Opinion

TODAY in our increasingly technological society, we all rely more and more on credit and debit cards to get through everyday life.

So when thieves tamper with cash dispensers, it is very worrying - most people make regular trips to “holes in the wall” which have become an essential in life.

The news that thieves set up skimming devices in a bank in Felixstowe and that within hours they were using the cloned cards in north London is very disturbing.

At least the banks now accept that they should take the hit for such crime, and not their customers.

However the instant - and perfectly understandable - reaction of any account holder is to feel total horror that their account has been “hacked into” and to worry whether they will get their money back.

Most cash machines contain warnings to users to look out for anything unusual about them, but how many casual users know what to look out for?

Many machines have different designs - and these days people tend to use whichever dispenser does not have a queue at it, whether it is for their own bank or not.

It is up to everyone, banks, the police, and customers to do all we can to prevent this kind of hi-tec crime - by trying to keep one step ahead of the thieves and fraudsters who work hard to try to beat the system.

WHEN the Ipswich children's hospice opened back in the 1990s, it was a great support for families of youngsters with life-limiting conditions.

The Evening Star is proud to have been one of its earliest supporters with our Hospice 2000 millennium appeal which raised a total of nearly £150,000 from our readers.

But while it is a fine centre with dedicated staff, it is not really large enough to handle all the services that are needed to serve Suffolk families.

So it is marvellous news that a site has been identified for a new hospice and that it seems certain to get the backing of Ipswich councillors tomorrow.

The new hospice will provide many more facilities for many more families - and should be open within the next three years.

Last year there were concerns about proposals to open a children's hospice at Kesgrave, but this proposal for a new building near St Augustine's roundabout seems to have attracted nothing but support.

Everyone will hope that the fund-raising - between £3 and £5 million is needed - is successful and that the new hospice can provide an oasis of tranquillity for families at a time of great need.

Any doubts that there are wild wallabies living here in Suffolk should be dispelled by the photograph taken at Wetheringsett last week.

In a traditional East Anglia scene, a wallaby can clearly be seen looking out for a mate . . . or keeping a wary eye out for a possible predator.

Who knows - it could have been skimming the horizon to ensure that he wasn't being stalked by Claws, Suffolk's own black panther!