We would appreciate if you could share this message with family, friends and your local community.

Independent charity Crimestoppers have offered a reward of up to £10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with the murders of Carole and Avtar Kolar.

 The couple, who had been married for 40 years, were found dead on Wednesday morning at their home in Friary Road.

The police investigation continues at a very fast pace with a team of 60 detectives pursuing several lines of enquiry following numerous calls from the public.

Detective Superintendent Richard Baker, who is leading the murder investigation, said: “This has had a truly devastated affect on the family; they now need to be given space and time to grieve. I am confident we will catch those responsible for this terrible crime which has devastated the family and community.

“I would like to thank Crimestoppers for offering this reward and say again that local people hold the key to finding who is responsible for this terrible tragedy. If you believe that you have any piece of information that may help our enquiries, I would ask you to call us or Crimestoppers as soon as possible.”

West Midlands Regional Manager for Crimestoppers, Pauline Hadley, said: “This is a vile crime where two people have been murdered and their family and community have been left in shock.

“Those responsible for this must be brought to justice and I would urge anyone with information that might help to contact Crimestoppers anonymously. Ring 0800 555 111 or use our secure online form at

The reward of up to £10,000 is available to anyone providing information to Crimestoppers, which leads to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for this crime.

Rewards can only be claimed by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Rewards cannot be claimed if giving information via the online form.
 

Help us to get justice for Carole and Avtar and their family.

Local neighbourhood officers continue to patrol the area to offer reassurance to residents.

Yours faithfully,

West Midlands Police

We now have dates set for 2012 which you can see here:

http://www.socialmediasurgery.com/surgeries/lozells-and-birchfield

Please note, stemming from feedback from local people who can’t make the daytime events, the surgeries will alternately take place in the morning 10-12 or the evening 6-8. No surgeries will take place in August and December 2012.

This post tell a little bit more about what a social media surgery is.

If I don’t see you before, have a peaceful Christmastime and a Happy New Year!

Jo

www.princes-trust.org.uk

 The Prince’s Trust Community Cash Awards are a fantastic grant funding opportunity for young people inBirmingham. 

The Prince’s Trust funds youth-led projects across England and Wales that deal with a local community need, with clear benefit to that community. Past awards have included funding for starting up youth cafes, asylum seekers improving perceptions in the community through photographic exhibitions, community radio stations, organic gardens kept for and by young people with mental health problems, DVD’s to raise awareness of crack dealing, and projects helping promote anti-gun, knife and gang violence in local communities. These projects are administered by The Prince’s Trust, and we are now welcoming applications for grants from young people inBirmingham.

The closing date for applications is 31^st January 2012, further information and an application form are attached.

 Community Cash Awards Flyer

Community Cash Awards Application Form

CC Guidance Notes

“Your local Policing team and the Lozells Neighbourhood Forum are holding a community awareness raising meeting for anyone living or working in the community to find out about how we can ‘beat the burglars’.

 There has been a spike in burglaries across our area again (we had a previous surge in May early this year). I know this is a concern for a number of local neighbourhoods too.

 The full details of the meeting are:

 Date:              

Thursday 15^th December 2011

Time:             

6pm – a warm cuppa with biscuits & a chance to meet others

6.30pm – 7.30pm meeting (we will start and finish on time)

Venue:           

 St Pauls & St Silas Church Centre, 80 Lozells Road, Lozells, Birmingham, B19 2TL.”

Some tips  for keeping your home and belongings safe:

 Burglary Crime Prevention Advice

Come along to join local residents and organisations for a street action day-  this Saturday 26th November from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

We will be meeting at the top of Haughton Road in Birchfield (where Haughton Road meets Westminster Road) at 10.30am.

We will be knocking on doors to meet our neighbours, talking to people about rubbish collection and recycling, local upcoming events, picking litter and reporting any environmental issues we see.

Lozel residents, local environmental and street champions, neighbourhood police, Midland Heart and people from Birmingham City Council Perry Barr constituency will all be coming along.

Come along and say hello!

If you would like to join us, remember your warm clothes and gloves if you have them!

Computer

Want to learn some basic computer skills in a relaxed and friendly environment?

Freshwinds and Birchfield Children’s Centre are running classes to teach basic IT skills –

• ·         How to operate a computer – using a mouse and keyboard
• ·         How to send a receive emails and attachments 
• ·         Searching the internet
• ·         Being safe on the Internet
• ·         Accessing information and Public services on the internet

Every Thursday

Starting on Thursday 1st December from 12.30pm to 3.00pm.

At:  Birchfield Children’s Centre, 1 Haughton Road, B20 3LE

Free to everybody no matter your benefits or immigration status.

Ring 0121 675 0967 to book your place or just come along.          

Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau have circulated information and advice for people who have been told that they do not qualify for the Employment Support Allowance (ESA) when transferring from Incapacity Benefit.

Advisors at all four of the Birmingham bureaux (City Centre, Tyseley, Northfield and Kingstanding) can provide advice and assistance to anyone affected by the reassessment of people on Incapacity Benefit. People affected are encouraged to seek advice, regardless of which stage in the process they are at.

BCABS are very keen to build a picture of how the migration process is working and to find out how clients are personally affected. Clients can help by filling in a diary as they go through the ESA claiming process. There is a section that can be completed at each stage of the claiming process, or all at once at the end of the process if they prefer. Responses are completely confidential and anonymous.

The diary can be found online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/esadiary  or contact the Community Outreach Team for a paper version on 0121 700 7469.

www.bcabs.org.uk

The Near Neighbours Programme in Birmingham is looking to appoint:

3  x “Near Neighbour Community Workers” to work in  Ladywood, Hodge Hill and Birchfield.

 The post holder will support the inter faith relationships and joint social action of residents and organisations in one of these locations within the context of a full training and support programme provided through the national Near Neighbours Programme by the Nehemiah Foundation.

The post holder will be working particularly closely with people and groups of different faiths and ethnicities.

 Salary in the region of £15,000

 Closing date: 5.00pm Tuesday 29th November

Preliminary Interviews 8th December

Selection Conference 15th December

For more information or to apply please contact Debbie Browning

e-mail: Debbie@birmingham.anglican.org

or Tel: 0121 426 0442

A newly-refurbished Community Shed, based at the allotments, will be the centre of activities around this project, providing a social environment where they can relax feel wanted and use their neglected skills and perhaps develop new ones.

BRAG are looking for a part-time, self-employed worker to keep the project on track  and keep the team of volunteers motivated as they work with these vulnerable men.

The Community Hut will have a workshop area where craft skills can be practiced, as well as a relaxing area for talking, playing games, learning new media skills( IT, video, photography, writing, drawing,). We will aim for delivering the project with the help of volunteers from the Residents Action group who have skills with Counselling and Psychotherapy, as well as horticultural skills.

Birchfield Residents Action Group (BRAG) has been helping the community with Action projects over the years, the first being connected with the Mobile Mast issue, as 3 tower blocks had these plus the local telephone exchange. Now that these towers have been demolished and the estate under regeneration we are still actively helping the community to form a Neighbourhood forum. Our Mental Health project comes as a result of cooperation with local caring agencies, Church, Age Concern, and departments of the Council .

Our web site at www.brag.btik.com will give an overview of our activity. We also publish a quarterly newsletter called the Birchfield Bugle to help give the area a sense of identity.

Stay safe and secure this winter - Advice and information from Lozells and East Handsworth Neighbourhood police

 The clocks go back on Sunday and the nights are getting darker as we head for wintertime. Officers in Lozells and East Handsworth would like to encourage local residents to think about their home security.

Unfortunately, burglary offences traditionally rise during the winter months. To help secure your home during the winter months, please consider the following advice:

• Consider purchasing a timer switch for your lights. These are inexpensive and ensure homes are not left in darkness to alert burglars to an empty property.
• Always ensure that windows and doors are securely locked when not in use. An opportunistic burglar only needs a few seconds to enter an insecure property and steal your belonging.
• Remember to cancel any milk or newspapers that you usually have delivered if going away for a few days. A burglar may notice these and be alerted to an empty home.
• Keep sheds, out houses and garages locked – your tools could be used to break into your home.
• Neighbourhood Watch is an effective way to keep your home and local community safe. You can find details of how to join or set up a scheme from the partnerships officer at your local station. Please call 0345 113 5000 for details.

For further advice about keeping your home secure, please visit: www.safer-homes.org.

Sergeant Lucy Bird, responsible for policing in Lozells and East Handsworth, said: “Figures have just been released to show that there have been 2,300 fewer victims of burglary so far this year compared to last. By following the helpful advice above, you can help us to further reduce this figure and ensure that your home remains as safe and secure as possible this winter.”

For more crime prevention advice, daily police updates and interaction, please visit us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/brumpolice. 

You can cContact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team with any intelligence or information regarding crime at lozells@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk or on 0345 113 5000 ext 7862 6712.