Community safety champion in High Wycombe receives recognition for work in scams awareness

Cllr Noel Brown, centre, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health presents certificates to Stan Jones, left, Chairman of the High Wycombe and District Neighbourhood Watch and Geoff Pegg, right, Director of Operations in recognition of their work in standing up to scams.

A community safety champion in High Wycombe has received recognition for their work in scams awareness.

On Thursday 17th May 2018, Buckinghamshire County Council recognised the hard work and commitment of Geoff Pegg and the High Wycombe District Neighbourhood Association for raising awareness of scams to local residents.

Geoff, Director of Operations at the Wycombe District Neighbourhood Watch Association was presented with a certificate at the County Council’s Annual General Meeting, registering the group as an official Friends Against Scams organisation.

Friends Against Scams is a National Trading Standards initiative which aims to protect and prevent people from becoming victims of scams by encouraging communities to take a stand by empowering them to recognise and know how to deal with potential scams.

The presentation also recognised the significant personal commitment Geoff has made to the cause and his work in overseeing the training of members of the High Wycombe group to pro-actively go out and speak to local communities about how to protect themselves.

With nearly 700 schemes and twice as many coordinators, the Wycombe Neighbourhood Watch Association is one of the biggest voluntary groups in the county with much of this growth due to the dedication of Geoff and his colleagues. In addition to traditional street schemes Geoff has encouraged schemes at a number of residential care homes. Since he became a Scam Champion in November 2016 Geoff has trained 961 Friends at 42 separate events.

Noel Brown, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health said: ‘If you mention Neighbourhood Watch in High Wycombe, people instantly think of Geoff which is a sure testament to his tireless work for many years across the district in the name of community safety.

I’m sure I can speak on behalf of all the residents of High Wycombe and beyond who have benefited from Geoff’s efforts to say thank you. Without a doubt these efforts have helped numerous people from falling victim to devious scams.‘