BBC Tv in the Queens Park

 

Over the weekend the Queens Park was a battle ground between the CEC and protesters complaining about the state of the park. The protest came from a facebook group and was a bit rushed as the BBC came down but, the CEC turned up and some of his reported comments were

There are no muggings in Crewe and he can prove it.
He wants a group of volunteers to police and maintain the park.
He regards us all as having "A Crewe mentality"
He says we are all "Apathetic"
He wants to create jobs in Cheshire rather than throw money away, but would not create a "Park Warden" or "Park Keeper" job.
He wants a permanent police presence in the park, so shifting the responsibility of funding back onto the Police.
CEC did not put money in to Macclesfield Football Club.
CEC is one of the richest councils in the country. But why should they put any more money into the park given the fact that no one in Crewe actually cares about the park.

The cost of the wardens is not as great as the cost of the damage done in the park the quoted cost of damage in the park is £1000 per week. The main complaints are that even after over 7 million being spent the park is far from finished  and many of the paths are dangerous. The actions on Sunday were not part of the Friends of Queens Park who are the elected committee of the park. The friends meeting was held tonight and more volunteers turned up to get things done in the park. They will be picking up litter, repairing benchs, weeding, patrolling the the park and raising money.

On the plus side the Cafe now has CCTV installed monitored 24/7 as the cafe has suffered a lot of damage and break ins. More CCTV is to be install in the near future and the Police have provided Mosquitos for the project there is all so radio on site to instantly call the Police if there is any trouble. If you want to get involved you can contact the blog here

Serious collision in Northwich

At 11.40am today, Police and other emergency services were called to a report of road traffic collision on the A556 at Davenham near Northwich.

The collision involved a motorcycle that collided with the central reservation on the Manchester bound carriageway.

The rider, an adult man, has been taken to Hospital.

The road is closed and traffic is being diverted through Davenham and Northwich. Motorists are advised to avoid the area where possible.

Crime

I have looked through local incidents over the past week and can not find any crime trends over the past week relating to doorstep and burglary incidents.
However please see the below report released:

Police are warning the public to be vigilant following a spate of distraction thefts at local businesses in east Cheshire.

Over the past few months teams of thieves appear to have been targeting pubs, bars and more recently, offices in east Cheshire. Officers are trying to trace the offenders but in the meantime people are urged to be vigilant and keep valuables out of sight and secure.

In most cases the iPhone is the target of these thieves

They approach an unsuspecting member of the public and place a map or leaflets on the table, masking the iPhone, and engage their victim in conversation. They then pick up the map or leaflets along with the iPhone and make their escape.

More Specials Good News for Cheshire

Chairman of the Authority Margaret Ollerenshaw says a significant increase in the number of Special Constables is "good news for the people of Cheshire."

The Authority has been told that recruitment is on track to take the number of Specials over the 500 mark by April 2013. During 2011/12 the number of Specials in Cheshire increased by 81. The current total stands at 426.

Margaret Ollerenshaw said, "It is good to see that so many people are prepared to give up their time and help the Constabulary by volunteering as Special Constables. The Specials play an essential role and help to link policing even more closely to local communities.

"They are especially valuable in providing a visible police presence which deters the type of anti social behaviour which can affect people’s everyday lives and which causes a lot of concern.

"Their role isn’t confined to our town centres and neighbourhoods. For instance, Specials provide patrols on a Friday and Saturday night at the Countess of Chester hospital.

"I spent time with them recently on a Saturday night and was enormously impressed by their dedication and enthusiasm.

"Doctors, other hospital staff and patients told me they really appreciate the sight of the police uniforms around the hospital. They believe it plays a vital part in preventing violence and abuse, which we know can happen, especially in A&E departments on busy evenings. The Specials provide a great deal of reassurance for everyone there.

"That is just one example of the way Specials form part of the Neighbourhood Policing Teams. They receive the same training and have the same powers as police officers. The role they play is appreciated by the regular officers they work alongside.

"Specials provide an excellent example of people who are prepared to give their time and effort providing a real service to the community."

Home Watch has been helping fight crime for 30 years

 

A senior police officer in Cheshire has described Home Watch as "a major contributor to the fight against crime"

The first Home Watch in Britain was launched just thirty years ago in the Cheshire village of Mollington when local people were concerned about a spate of burglaries.

Cheshire′s Assistant Chief Constable Janette McCormick says, "From the success of that first scheme in an area with a total population of nine hundred, the Home Watch movement spread across Britain. It has had a real impact on preventing crime and catching criminals.

"Thirty years on, we can appreciate the value of Home Watch. It has adapted to a changing world and adopted new technology but, at the core, it is still about people making a constructive effort to protect their local community."

Thirty years ago, Harold Cooper, Chairman of the Mollington Residents Association, approached Chester Crime Prevention Office about the burglaries. Inspector Grahame Andrews (Ret′d) was then the Crime Prevention Sergeant. He had been passed American Neighbourhood Watch papers by the then Chief Constable, George Fenn.

Mollington readily took on the concept of a similar scheme but called it ′Home Watch′. After the launch in March 1983, the burglaries stopped and representatives from thirty four police forces came to Cheshire to look at the operation of Home Watch.

Grahame Andrews says, "We made it clear that it did not involve snooping on your neighbours and it was certainly not about creating a vigilante outfit.

The guidelines set up back then are just as important now; improving the security of your home, security marking property and knowing who to contact if something suspicious is seen. The fact that the approach was ‘from the bottom up′, rather than ‘from the top down′ was a real reason for its success. Initially Mollington did not want any window stickers or street signs but later on groups could see the advantage of deterring burglars by advertising schemes locally."

Leaflets were produced and the local community spirit was strengthened by a series of meetings. The project was promoted at the Cheshire County Show that year.

One of the big challenges was how to communicate the latest information to the Watch members. In 1992 Inspector Andrews, then serving at Crewe, utilised the latest available technology − the Oracle teletext system on ITV. When Home watch started in Crewe there were eight pages on Oracle dedicated to Crewe for displaying recent crime, people arrested, stolen vehicles and major crimes. Grahame Andrews says the local people found this worked well.

Today, email provides the ideal route for rolling out information. Whether it is alerting people about a pattern of crime in a particular area or locating a stolen vehicle, the details can be sent to hundreds of people in seconds.

Grahame Andrews said, "Although the technology has advanced, the basic principles of Home Watch from when it started back in 1982 are still relevant to the scheme now. It is based on people being good neighbours in a local community."

Crime News

Charity theft man sentenced
A 22 year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent was sentenced for stealing 1,000 charity bags from a former employer and using them to collect clothes from doorsteps in Nantwich for his own profit. He was sentenced at South Cheshire Magistrates Court on 16^th February after pleading guilty to theft from an employer. He was caught with bags of clothes by PC Paul Edmonds from Nantwich NPU following reports of a suspicious vehicle in the Stapeley area of Nantwich.
PC Edmonds seized the charity bags and contacted Cure Leukaemia who the bags belonged to and made sure that they got all of the items that the people of Stapley had generously given.
He was given a Community Order, which orders that he carries out 60 hours unpaid supervised work within the next 12 months and £85 costs.
Cheshire police go online to tackle domestic abuse
Anyone who suspects that someone close to them is suffering from domestic abuse is being urged to speak out and report it.
As part of its domestic abuse campaign, which was launched to coincide with Valentine’s Day, Cheshire Police is encouraging people who are concerned that someone close to them is being physically or verbally abused to report it online.
The new online facility, which launched Wednesday 16^th February allows relatives, friends, work colleagues or neighbours to voice their concerns by logging onto www.cheshire.police.uk

Please be aware of the following incident that occurred at Sainsbury's in Nantwich at 13:00 on 16/03/2011:
A female was approached whilst on the supermarket car park by a male believed to be Eastern European.  The male asked the lady for directions and while she was distracted cash and credit cards were stolen from her handbag inside her vehicle.  The cards were subsequently used to withdraw money from her account.
Please make members aware of this and ask them to be cautious and vigilant if approached by anyone, particularly at supermarkets.  If anyone approaches asking for assistance of any kind be mindful where your handbag is at all times and keep it close to you, with the zip at the front of you so you can be sure that no one can gain access to the bag without you noticing.  Equally, for any men, refrain from carrying your wallets in easy to access places such as in your back pocket - keep it in a zipped pocket on your jacket and again if approached be aware of where it is at all times.  Be reluctant to remove your purse or wallet to give out small change to anyone who has a sob story - in reality if they had a major issue at a supermarket / shopping premises they could go in an gain assistance from the store staff.  This is a way of bringing someone's wallet and purse to an easy point of access as often whilst chatting you may not put it away as securely or pop it in your pocket/on the car seat where it is more accessible.
As well as this incident, there have been a couple of other reports over the East of Cheshire where people have been distracted in similar circumstances:
At Waitrose (09/03/2011) in Sandbach, a lady was distracted by a smartly dressed, attractive female, 5ft 2",shoulder length, dark hair asking for some change stating that her car had broken down.  She later realised that her purse was missing and managed to stop her cards. 
At Sainsbury's in Wilmslow (16/03/2011) a lady was distracted on the car park by two females believed to be Eastern European.  The lady later found bank cards missing which had been used to purchase goods in retail stores.
If anyone witnesses any suspicious or out of the ordinary behaviour please contact the police asap with as much information as possible via 0845 458 0000.

 

PROTECTING THE FRONT LINE

The effects of the financial restraints being imposed on Cheshire Police and other police forces are receiving widespread media coverage, nationally and locally.
In the Cheshire Police area the budget has to be reduced by £35.4 million over the next four years.
The budget for the coming year has now been set by the Police Authority.
Below is an up-to-date account of what it will mean.
The Chairman of the Cheshire Police Authority, Margaret Ollerenshaw says the newly approved budget for policing Cheshire in 2011/12 is designed to prevent any damage to frontline policing.
‘Frontline’ policing includes officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and staff who are seen in the community, detectives, crime scene investigators, traffic and firearms officers and less visible aspects of policing such as officers and staff who are protecting vulnerable people and teams handling large scale incidents.
Eleven million pounds of savings have been identified by reducing costs, changing the way the Force works, looking at the equipment we buy and reviewing the estate. We will have to reduce the number of officers and staff we employ in each of the next four years, but are taking steps to prevent service reductions.
Changing shift patterns will mean more officers will be on patrol during the evenings and at weekends when anti-social behaviour occurs. The Area Support Group, which includes police dogs and officers especially trained in public order, search and critical incident techniques, is now based across the policing area and not at Headquarters. These officers will undertake day-to-day policing when their specialist skills are not required.
The Constabulary has also developed plans that will reduce senior management ranks (Inspector and above), and Police Staff equivalent, bringing a saving of more than £2million in 2011/2012.
The way call handlers deal with calls is being reviewed to improve the quality of information taken during the first call. The aim is that, whenever possible, the issue can be resolved there and then or the best deployment of policing skills be selected at the first decision point.
The Force is also creating a combined business centre, incorporating human resources, information technology, finance and estates management. This will necessitate a major restructuring and an estimated 150 police staff job cuts.
There have been various media reports suggesting that some police stations are to close.
Margaret Ollerheshaw said, “The Authority gave the go ahead for more work to be done to review the police buildings we own. We will ensure that police services will not be withdrawn from any community location without ensuring that there is something else in its place. For example, this may mean that the police share premises with partners. That may actually be better for anyone who wishes to speak to the police, council, fire and rescue service or other service provider.”
The estates strategy lists a number of proposals in relation to selling and relocating police buildings.
These are, at this stage, only proposals. Each of them will be assessed following the production of a feasibility study and business case.
The feasibility study and business case will consider a cost benefit analysis whilst ensuring that local policing services are retained in the right places to serve the communities, through co-location with partner organisations such as councils and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Co-location opportunities are being explored for police stations at Great Sankey, Risley, Frodsham, Dragonhall, Poynton, Northwich, Congleton and Widnes.
Three police houses are currently for sale.  Willaston and Holmes Chapel police buildings are due to be put on the market for sale.  These are police offices, which are used as a base by some officers, and not police stations. They are not open to the public.
We are committed to a local police presence in all of our 19 neighbourhood areas.
Crime and anti social behaviour has been consistently reduced in Cheshire over the past years. The Police Authority will continue to monitor Constabulary performance and will be asking the public for their views throughout the year to check the effects of the changes.