Kislingbury Neighbourhood Watch: February 2012

Monday, 20 February 2012

NHW Newsletter February 2012

Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter - Kisl News February 2012
Jen Harrison, our PCSO, together with a Colleague, visited Willow View this Month and met residents. There were no issues of note to be reported. Inconsiderate Parking at junctions was mentioned by a couple of residents . She advised that should a vehicle be parked inconsiderately that this is something that can be reported to Northamptonshire Police so that, where appropriate, an officer can be sent out to check on the situation. Please use the new 101 number to do this. Each incident would be looked at individually and if the vehicle is causing a complete obstruction of the highway, including the pavement, or the vehicle is causing immediate danger, then it will be dealt with.

Anyone who has Jen Harrison's direct phone number should note that it has changed to 101 ext 344275.

The Northamptonshire Police are planning an Open Day on Saturday 12 May, from 11am to 4pm, at Wootton Hall Park. The event is currently in the planning stages therefore the detail of all activities are yet to be confirmed, however the following demonstrations and scenarios will be taking place:
• Armed response vehicle and dogs demonstration
• Petrol bombing demonstration
• Off-road motorbike demonstration
• Taser demonstration
• Emergency response scenario
• Mock trial scenario
• Force Control Room demonstration
• Collision investigation team

Last year this was a very popular event with many people attending.

If you wish to know what will be the Policing Priorities for 2012 after consulting with the Public please visit the NHW Page on the Village Web Site to read the full document - http://nhw.kislingburyonline.co.uk/2012/02/joint-consultation-project-on-annual.html

If you live in Ashby Close or Bugbrooke Road please think about volunteering to become a Street Representative for your street. This is not hard work, but it does help to make your neighbourhood more secure. These streets are more vulnerable than the rest of the Village as there is no obvious NHW presence. Please contact me (telephone number and email address below) if you wish to volunteer to be a Street Representative. Please see the Village Web site for the full list of Street Representatives at http://nhw.kislingburyonline.co.uk/2010/09/street-representatives.html.

Village news - The Police were called out to an antisocial behaviour incident in the Village and after completing an area search identified four young people responsible for causing a nuisance in the school grounds. A vehicle in Mill Lane, Kislingbury was broken into on Saturday 21 January.

If you wish to report an incident, or are suspicious about people in the Village please use 999 for Emergencies or the new 101 number for non emergency calls, or call me on 07855 388 751.

Local news - Gayton - A red Nissan was stolen in Bugbrooke Road, Gayton on Saturday 14 January. Though I have not received any specific other Village Crime news for our region I still continue to get many reports of Crimes on Farms in our region.

VILLAGE EMAIL DATABASE

The number of houses signed up to our Database is still 202 at the time of writing this report (No change over the month). There are still many of you who have not yet signed up so we should be able to reach 250 and well beyond by Easter!!!Those on the database will be able to receive urgent NHW messages direct, and important Village information. If you are not on the database we cannot contact you.

BE ON IT, TO GET IT!!!

If you have changed your email address since signing on to the Database please let me have the new one and I shall amend your record.

Visit the Village Website, click on the Email Database link, and subscribe. It is very easy! Go to www.kislingburyonline.co.uk

Finally, you may have seen on BBC TV Publicity for an initiative to help people get on and use the Internet called "Go-On Give an Hour". I have registered as somebody who would like to help, and anyone who would like to use the internet but is having problems of any kind should contact me and I will be very happy to try to sort out the problem.

Remember, and use, the following numbers to report crimes or other incidents.

Police : 999 for an emergency or to Report a Crime. Non Emergency Calls to the Police use 101, or text to 18001 101. The dedicated Neighbourhood Watch Number is 01604 432 436. Police Community Support - Jen Harrison 03000 111 222. Crimestoppers (Anonymous) 0800 555 111.

Tim Ward

07855 388 751 and timwarduk@aol.com

NHW Newsletter January 2012

Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter - Kisl News January 2012

Northamptonshire Police now have a new Crime Prevention web page which is full of useful advice on how to help you to avoid becoming a victim of crime. You can now find all the information you need about personal and home security on this dedicated new website. The new page provides a ‘one stop shop’ for anyone who wants to find out more about how to prevent crime and reduce the risk of becoming a victim. The section incorporates a range of information, from how to make your home and car more secure, to how to set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, together with information about business and rural crime as well as advice on how to prevent fraud and improve online security. There is useful advice on property marking, which can make valuables less attractive to thieves and help link criminals back to crime scenes or identify handlers of stolen goods. It can also help police identify stolen goods so they can be returned to their rightful owner.

The address of this website is http://www.northants.police.uk/default.aspx?id=8484

Our Community Police Team have sent me an update of their activities over the last couple of months. They have focused on the two areas that have been identified by meeting people at Street Meetings. These are Speeding and Anti-Social Behaviour, and they have taken action in both areas. If you would like to read the detail of their report please visit the News Section of the NHW Page on the Village Web Site - http://nhw.kislingburyonline.co.uk/

There are still streets which do not have Street Representatives (Ashby Close, and Bugbrooke Road) and these streets are more vulnerable than the rest of the Village as there is no obvious NHW presence. Please contact me (telephone number and email address below) if you wish to volunteer to be the Street Representative for your street. This is not hard work, but it does help to make your neighbourhood more secure. Please see the Village Web site for the full list of Street Representatives at http://nhw.kislingburyonline.co.uk/2010/09/street-representatives.html.

Village news - I have no specific crimes to report. What I can say is that all around us thieves are very active stealing Metal and Fuel from mainly Farms, and some Businesses. So far they have not targeted domestic properties but we need to keep our eyes open and be prepared to challenge anyone who we are suspicious of. The Police will welcome calls as they want to stop this wave of crime that we have heard about on the news.

If you wish to report an incident, or are suspicious about people in the Village please use 999 for Emergencies or the new 101 number for non emergency calls, or call me on 07855 388 751.

Local news - Gayton - It has recently been reported that a vehicle in Blisworth Road was broken into on Friday 6 January. Milton Malsor - Vehicles in Green Street and Orchard Close were broken into overnight on Wednesday 11 January. Diesel was siphoned from a vehicle in Chestnut Close. Between Friday 6 and Monday 9 January, parts were stolen from a van in Gayton Road. An unsuccessful attempt was made to break into a garage in the High Street overnight on Wednesday 11 January. Rothersthorpe - Plant equipment was stolen from the yard of a rural property in Banbury Lane between Friday 23 and Saturday 31 December. Batteries were stolen from the yard of a rural property in Banbury Lane between Friday 23 and Saturday 31 December.

VILLAGE EMAIL DATABASE

BE ON IT, TO GET IT!!!

If you have changed your email address since signing on to the Database please let me have the new one and I shall amend your record.

Visit the Village Website, click on the Email Database link, and subscribe. It is very easy! Go to www.kislingburyonline.co.uk

Remember, and use, the following numbers to report crimes or other incidents.

Tim Ward

07855 388 751 and timwarduk@aol.com

NHW Newsletter December 2011

Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter - Kisle News December 2011

From our Community Police Officer Jen Harrison I have received some information concerning Crime reported in our Village for the period April 1 2011 to November 30 2011, compared with the same period last year:

2011 - Total Crimes for this period is 44

2 Burglary Dwelling
5 Burglary Other
11 Criminal Damage
8 Deception Fraud
1 Drug Offences
1 Other Offence
5 Theft from Motor Vehicles
8 Theft/Handling
2 Theft of Motor Vehicle
1 Violence Offences [ domestic related incidents]

2010 - Total Crimes for this period is 55
1 Burglary Dwelling
10 Burglary Other
15 Criminal Damage
1 Deception Fraud
3 Other Offence
2 Theft from Motor Vehicles
13 Theft/Handling
4 Theft of Motor Vehicle
6 Violence Offences [ domestic related incidents]

Whilst it is very good to see that there has been a reduction, nevertheless we are still suffering almost 4 Crimes per month. It is worrying to see that Deception Fraud has increased as this includes Doorstep and Phone Crimes. We have talked about this many times. Please ensure that your Street Residents take all precautions to avoid becoming a victim of any Crime.

· Keep presents both wrapped and unwrapped out of view – make sure they’re not visible from any windows.

· Don’t put gift packaging out for recycling or leave it sticking out of your bin – thieves will notice boxes for branded products like laptops, TVs or even accessories that could indicate there’s an expensive piece of kit somewhere in the house.

· Leave a light on and draw the curtains when you go out at night.

· Mark your valuables with a UV pen or property marking service. You can register your property with www.immobilise.com which is endorsed by a number of police forces and which also sells property marking products.

If you are staying at home make sure that all keys, handbags, and other valuable items (phones, iPads, etc.) are not on view through windows after you have gone to bed.

· If you’re going away, ask a trusted neighbour to pop in every now and then and turn the lights on and off, draw the curtains, collect the mail and generally make the house look occupied. And it goes without saying, make sure everything is properly locked up before you leave and the burglar alarm – if you have one – is set. Cancel your newspapers, magazines and milk deliveries.

There are still streets which do not have Street Representatives (Ashby Close, and Bugbrooke Road) and in my mind these streets are more vulnerable as there is no obvious NHW presence. Please contact me (telephone number and email address below) if you wish to volunteer to be the Street Representative for your street. This is not hard work, but it does help to make your neighbourhood more secure. Please see the Village Web site for the full list of Street Representatives at http://nhw.kislingburyonline.co.uk/2010/09/street-representatives.html.

For Police Crime Reports please Visit the NHW News Page on the Village Web site http://nhw.kislingburyonline.co.uk/

Village news - I have no specific crimes to report. What I can say is that all around us, and in one case last month in our Village, thieves are very active stealing Metal and Fuel from mainly Farms, and some Businesses. So far they have not targeted domestic properties but we need to keep our eyes open and be prepared to challenge anyone who we are suspicious of. The Police will welcome calls as they want to stop this wave of crime that we have heard about on the news.

If you wish to report an incident, or are suspicious about people in the Village please use 999 for Emergencies or the new 101 number for non emergency calls, or call me on 07855 388 751.

Local news - Nothing specific to report for our region.

VILLAGE EMAIL DATABASE

The number of houses signed up to our Database is 202 at the time of writing this report. We achieved the target before Christmas!! There are still many of you who have not yet signed up so we should be able to reach 250 and well beyond by Easter!!!Those on the database will be able to receive urgent NHW messages direct, and important Village information. If you are not on the database we cannot contact you.

BE ON IT, TO GET IT!!!

Visit the Village Website, click on the Email Database link, and subscribe. It is very easy! Go to www.kislingburyonline.co.uk

Remember, and use, the following numbers to report crimes or other incidents.

Tim Ward

07855 388 751 and timwarduk@aol.com

Joint Consultation Project on Annual Policing Priorities and the Policing Budget: Summary

Joint Consultation Project on Annual Policing Priorities and the Policing Budget: Summary

1 Introduction

During October and November 2011 Northamptonshire Police Force and Authority jointly conducted a public consultation to inform Northamptonshire policing priorities for 2012/13.

2,757 members of the public participated in the consultation through a variety of methods, including online, postal and telephone surveys, social networking sites, focus groups and workshops with diverse communities. Participants were asked about the previous four priorities – anti-social behaviour (ASB), drugs, violence with injury and burglary – and were also asked to consider serious organised crime as a fifth priority. This summary highlights the findings from the consultation.

Key Findings

2.1 Effectiveness at dealing with previous priorities

Participants felt that over the last twelve months the police had been most effective at dealing with violence with injury and least effective at dealing with burglary and drugs:

Violence with Injury (85% of participants rated the police as effective)

ASB (79%)

Burglary (67%) and Drugs (67%)

2.2 Top Priorities

Participants were asked which of the five issues should be Northamptonshire Police’s

top priority in 2012/2013. Ranked by proportion of responses, the following are the top three priorities chosen:

Drugs

Serious Organised Crime

ASB:

The most popular reason given by participants for why ASB should remain a priority for Northants Police was that it is an ongoing or escalating problem. Participants also stated that it affects a large proportion of the community and affects community cohesion, and that it can ‘blight people’s lives’. Participants felt that the police need to ‘keep on top’ of ASB to prevent the situation worsening and it was also seen by participants as a precursor to more serious types of crime, which must therefore be dealt with as a preventative measure. Participants in focus groups held with socio-economically deprived communities noted that in ‘hot spots’ where ASB is a significant problem, the police need to make a very concerted effort to solve the problem and where that effort has been put in, it has made an enormous difference to the lives of local people.

Drugs:

By far the most common reason given by participants for why drugs should remain a priority was that drugs are a contributing factor to other crimes and by tackling drugs other crimes would be reduced also. Participants felt that drugs are prevalent, that they negatively affect the lives of those who take them, their families and society in general, and that there is a need to protect young people from the influence of drugs. It was suggested that more could be done by the police to tackle drugs, with those involved with drugs being caught and dealt with harshly, and attention being focussed on particular individuals (i.e. dealers) or particular types of drugs.

Serious Organised Crime:

Where participants described reasons for selecting serious organised crime as a priority, they mentioned the links between drugs, violence and burglary with organised crime groups and felt that the Force could address several issues through this one priority. Participants felt that serious organised crime has far reaching consequences that affect a large proportion of society and the economy, and that addressing it will create a safer environment for all. Participants in focus groups held with young people felt that serious organised crime is a high priority due to the moral implications for society where this type of crime is not dealt with forcefully.

2.3 Other Issues

43% of participants stated another issue that they thought the police should focus on.

Road safety issues were most commonly mentioned, totalling 42% of suggestions. Participants specifically talked about speeding, using mobile phones whilst driving, parking offences, illegal drivers and dangerous or anti-social behaviour by drivers, cyclists and motorcyclists.

The second most commonly mentioned issue was

the need for more police on the beat and involved with the community. Other issues participants thought the police should focus on included alcohol consumption and related inappropriate behaviour, vehicle crime, rural crime, fly-tipping and littering, metal theft, domestic violence, child protection, and community relations.

There was also widespread concern that the

reduction in street lighting will impact or has impacted on crime levels. In focus groups, participants reported that darker neighbourhoods are making people feel very unsafe in their local areas, through fear of crime and of accidents.

2.4 Tackling the Issues

60% of participants gave suggestions about how they would like to see the police and partner agencies focus on the priorities they had selected. The most commonly given response was to

increase police presence. Another common suggestion was that the police and partner agencies need to work together with a coordinated approach, specifically that there should be more effective sharing of resources, intelligence and information.

Many suggestions were related to

more effective communication and engagement with the public, especially the need to get out into communities to talk and listen to residents; to educate and provide information on ASB and crime issues; to encourage people to report crimes; to act on information given by the public quickly and effectively; and to report on successes. There was a concern that more effort should be concentrated on young people, with more positive activities such as sports and youth clubs provided.

Some participants felt there should be

harsher punishments for those that commit crime, and that there should be a zero tolerance policy for minor crime in order to prevent major crime: some participants commented that they felt the police were constrained by the law. It was felt that tackling drugs and alcohol issues would prevent crime. There was a belief by some participants that the police and partner agencies are constrained in tackling issues due to lack of funding and financial cuts.

2.5 Examples of Good Service

Participants were asked to give examples of where Northants Police offer good service; half of participants gave an answer to this question. By far the most common example of good service given was

Community Policing, with PCSOs often specifically mentioned. Also mentioned were the quality and speed of police response, and the conduct and demeanour of staff.

Joint Consultation Project on Annual Policing Priorities and the Policing Budget Page 2

Work in schools

and time spent with young people was mentioned by participants, as were good links with Neighbourhood Watch and other groups. Operation Guardian was seen positively, as was town centre policing. Participants mentioned feeling safe and having low levels of crime in their area as directly attributable to good service by the police.

2.6 Value for Money

59% of participants stated that they agreed that Northants Police provides value for money, which reflects the findings in the consultation undertaken last year. 75% of participants would be willing to pay more each week towards policing, which has increased from 66% last year.

Reducing Wastage and Making Savings

Participants were asked how or where they thought Northamptonshire Police could reduce wastage or make savings.

Reducing administration and bureaucracy was the most common suggestion. Also suggested was a review of the use, management and procurement of vehicles. An increase in the use of volunteers was proposed, as was a reduction in overtime.

Budget Simulator Savings

These results are produced by generating an average % change up or down in spending based on the responses to the budget simulator tool in the online survey. The clear messages are that the vast majority of the budget should be spent on

local policing and responding to the public, whilst reductions should be made in spending on central financial costs, the Police Authority, organisational support and criminal justice arrangements. The findings largely reflect those of the consultation undertaken last year, however there is less emphasis on reducing spending on road policing. This supports the wider findings that road safety is a concern in the County.

2.7 What happens next…

The findings from this joint consultation will feed into the Local Policing Plan for 2012/13, ensuring that the public’s views inform the priorities that are set for Northamptonshire Police to focus on.

If you would like a copy of the full report on the Joint Consultation or a copy of the Local Policing Plan (post April 2012) please contact the Police Authority:

Email: info@northants-pa.gov.uk

Telephone: 01604 887430

Write to: Northamptonshire Police Authority

36 Billing Road

Northampton

NN1 5DQ