Noticeboard Winner Eloise Jones, individual winner of the Keith Hughes award and financial investigations officer for Cheshire East, with Martyn Bates, deputy chief constable, East Midlands region Rewarding excellence A financial investigations officer at Cheshire East has received the individual Keith Hughes award for her outstanding contribution to protecting consumers from crime. Eloise Jones received the award for her work on recent financial investigations cases especially one involving an unscrupulous cattle dealer over a three-year period. Jones impressed the judges with her attitude to overcoming obstacles particularly in taking on cases involving legislation that does not usually come under trading standards remit, such as building control. She was also praised for forming strong partnerships with police colleagues and other agencies, such as environmental health. The Keith Hughes Excellence and Innovation in Financial Investigation awards recognise the achievements of those who have made an outstanding contribution to reduce the harm caused by crime. They were established in memory of detective constable Keith Hughes, a financial investigator with the former National Crime Squad, who died from cancer in July 2003. Rick Hughes, community safety delivery manager at Cheshire East, said: Eloise is a deserved winner of the award. Through her willingness to learn, be flexible and innovative in the way recovery tools and powers are applied across a variety of criminal acts, we have been able to raise awareness on various levels, which has led to uncommon cases being considered for proceeds of crime and further recovery of criminal profit. Thanks to Eloises determination, a community online safety campaign will be funded this year. Jones said: I am truly honoured to have received such a prestigious award. It wouldnt have been possible without a massive team effort from everyone involved in our work to protect the residents of Cheshire East from the harm caused by crime. At the awards night held in November 2017 there was a dedication to the memory of Elaine McIver, a financial investigator from Cheshire Constabulary, who died in the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017. gOT AN OPINION? We want to hear it. Email tstoday@ tsi.org.uk to add your voice to the discussion. We reserve the right to edit letters. 12 fake days of Christmas Real campaign, the song 12 fake days of Christmas was shared on social media throughout December to show how buying a supposed bargain can have unforeseen consequences and ruin Christmas. iSToCk.Com/okTAy orTAkCioglu The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) used an amusing version of a wellknown Christmas carol to highlight the dangers of being tempted to buy cheap, counterfeit goods over the festive season. The YouTube series featured a couple singing about their 12 days of humiliating rashes, injuries and disappointments cause by being given fake items as presents. These include: risky whisky containing antifreeze; fake perfume that smelt of sick; and a dodgy make-up collection that caused a major infection. Produced as part of the IPOs Buy Consumer Code for New Homes wins formal CTSI approval The Consumer Code for New Homes (CCNH) was formally ratified bythe CTSI Consumer Code Approval Scheme at Westminster in December. It has been created to maximise benefit to consumers and to ensure best practice in the marketing, selling and purchasing of new homes. Itis the only CTSI-approved code in the new-build sector. It shows a genuine commitment to improving standards of construction and raising customer service standards, recognising the importance of giving consumers a voice and a clear complaints process if things dont go according to plan when buying a new home. The launch was attended by a number of key speakers, including Maria Miller MP, Paul Nash, past president of the Chartered Institute of Building, CTSIs Barbara Hughes, and one of the codes founders, Clare Thomas from Q Assure Build. Leon Livermore, CTSI chief executive, said: Were pleased to welcome Consumer Codes for New Homes to our approved code sponsor scheme. It has proven that it is committed to raising standards and ensuring consumers are protected, and we look forward to working with it for years to come. Sarah Langley, managing director of CCNH, said: We are thrilled so many individuals from across the industry came along to support us. We have a genuine desire to raise standards in the new-build sector and look forward to the challenges ahead. Not what you signed up for? This years National Consumer Week which ran from 27 November to 3 December focused on online messages to raise awareness of the issues surrounding subscriptions. The theme of the week was Not what you signed up for? and warned consumers to be mindful of the terms and conditions of any contract before agreeing to recurring payments, and urging companies to act responsibly when customers want to end their services. Analysis of cases to Citizens Advice between June and August 2017 found that when people tried to cancel their subscription, nine in 10 of them were initially told they could not by the company. During this time, consumers paid an average of 160 on unwanted subscriptions such as online streaming services. CTSI produced two animations on the issue of subscriptions that were shared online during the week one for businesses, and one for consumers and financial institutions. The UK European Consumer Centre produced a third animation showing how easy it is for consumers to get caught in a subscription trap.