November 2008
*** WARNING***
Cars on drives in Wollaton West have suffered either broken locks or broken windows. Please garage your car before dark, if possible. Otherwise do not leave items in your car and keep a watch out for suspicious young persons.
COMMUNITY ARROW
Residents in Area 7 should have recently received a copy of Community Arrow published by Nottingham City Council. This publication is written and edited by residents. Please let me (peter.usherwood@nottingham.ac.uk) know if you have ideas for articles or announcements for future editions.
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION held on
28 October 2008 attracted a large number of members and police support through the attendance of Inspector Andy Baguley. The meeting elected its officers for 2008/09. A full report of the meeting will be published next month.
WOULD THIS WORK IN OUR AREA?
Civilians given power to apply fixed penalties
A group of civilians has become the first in Norfolk to be given the power to issue on-the-spot fines under a new initiative. The 26 people in Norfolk can now issue fixed penalty notices for offences such as dog fouling, littering and graffiti, seize alcohol and tobacco from young people and issue fixed penalty notices to parents of truant children. The employees from Wherry Housing Association and security company EventGuard have been awarded certificates under the Home Office`s Community Safety Accreditation Scheme which gives them powers normally enjoyed by bobbies on the beat. The scheme has led to accusations that the government is encouraging the spread of unaccountability by giving civilians enforcement powers. But Ian McPherson, chief constable of Norfolk, said this was not the case and welcomed the employees, who will not receive payment from the force, into the extended “policing family”.
Publish your views on this site!
**HIGH LEVEL ALERT STILL***
There have been further reports to this website of lead roofing being stolen from bungalows in Wollaton. If you have seen any suspicious persons please report details here to inform our Neighbourhood Police team..
THE GRAFFITI PROJECT FOR THE CROWNE ISLAND UNDERPASS
Following numerous reports of Anti-Social Behaviour, including groups of youths congregating in the underpass, drinking, smoking, tagging on the walls, leaving litter etc., youth workers have decided to engage with the young people in the area to reduce the problems.
Local young people, supported by Area 7 Youth Workers, have been successful in obtaining funding from the Youth Bank which, together with funding from the Youth Service, Street Scene, will be used artistically to decorate the underpass. Examples of such work illustrated in the PROJECT LIBRARY.
Contact Jenny Alexander, Senior Youth Worker for Area 7 - 07944 571925 for further details.
A NEW WEBSITE
This website will shortly be replaced by a more advanced version developed by VISAV Ltd in Sherwood, Nottingham. It will enable subscribers to report incidents to the police on the beat in Wollaton and Lenton Abbey and for Beat Officers to communicate with subscribers. The design of the site and its contents will be the responsibility of the W&LANWA, i.e. those of you that have registered with the site. Please send me your ideas!
ABOUT THIS WEBSITE
This website, which has served the Neighbourhood Watch in Wollaton and Lenton Abbey for about 2 years, is to be revamped in September. The advent of Neighbourhood Policing, LAG meetings and Police Surgeries, together with a general reduction in crime in Area 7 requires a fresh approach from the Wollaton & Lenton Abbey Neighbourhood Watch Association. Changes to the website will take place after discussions with the Police and City Councillors to improve communications and coordination of activities.
TIME FOR A CHANGE? - A letter from the Chairperson of the W&LANWA.
The W&LANWA was established about 3 years ago against a background of crime and anti-social behaviour in Wollaton & Lenton Abbey. Subsequently, we have experienced a large reduction in criminal activity. It is impossible to argue a causal relationship between the contributions of any group to this success, but some of it must surely be due to the efforts members of the W&LANWA. We now enter a new phase in which the support that our community can expect to receive from the Police and the City Council should be greatly increased. The Police has already launched its Safer Neighbourhood Policing Policy in our Area, involving more beat patrols, and public consultations at its Local Area Group Meetings. A further level of public engagement will be through the Police’s Key Individual Network (KIN). KINs have already been introduced in some areas of the city. These Focus Groups should involve a wide section of the Community through representation, and are designed to provide a running commentary on the performance of Neighbourhood Policing. The City Council has introduced a Neighbourhood Working Policy with a consultative element which hopefully will complement Police policy on crime and anti-social behaviour.
We should thank both the City Council and the Police for their plans to make our community safer and look forward to experiencing the fruits of their labours translated in terms of a more peaceful Wollaton and Lenton Abbey. It is appropriate, however, to reflect on the fact that despite earlier promises for greater public consultation the public is again presented with top-down policies from the Police and the City Council. For example, if we had been consulted about Neighbourhood Policing we would have asked for routine beat police presence during the hours of 3pm and 3am, especially on Fridays and Saturdays, rather than between say 8 am and 6pm. We have also long argued for frequent, meaningful crime statistics. Hopefully, the new Service Level Agreement between the Police and the CNNWC should make these available in the near future, so I guess we can claim at least a minor success in influencing authority policy.
The restructuring of the Police and the developments that are taking place in enhancing regional support from the City Council raise the question whether the W&LANWA needs to change its approach to reflect these developments. Your committee will consider this at its next meeting and may submit proposals for change at the AGM later this year. In the meantime, I would ask you all to contemplate whether you believe that at a time when crime and anti-social behaviour continue to decline and when Neighbourhood Policing has a growing impact on safety in our community. NW continues to have a role to play.
One of our major tasks of Neighbourhood Watch is to provide independent, constructive comment on Police Performance. Robert Peel, the founder of our Police Force got it right by syaing:
“The police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” (peter.usherwood@nottingham.ac.uk).
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Please go to PROJECT LIBRARY for a copy of the NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH/POLICE SERVICE AGREEMENT
TRAINING PROGRAMMES FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH CO-ORDINATORS AND SCHEME MEMBERS
The Association is prepared to host Training Sessions. Please inform Peter Usherwood (01158547535; peter.usherwood@nottingham.ac.uk) if you would like to participate. Each Session will last about 2 hours.
NEIGHBOURHOOD ALERT
Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators should have received a number of messages from the City of Nottingham Neighbourhood Watch Council . Please contact Peter Usherwood (01158547535; peter.usherwood@nottingham.ac.uk) if you have not received any communications so far.
ALARMS
The Association has purchase a number of low-cost intruder alarms.
• The ‘Sneak in Alarm’. This alarm, which works off a 9 volt battery, is attached to the inside handle of a door and if an intruder tries to gain access the alarm will emit a loud siren. The alarm is not suitable for metal doors. With sufficient interest it is anticipated that this unit will cost approximately £3.70 (inclusive of VAT).
• The ‘Autodialler Alarm’. This alarm will dial a pre-programmed telephone number to advise of an intruder attempt. With sufficient interest it is anticipated that this unit will cost approximately £20.70 (inclusive of VAT).
Further information on both can be found at www.personalalarms.com
Details of the alarm ordering process have been circulated to memberas of the Association.
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| ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION . Please go to the PROJECT LIBRARY |
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