropriately; (iii) the Appellant repeatedly failed to meet the requirements in relation to child protection procedures and safeguarding; his approach to the investigation into CO in 2016 and the allegation in 2018 is indicative of an inability and/or an unwillingness to learn from past mistakes and to prioritise the needs of the children in his care; (iv) the Appellant has historically and repeatedly failed to meet the learning and development requirements of the EYFS; (v) the Appellant failed to ensure the suitability of staff, specifically his sister CO in 2016; (vi) the Appellant failed to notify Ofsted of the police investigation into CO in 2016 and delayed suspending her; (vii) the history demonstrates that the Appellant is unable or unwilling to sustain compliance with requirements imposed by the regulations. (e) We find that the Appellant has been untruthful both to the Respondent, the Police, the Tribunal and all others involved in the investigation of the incident on 3/1/2018. His failure to co-operate mirrors his unwillingness to co-operate in November 2017. His lack of integrity and his failure to work openly and in collaboration with the Respondent results in the sad conclusion that he is not suitable to provide nursery provision. We therefore dismiss the appeal and there shall be no order as to costs". You can read the published full legal decision on the case by clicking here. From my reading of the court documentation, it would appear that the nursery had been under performing for several years, and had refused to obey a series of previous compliance orders by Ofsted. The final straw seems to have been when a member of the public observed a member of the Bright Steps nursery staff smacking a child under their care. It would appear that subsequent to this, the nursery managers deleted CCTV footage of the assault, and tried to cover up the event when Ofsted and the Police then carried out an investigation. Subsequent to this forced closure, the nursery part of the building was advertised for rent, and Sarah Carnegie negotiated taking on the lease. I contacted her for details of her new business, and we engaged in some correspondence, where I gave her some background into the situation with Electricity House, and how the entire building was likely to become the subject of a compulsory purchase order by Bexley Council at some point in the not too distant future. I surmise that this may well have deterred her from proceeding with the lease on part of the building; I see that she has now relocated The Carnegie Playhouse to White Hart Avenue in Thamesmead. I think she has made the right decision.
This week the Maggot Sandwich has a new guest writer - Mark Brooks OBE, founder of The Mankind Initiative - a charity which supports men who have been victims of domestic violence - you can see their website by clicking here. Mark writes about his experiences in an earlier role, which makes for fascinating reading:- "Way back in 1999, I joined National Savings (now National Savings and Investments – NS and I) as a press officer (eventually running the department) and discovered that Premium Bonds still existed. At the time they had broadly fallen out of fashion and were viewed as old fashioned – a relic of Post War Britain. Even when they were launched in November 1956 they were described by Harold Wilson, who later became Prime Minister, as a ‘squalid raffle’. Not so now, with 21 million people holding them and £79 billion invested (meaning 79 billion numbers are eligible for each draw when there were just 49 million in June 1957 – the time of the first draw!) The challenge in the early part of this century was for the organisation was to re-purpose them as a “seriously fun way of saving” based on the premise that instead of traditional interest, you had the chance to win a prize from £100 to £1 million – and you could withdraw your money at any time. As part of the wider public relations strategy, the plan was to plug into the historical element - tapping into both the fun side but also the serious side (if anything created in 1956 and was still around in 2000, it had to still have some form of modern-day purpose). A key part of this was to play off the machine that picked the numbers – ERNIE – or more correctly, Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment. The ERNIE machines (now on their fifth version – launched this year) are not computers so they cannot be programmed – they simply produce a string of numbers which are then matched to the database. The first matching number wins the top prize. Today’s version uses light to pick the numbers (quantum technology), but the original built in 1957 (and the subsequent three) used thermal noise. Ernie 1 (seen in the photo above - click for a larger view) used an electric voltage applied to a glass tube filled with neon gas that generated electrons (the full science can be read here). The first ERNIE was commissioned in 1956 and had to ready for the launch of the first draw. At the time, ERNIE 1 was at the cutting edge of ‘computer’ technology and the government commissioned the Post Office Research Station in North London who created a team led by Sidney Broadhurst. Two pioneers of modern computer technology and World War Codebreakers, Tommy Flowers[ and Harry Fensom designed the machine based on Colossus, the world's first digital computer which they had created. The National Museum of Computing has produced a fascinating video on its history: In 2004, the old ERNIE 3 was coming to the end of its life and ERNIE 4 was being created. I came up with the plan of getting all four together for the first time. The challenge though was that no one at NS and I knew where ERNIE 1 was – was it in a basement, had it been destroyed, sold or lost. Certainly no one at NS and I’s headquarters in London or the Premium Bonds centre in Blackpool knew. This pioneering piece of technology that was at the absolute cutting edge in 1956 and 1957 had literally disappeared. I started to advertise in the Blackpool media for information and also for any people who had been around at the time when Premium Bonds were launched. I was put in contact with a wonderful chap called Jack Armitage who had worked with the engineers on ERNIE 1. He recounted his experience in a wonderful BBC interview – and also told me he thought the Science Museum had it. I visited the Science Museum in South Kensington and after spending a few hours with an archivist, we discovered a reference to it being at RAF Wroughton, their collections management facility in Wiltshire. Off I set to Swindon and after an hour at the base armed with just a photo to match it with, I found it uncovered standing up in a corner of an aircraft hangar – totally unloved and unappreciated. A piece of cutting edge British technology left almost by the wayside. It did not even have a sign saying what it was and anyone could easily mistake it for any old piece of computing technology. After the Science Museum realised the importance of the machine and with a suitable amount of embarrassment, we arranged to place all four ERNIE machines together for an exhibition in the Science Museum for a day which was a great success. It was led by Johnny Ball. Years later, organised by old colleague Tim Mack, ERNIE 1 was rightly placed on permanent display in the Science Museum between 2008 and 2015. Their description was: A side from its cultural influence, ERNIE has great technological importance. It was the 'son of' the world's first digital electronic computer, the code breaking Colossus, created during World War II to read messages sent by German commanders. ERNIE was built at the same place as Colossus, the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill, and by some of the same engineers. The Colossus machine was so secret that it was not until well into the 1970s that people began to hear of Colossus's wartime code breaking exploits, and the link between Colossus and ERNIE became clear". I have written at some length about Colossus in the past - which you can read by clicking here. Mark continues:- "I spent many happy years at National Savings and Investments and had a lot of fun with promoting Premium Bonds (often hour long local radio phone ins) and the history of the organisation in general. I invented the concept of the Agent Million character who is the person who personally tells someone they have won the £1 million jackpot every month, their Quarterly Savings Survey, won national awards for the campaigns (Chartered Institute of PR) and also met my fab wife Fiona who worked for Premium Bonds in Blackpool! Before I left in 2007, I even got to build a new console for ERNIE 4!" A fascinating account from Mark Brooks - and you can see a short explanatory video of the original ERNIE 1 below. Feel free to leave a comment below, or you can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
It would seem that the children's nursery operator, Sarah Carnegie - who very publicly announced that she was opening a new day nursery in the former Bright Steps nursery premises in Electricity House, adjacent to the fish roundabout in Erith, has now pulled out of the venture. The Bright Steps nursery had attracted a lot of negative publicity; After a number of interventions by Ofsted and Bexley Police, the Bright Steps day nursery, which had been run by Mr. Saula Ogunkoya was closed down after a series of legal compliance and child welfare violations. During a series of hearings at the Royal Courts of Justice during July, August and September last year, the proprietor of Bright Steps lodged a legal appeal against the withdrawal of the licence by Ofsted. The decision of the Judge - Gillian Irving QC, was published on the 11th October. The case - Mr Saula Ogunkoya (Bright Steps Nursery and Day Care) v Ofsted determined that:- "We find as a fact that:- (i) the Appellant failed to identify risks of harm, issues of health and safety, and to implement appropriate and safe child-handling practice; (ii) the Appellant repeatedly failed to manage children’s behaviour appropriately; (iii) the Appellant repeatedly failed to meet the requirements in relation to child protection procedures and safeguarding; his approach to the investigation into CO in 2016 and the allegation in 2018 is indicative of an inability and/or an unwillingness to learn from past mistakes and to prioritise the needs of the children in his care; (iv) the Appellant has historically and repeatedly failed to meet the learning and development requirements of the EYFS; (v) the Appellant failed to ensure the suitability of staff, specifically his sister CO in 2016; (vi) the Appellant failed to notify Ofsted of the police investigation into CO in 2016 and delayed suspending her; (vii) the history demonstrates that the Appellant is unable or unwilling to sustain compliance with requirements imposed by the regulations. (e) We find that the Appellant has been untruthful both to the Respondent, the Police, the Tribunal and all others involved in the investigation of the incident on 3/1/2018. His failure to co-operate mirrors his unwillingness to co-operate in November 2017. His lack of integrity and his failure to work openly and in collaboration with the Respondent results in the sad conclusion that he is not suitable to provide nursery provision. We therefore dismiss the appeal and there shall be no order as to costs". You can read the published full legal decision on the case by clicking here. From my reading of the court documentation, it would appear that the nursery had been under performing for several years, and had refused to obey a series of previous compliance orders by Ofsted. The final straw seems to have been when a member of the public observed a member of the Bright Steps nursery staff smacking a child under their care. It would appear that subsequent to this, the nursery managers deleted CCTV footage of the assault, and tried to cover up the event when Ofsted and the Police then carried out an investigation. Subsequent to this forced closure, the nursery part of the building was advertised for rent, and Sarah Carnegie negotiated taking on the lease. I contacted her for details of her new business, and we engaged in some correspondence, where I gave her some background into the situation with Electricity House, and how the entire building was likely to become the subject of a compulsory purchase order by Bexley Council at some point in the not too distant future. I surmise that this may well have deterred her from proceeding with the lease on part of the building; I see that she has now relocated The Carnegie Playhouse to White Hart Avenue in Thamesmead. I think she has made the right decision.
This week the Maggot Sandwich has a new guest writer - Mark Brooks OBE, founder of The Mankind Initiative - a charity which supports men who have been victims of domestic violence - you can see their website by clicking here. Mark writes about his experiences in an earlier role, which makes for fascinating reading:- "Way back in 1999, I joined National Savings (now National Savings and Investments – NS and I) as a press officer (eventually running the department) and discovered that Premium Bonds still existed. At the time they had broadly fallen out of fashion and were viewed as old fashioned – a relic of Post War Britain. Even when they were launched in November 1956 they were described by Harold Wilson, who later became Prime Minister, as a ‘squalid raffle’. Not so now, with 21 million people holding them and £79 billion invested (meaning 79 billion numbers are eligible for each draw when there were just 49 million in June 1957 – the time of the first draw!) The challenge in the early part of this century was for the organisation was to re-purpose them as a “seriously fun way of saving” based on the premise that instead of traditional interest, you had the chance to win a prize from £100 to £1 million – and you could withdraw your money at any time. As part of the wider public relations strategy, the plan was to plug into the historical element - tapping into both the fun side but also the serious side (if anything created in 1956 and was still around in 2000, it had to still have some form of modern-day purpose). A key part of this was to play off the machine that picked the numbers – ERNIE – or more correctly, Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment. The ERNIE machines (now on their fifth version – launched this year) are not computers so they cannot be programmed – they simply produce a string of numbers which are then matched to the database. The first matching number wins the top prize. Today’s version uses light to pick the numbers (quantum technology), but the original built in 1957 (and the subsequent three) used thermal noise. Ernie 1 (seen in the photo above - click for a larger view) used an electric voltage applied to a glass tube filled with neon gas that generated electrons (the full science can be read here). The first ERNIE was commissioned in 1956 and had to ready for the launch of the first draw. At the time, ERNIE 1 was at the cutting edge of ‘computer’ technology and the government commissioned the Post Office Research Station in North London who created a team led by Sidney Broadhurst. Two pioneers of modern computer technology and World War Codebreakers, Tommy Flowers[ and Harry Fensom designed the machine based on Colossus, the world's first digital computer which they had created. The National Museum of Computing has produced a fascinating video on its history: In 2004, the old ERNIE 3 was coming to the end of its life and ERNIE 4 was being created. I came up with the plan of getting all four together for the first time. The challenge though was that no one at NS and I knew where ERNIE 1 was – was it in a basement, had it been destroyed, sold or lost. Certainly no one at NS and I’s headquarters in London or the Premium Bonds centre in Blackpool knew. This pioneering piece of technology that was at the absolute cutting edge in 1956 and 1957 had literally disappeared. I started to advertise in the Blackpool media for information and also for any people who had been around at the time when Premium Bonds were launched. I was put in contact with a wonderful chap called Jack Armitage who had worked with the engineers on ERNIE 1. He recounted his experience in a wonderful BBC interview – and also told me he thought the Science Museum had it. I visited the Science Museum in South Kensington and after spending a few hours with an archivist, we discovered a reference to it being at RAF Wroughton, their collections management facility in Wiltshire. Off I set to Swindon and after an hour at the base armed with just a photo to match it with, I found it uncovered standing up in a corner of an aircraft hangar – totally unloved and unappreciated. A piece of cutting edge British technology left almost by the wayside. It did not even have a sign saying what it was and anyone could easily mistake it for any old piece of computing technology. After the Science Museum realised the importance of the machine and with a suitable amount of embarrassment, we arranged to place all four ERNIE machines together for an exhibition in the Science Museum for a day which was a great success. It was led by Johnny Ball. Years later, organised by old colleague Tim Mack, ERNIE 1 was rightly placed on permanent display in the Science Museum between 2008 and 2015. Their description was: A side from its cultural influence, ERNIE has great technological importance. It was the 'son of' the world's first digital electronic computer, the code breaking Colossus, created during World War II to read messages sent by German commanders. ERNIE was built at the same place as Colossus, the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill, and by some of the same engineers. The Colossus machine was so secret that it was not until well into the 1970s that people began to hear of Colossus's wartime code breaking exploits, and the link between Colossus and ERNIE became clear". I have written at some length about Colossus in the past - which you can read by clicking here. Mark continues:- "I spent many happy years at National Savings and Investments and had a lot of fun with promoting Premium Bonds (often hour long local radio phone ins) and the history of the organisation in general. I invented the concept of the Agent Million character who is the person who personally tells someone they have won the £1 million jackpot every month, their Quarterly Savings Survey, won national awards for the campaigns (Chartered Institute of PR) and also met my fab wife Fiona who worked for Premium Bonds in Blackpool! Before I left in 2007, I even got to build a new console for ERNIE 4!" A fascinating account from Mark Brooks - and you can see a short explanatory video of the original ERNIE 1 below. Feel free to leave a comment below, or you can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
Organisations and private individuals that deploy Facebook's ubiquitous "Like" button on their websites risk falling foul of the General Data Protection Regulation following a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice. You can read the judgement in full - in English by clicking here. The EU's highest court has decided that website owners can be held liable for data collection when using the so-called "social sharing" widgets. The ruling states that employing such widgets would make the organisation a joint data controller, along with Facebook – and judging by its recent record, you do not want to be anywhere near Facebook when privacy regulators start investigating. According to the court, website owners "must provide, at the time of their collection, certain information to those visitors such as, for example, its identity and the purposes of the [data] processing". By extension, the ECJ's decision also applies to services like Twitter and LinkedIn. Facebook's "Like" is far from an innocent expression of affection for a brand or a message: its primary purpose is to track individuals across websites, and permit data collection even when they are not explicitly using any of Facebook's products. The case that brought social sharing widgets to the attention of the ECJ involved German fashion retailer Fashion ID, which placed Facebook's tracking button on its website and was subsequently sued by consumer rights group Verbraucherzentrale NRW. The organisation claimed the fact that Fashion ID's website users were automatically surrendering their data – including IP address, browser identification string and a multitude of cookies – contravened the EU Data Protection Directive (DPR) of 1995, which has since been superseded by much stricter General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In 2016, Fashion ID lost in a Dusseldorf regional court, and appealed to a higher German court, with Facebook joining in the appeal. The case was then escalated to the ECJ, with the outcome closely watched by law and privacy experts. On Monday of last week, the ECJ ruled that Fashion ID could be considered a joint data controller "in respect of the collection and transmission to Facebook of the personal data of visitors to its website". Fashion ID, a German online clothing retailer, embedded on its website the Facebook ‘Like’ button. The consequence of embedding that button appears to be that when a visitor consults the website of Fashion ID, that visitor’s personal data are transmitted to Facebook Ireland. It seems that that transmission occurs without that visitor being aware of it and regardless of whether or not he or she is a member of the social network Facebook or has clicked on the ‘Like’ button. Verbraucherzentrale NRW, a German public-service association tasked with safeguarding the interests of consumers, criticises Fashion ID for transmitting to Facebook Ireland personal data of visitors to its website, first, without their consent and, second, in breach of the duties to inform set out in the provisions relating to the protection of personal data. The Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf (Higher Regional Court, Düsseldorf, Germany), which is hearing the dispute, requests the Court of Justice to interpret several provisions of the former Data Protection Directive of 1995 (which remains applicable to this case, but has now been replaced by the new General Data Protection Regulation of 2016 with effect from 25 May 2018). In its judgment delivered last Monday, the Court found that, first, that the former Data Protection Directive does not preclude consumer-protection associations from being granted the right to bring or defend legal proceedings against a person allegedly responsible for an infringement of the protection of personal data. The Court also noted that the new General Data Protection Regulation now expressly provides for this possibility. The bottom line is that if you embed the Facebook "Like" button on your website, you are potentially exposing yourself to legal action. I feel that this is a definite case of the law of unintended consequences. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
British Telecom has formally notified Bexley Council that it proposes to remove 7 public pay phones in the borough. These pay phones are located as per the schedule above - click on it for a larger view. Consultation notices have been placed on the relevant pay phones and residents have already been asked for comments. The council have assessed these pay phones against Ofcom guidance and have published their 'First Notification' draft decision, setting out whether they agree or object to the removal of each of the affected pay phones. This document can be downloaded at First notification BT payphone removal consultation August 2019 (PDF, 111KB) or viewed at the Civic Centre, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath, DA6 7AT. Bexley Council would like to receive your comments on the draft decision by 5pm on 2 September 2019. You can submit your opinions in writing to the London Borough of Bexley, Strategic Planning and Growth Team, Civic Offices, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath, DA6 7AT. The Council’s final decision on whether to agree or object to the removal of each of the affected pay phones will be published at the beginning of September, followed by a formal response to British Telecom by their deadline of 11 September 2019. Bearing in mind that just over seven percent of the UK population don't own a mobile phone - that is roughly 420,000 people. Removing pay phones may be a move too far - especially in areas with a high percentage of elderly residents, who are statistically less likely to own a mobile device.
Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Unfortunately Barnehurst had suffered a burglary in Colyers Walk. This occurred on Tuesday 30/07/2019 between 09.45pm and 10.00pm when the resident heard noise coming from the window. Two windows were found to have been opened and a 4ft pole was seen in the leaning against the window sill. This pole does not belong to the victim and has been bagged for forensic purposes; On Tuesday 30/07 2019 PCSO Nolan was out on foot patrol in Manor Way when a fairly large group of boys were seen dangerously performing wheelies and surrounded a vehicle causing the driver to slow down and sound his horn. One of the cycle riders was recognised and will be be spoken to however we would like to speak to the other boys that were with him. If anyone see this group of 8 to 10 boys in or around Manor Way riding in an anti-social manner please call us. We will not tolerate this and the abuse they give to members of the public. The next community contact session will be at Barnehurst Golf Club, Mayplace Road East on Thursday 15th August at 04.00pm. Please come along if you wish to discuss any issues". Belvedere ward:- "There has been another attempt burglary at the Smerdon Centre, Lumley Close. Same as before, someone has tried to gain access through the roof windows. Happened towards the beginning of July. No entry gained, alarm potentially scared the suspects off. The centre are tightening security. If anyone is seen on the roof please consider calling 999 if the centre is closed. Further reports of motorbikes in the Lesnes Abbey Woods, mainly riding around in the middle of the wooded area. Please report any sightings of bikers. We know of two theft from motor vehicle at the Guru Nanak Temple car park. One was a white male driving a blue car, second was male. Both happened a couple of weeks ago. Please be aware of your surroundings and do not leave anything on display in your vehicles. A young male was caught by the team riding an off road bike in Picardy Manorway Underpass. He was given a section 59 warning for his trouble. The warning lasts for one year, if he rides this bike, another vehicle or someone else rides his bike in an anti-social manner within the 12 months period then that vehicle can be seized and crushed". Bexleyheath ward:- "There has been a report of an attempted burglary along Garden Avenue Bexleyheath just before midnight. Suspect had approached front door with a crow bar and had noticed the CCTV and had left the location, no damage was caused to the property and no entry gained. This was reported on the 30/07/2019. There has been three reports of purses being stolen around the Broadway, brief details below: 30/07/2019 – Dorothy Perkins Elderly female purse stolen whilst shopping between 12 and 1230 midday 30/07/2019 – Ellenor Hospice shop, purse stolen from backpack, incident happened between 1pm and 2.20pm. 29/07/2019 – Savers Store – purse stolen, incident happened at about 1300hrs. Also there was a report of a bag being stolen and cards being used around the Broadway area to make purchases. Believed to have been taken when in the Subway shop. This had taken place between 11am and 1.45pm. There has been two reports of theft of motor vehicles on the Broadway, brief details below: 27/07/2019 - Outside Premiere Inn at about 6am in the morning. 29/07/2019 – Grace Avenue, incident happened at around midnight. A theft from motor vehicle was reported along Heversham Road Bexleyheath. Happened overnight on the 27/07/2019 and 28/07/2019 between 10pm and 1pm the following day". Crayford ward:- "A white Honda 125 motorbike, registration LX18XCP was stolen from Ridge Way between 20.00 on Tues 23rd July and Wed 24th July at 10.00. It had been secured to a wall by chain, parts of the bike were found nearby. A black Honda CRV had its rear number plate EK05LLN stolen from Bourne Road, Industrial Estate on Friday 19th July between 08.00-16.00. A named suspect entered a property in Ducketts Road at 2am on Wednesday 24th July and stole cash and Samsung Galaxy S5 mobile phone. A front number plate RY05 WTJ was stolen from a Grey Mitsubishi Shogun in Bourne Road. We are out and about patrolling the ward and aware that anti-social behaviour is seen more during the school holidays. Our next community contact session will be held on Tuesday 6th August at Beano's café at Midfield Parade in Mayplace Road East. Please come along if you would like to have a face to face chat or please contact us via the usual channels". Erith ward - no report received this week. Northumberland Heath ward - not report received this week.
Slade Green and Northend ward:- "One burglary to report, between the 25th and 27th July – money and other personal property was stolen from a property in Rodeo Close whilst the owners were away, it appears that a window was prized open by the suspect/s, no suspects seen or known at this time. We've had a number of motor vehicle crime offences across the ward over the last week, the first one occurred on the 25th July in Whitehall Lane, around midday, on this occasion a window was broken and property was stolen from within, the second incident occurred between the 26th and 27th July, on this occasion suspect/s unknown have attempted to break into a transit van, they have damaged the locks but nothing stolen. On the 31st July at around 1300 hrs suspect unknown have stolen a catalytic converter from a car parked on Alderney road, and between 1000 hrs – 1700 hrs on the same date, and road, suspect/s unknown have stolen an exhaust from a parked car". Thamesmead East ward:- "Two more thefts of catalytic converters on the ward this week. Vehicles made after 1974 all have Catalytic Converters. There are 3 precious metals in your Catalytic Converter and thieves know this…..Protect your vehicle before you become a victim of theft. Mark your catalytic converter by etching your vehicle registration onto the metal shell, or by using a Secured By Design (SBD) approved forensic marking solution which is heat-resistant. This makes it easier for police to trace the converter back to your vehicle should it ever be stolen, and links offenders to a crime. Consider fitting additional security on your vehicle(s) by installing an SBD approved converter security product, such as a catalytic converter clamp. Attempted Burglary - Northwood Place 27/7/19 between 1am – 6am bottom lock of front door has clearly been levered from the outside making it impossible to use key to lock door. Vehicle Crime Manor Close 26/7/19 8pm – 27/7/19 7am Victims vehicle broken into no signs of forced entry logbook and car documents removed by suspect/s unknown. Turnbury Close 27/07/19 between 20:30pm – 28/07/19 7am victim noticed a big long scratch along the driver's side of vehicle possibly made overnight by suspect/s unknown. Wolvercote Road 28/7/19 8:15am – 2pm front and rear number plates removed by suspect/s unknown. Walsham Close 29/7/19 between 23:45pm – 23:50pm Victim chained moped to lamp post outside property. At approx. 2345 hours victim's girlfriend alerted him that his moped was being stolen as she could hear some kind of noise outside. When she looked through the window she saw three (3) males walking off in the direction of Crossway, one of them pushing the moped. It is believed suspects used angle grinders to cut through the chain. Haldane Road 30/7/19 3:30 am – 8am Rear number plate stolen by unknown suspect/s. Theft from Motor Vehicle x2 - Seacourt Road 31/7/19 between 12:05 – 12:48pm. Victims returned to vehicles on starting the engine a loud noise could be heard. Victim's alighted from vehicles where 2 members of the public stated they had been walking past and saw 3 males jacking up various parked cars. They were seen removing something from underneath each car which they put in their vehicle and drove off. This was found to be the catalytic converters. Good news; the team were contacted by a male living in Australia with concerns about the welfare of his mother who he had not heard from. Various telephone numbers had been given to him for his mum but when called they were unobtainable. He had sent her a birthday card but still no contact to him was made by his mother. His mother lives on Thamesmead East ward. PCSO Buckley carried out the welfare check passing on the concerns of the son. The contact telephone number was verified and an email was sent to the son re mum's welfare. PCSO Buckley received this reply from the son: “Thank you so much we had a very tearful reunion on the phone last night. I cannot express how much your assistance has meant to me it's a huge relief especially with the distances involved as you can imagine it's something I worry about every day. Plus being an only child I would imagine my absence in her life takes a huge toll, but at least I can contact her now and let her know how much I love and miss her. I'm so grateful for your email and your help from the bottom of my heart thank you.” West Heath ward:- "On Saturday July 27th , we held our quarterly Ward Panel Meeting which was well attended although the weather was inclement after the recent hot spell. The priorities for the next quarter remain unchanged, Burglary, Motor Vehicle Crime and ASB/Drugs. Unfortunately the spate of motor vehicles has continued this week. A Range Rover was stolen from a driveway in Axminster Crescent at 08.30am on Sunday July 28th, the victim is still in possession of the keys. Vehicle registration plates were stolen from a vehicle in Canberra Road overnight on Friday 26/07/2019 between 9pm and 07.50am the following morning. Vehicle registration plates also stolen from a vehicle parked in Abbotts Walk between Thursday July 25th at 3pm and Friday July 26th at 07.50am when the resident discovered them missing. Theft from Motor vehicle in King Harolds Way between 11.30pm on Friday 26th and 6am on Saturday July 27th. The victim discovered his vehicle with the doors open in the heavy rain. The vehicle had been rifled through and a small amount of loose change was taken. Sunglasses and £50 were stolen from a car parked in Bedonwell Road between 11.30pm on Friday July 26th and 00.30am the following morning Saturday July 27th".
The end video this week comes from American firearms historian Ian McCollum, and it is an examination of one of the prototypes of the very first ever machine gun, which was built at the Maxim armaments factory in Fraser Road, Erith. Hiram Maxim was the first person to create a truly practical and functional machine gun, based on a patent he filed in 1883. He pioneered the recoil operating system – the concept of harnessing the recoil generated by a firearm to perform the actions of reloading that firearm. His patent was based on a lever action rifle, but his intent was to create a machine gun, complete with belt feed and water cooling. After a testbed “forerunner” gun, he built this model which he called the “Prototype”. It was meant as a proof of concept, and used in many public exhibitions and demonstrations. The Prototype used a hydraulic rate of fire control system which could be set as high as 500 rounds/minute (interestingly, the US Marine Corps example goes up to 600 rpm) and as low as just one round per minute. The gun did not have a trigger as we would recognise it today, but rather a single lever like a vehicle accelerator which acted as both trigger and fire rate control. Only three of these Prototypes exist today, with one belonging to the US Marine Corps, one on public display at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, and this one in the National Firearms Centre reserve collection also in Leeds. Please feel free to leave feedback and comments to hugh.neal@gmail.com.
Slade Green and Northend ward:- "One burglary to report, between the 25th and 27th July – money and other personal property was stolen from a property in Rodeo Close whilst the owners were away, it appears that a window was prized open by the suspect/s, no suspects seen or known at this time. We've had a number of motor vehicle crime offences across the ward over the last week, the first one occurred on the 25th July in Whitehall Lane, around midday, on this occasion a window was broken and property was stolen from within, the second incident occurred between the 26th and 27th July, on this occasion suspect/s unknown have attempted to break into a transit van, they have damaged the locks but nothing stolen. On the 31st July at around 1300 hrs suspect unknown have stolen a catalytic converter from a car parked on Alderney road, and between 1000 hrs – 1700 hrs on the same date, and road, suspect/s unknown have stolen an exhaust from a parked car". Thamesmead East ward:- "Two more thefts of catalytic converters on the ward this week. Vehicles made after 1974 all have Catalytic Converters. There are 3 precious metals in your Catalytic Converter and thieves know this…..Protect your vehicle before you become a victim of theft. Mark your catalytic converter by etching your vehicle registration onto the metal shell, or by using a Secured By Design (SBD) approved forensic marking solution which is heat-resistant. This makes it easier for police to trace the converter back to your vehicle should it ever be stolen, and links offenders to a crime. Consider fitting additional security on your vehicle(s) by installing an SBD approved converter security product, such as a catalytic converter clamp. Attempted Burglary - Northwood Place 27/7/19 between 1am – 6am bottom lock of front door has clearly been levered from the outside making it impossible to use key to lock door. Vehicle Crime Manor Close 26/7/19 8pm – 27/7/19 7am Victims vehicle broken into no signs of forced entry logbook and car documents removed by suspect/s unknown. Turnbury Close 27/07/19 between 20:30pm – 28/07/19 7am victim noticed a big long scratch along the driver's side of vehicle possibly made overnight by suspect/s unknown. Wolvercote Road 28/7/19 8:15am – 2pm front and rear number plates removed by suspect/s unknown. Walsham Close 29/7/19 between 23:45pm – 23:50pm Victim chained moped to lamp post outside property. At approx. 2345 hours victim's girlfriend alerted him that his moped was being stolen as she could hear some kind of noise outside. When she looked through the window she saw three (3) males walking off in the direction of Crossway, one of them pushing the moped. It is believed suspects used angle grinders to cut through the chain. Haldane Road 30/7/19 3:30 am – 8am Rear number plate stolen by unknown suspect/s. Theft from Motor Vehicle x2 - Seacourt Road 31/7/19 between 12:05 – 12:48pm. Victims returned to vehicles on starting the engine a loud noise could be heard. Victim's alighted from vehicles where 2 members of the public stated they had been walking past and saw 3 males jacking up various parked cars. They were seen removing something from underneath each car which they put in their vehicle and drove off. This was found to be the catalytic converters. Good news; the team were contacted by a male living in Australia with concerns about the welfare of his mother who he had not heard from. Various telephone numbers had been given to him for his mum but when called they were unobtainable. He had sent her a birthday card but still no contact to him was made by his mother. His mother lives on Thamesmead East ward. PCSO Buckley carried out the welfare check passing on the concerns of the son. The contact telephone number was verified and an email was sent to the son re mum's welfare. PCSO Buckley received this reply from the son: “Thank you so much we had a very tearful reunion on the phone last night. I cannot express how much your assistance has meant to me it's a huge relief especially with the distances involved as you can imagine it's something I worry about every day. Plus being an only child I would imagine my absence in her life takes a huge toll, but at least I can contact her now and let her know how much I love and miss her. I'm so grateful for your email and your help from the bottom of my heart thank you.” West Heath ward:- "On Saturday July 27th , we held our quarterly Ward Panel Meeting which was well attended although the weather was inclement after the recent hot spell. The priorities for the next quarter remain unchanged, Burglary, Motor Vehicle Crime and ASB/Drugs. Unfortunately the spate of motor vehicles has continued this week. A Range Rover was stolen from a driveway in Axminster Crescent at 08.30am on Sunday July 28th, the victim is still in possession of the keys. Vehicle registration plates were stolen from a vehicle in Canberra Road overnight on Friday 26/07/2019 between 9pm and 07.50am the following morning. Vehicle registration plates also stolen from a vehicle parked in Abbotts Walk between Thursday July 25th at 3pm and Friday July 26th at 07.50am when the resident discovered them missing. Theft from Motor vehicle in King Harolds Way between 11.30pm on Friday 26th and 6am on Saturday July 27th. The victim discovered his vehicle with the doors open in the heavy rain. The vehicle had been rifled through and a small amount of loose change was taken. Sunglasses and £50 were stolen from a car parked in Bedonwell Road between 11.30pm on Friday July 26th and 00.30am the following morning Saturday July 27th".
