Towcester Safer Community
Team Update – April 2016
We appreciate that April/May are
busy months for Parish Councils who
are holding their yearly AGMs.
We
apologise if we have been unable to
send representation to all meetings
due to officers other commitments or
not being available. Crime statistics
can
be
found
on
the
Northamptonshire
Force
Website
www.northants.police.uk as well as
www.police.uk.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Talk
provided
to
Towcester
Guides – PCSO Jen Harrison and PC
Jan Powell gave a presentation to the
Guides around personal safety and
being streetwise, with a question and
answer session.
Force Control Room visit by the
Rotary Club – PCSO Jen Harrison
and PCSO Pete Firth assisted the
Rotary Club with a visit to the
Northamptonshire
Police
Control
Room. They were given a tour and
overview of the processes used when
dealing with calls from the public.
Deanshanger
Neighbourhood
Watch Scheme – in conjunction
with local residents and the local
Parish Council a Neighbourhood
Watch Scheme has been set up. The
scheme was launched in the weeks
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leading up to the 6 and 7 May, when
an event was held at Deanshanger
Library to confirm members and give
out information.
Approximately 80
residents came to visit us at the
Mobile Police Station which from
experience tells us was an excellent
turnout. The majority of members
have been recruited via Deanshanger
NHW Facebook page. At the moment
we currently have in excess of 450
members.
We would encourage
more people to get involved as over
the launch period we have also
investigated Community Speedwatch
and No Cold Calling following
feedback from residents.
The
community can make a difference.
Deanshanger Village Walk – this
is a school initiative where the Police
escort the children from the school to
the library to allow them to
experience stories and drama in
different locations.
County Schools Challenge – This
is a scheme whereby senior school
students are given a situation where
they can offer solutions. This year’s
theme is around safe and appropriate
relationships.
Elizabeth Woodville
Schools are continuing to develop
ideas for this year’s County Schools
Challenge.
www.northants.police.uk
Once ideas are submitted there will
be a Dragons Den themed final
where the children will be given the
opportunity to present their ideas.
Farm visits – we are currently
running an Forcewide Operation
called Operation Marrow where we
are looking to arrange visits to all
farms across the area. Farmers will
be contacted over the next few
months to arrange a suitable date for
this interaction. Not only will this
enable us to collect vital information
on each farm, so that we have this
recorded to assist officers for any
future incidents but to speak to
farmers about any safety / security
concerns. The data will be stored
within our Force Control Room. This
work has already commenced across
other parts of Northamptonshire and
has proved useful.
ROAD SAFETY
Speed checks as part of TISPOL
week in April – as part of this
European Road Traffic week, we
carried out speed checks across the
areas of Towcester, Passenham,
Hartwell, Bugbrooke, Silverstone and
Greens Norton. Many vehicles were
stopped and warnings were given.
Jacks Hill Café, Towcester (A5) –
following a complaint about the
traffic coming out of the Café
particularly at weekends, we have
increased patrols.
The Police are working in partnership
with the venue proprietor to improve
road safety and reduce risk to visitors
and other road users.
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Quinton Village – a meeting was held
with Quinton Parish Council and
residents to address road safety
concerns in the village.
The Road
Safety Team has looked at a number of
locations in the village where speeding
has been reported and as a result
statistics and recommendations have
been forwarded to the Parish Council.
Hartwell & Towcester – work has
been done with our Safer Roads Team
and Northamptonshire Highways to
address recent incidents in both areas.
CRIME TRENDS
During April there have been a number
of shed and outbuilding burglaries in
the following wards Brafield &
Yardley, Cosgrove & Grafton and
Harpole & Grange, where power
tools, pedal cycles, garden equipment
and farm machinery have been stolen.
Please take time to review your
security
around
the
garden,
boundaries, garage, workshops and
sheds. Things to consider are:
Boundaries:


Your boundary wall or fence;
keeping them no higher than
1m allows for passers-by to look
into the garden and prevents
intruders working unseen at the
front of the house.
Rear garden boundaries can be
up to 1.8m (6’) high. If it abuts
on to an open space, footpath,
alleyway then 2m (6’6”) can be
considered. Any higher would
require planning permission.
www.northants.police.uk

Where the property abuts to
open land consider growing
thorny
or
prickly
plants
around the boundary.
Sheds:

Garden:






Ensure gates into the back of
the garden are fitted with
padlocked bolts.
Consider gravel on pathways
as this is noisier to walk on.
Remove any items that can be
climbed on to get over the
garden perimeter.
Securely store any garden
tools after use.
Photograph any valuables.
Let your NHW Co-ordinator
know if you are going away.



Garage:



Up and over garage doors
should
be
secured
with
custom-made garage locks
which prevent the doors from
being lifted.
Pedal cycles, ladder and other
valuable items should be
securely padlocked to an
immovable object within the
garage.
If the house is protected by a
burglar
alarm
consider
extending the alarm to cover
the garage.
Alternatively,
consider the use of a custommade battery operated garage
alarm.



As mentioned above sheds have
recently been targeted due to
them containing valuable items
such as cycles, mowers, hedge
trimmers and tools. Implements
are often then used to help
thieves break into the owner’s
house.
Fit a good quality hasp and staple
with close-shackled padlock to
the door and secure it with either
non-return screws or preferably
coach bolts secured internally
with a large washer.
Shed windows can be fitted
internally with weld mesh grille
and items can be obscured from
view with net curtains or bamboo
blinds.
Cover over any valuable items
with old sack or curtains.
If valuable items are stored in the
shed lay a small area within the
shed and fix anchor points to
which large items can be secured
with a length of chain.
Fit a battery operated shed
alarm.
Postcode property with either an
etching tool or dye stamps, larger
items could have this painted on.
ASB PRIORITIES
We currently are experiencing ASB in
the Grange Park area where there
have been reports of two young males
causing problems. If you experience
any issues around this please report
this to Northamptonshire Police on
101 and where possible we will attend
PS Tania Ash,
Page 3 of 4
Safer Community
Team Sergeant
www.northants.police.uk
Towcester Sector
the area/incident to follow up and
understand the problems you are
experiencing. In the meantime, patrols
have been increased in the area.
ASB & Partner organisations - many
anti-social behaviour incidents we
attend relate to matters that would be
better investigated by the following
partners. These include noise nuisance
from
properties,
disputes
over
boundaries, and matters of civil
trespass. Below is a list of other
agencies that could help if you ever
experience these matters.
Citizens Advice Bureau, 01933 274343
www.citizenadvice.org.uk
Trading Standards, 01604 707900
www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
Northamptonshire County Council,
03001 261000
www.northamptonshire.gov.uk
South Northants District Council,
01327 322322
www.southnorthants.gov.uk
Action Fraud, 03000 123 2040
www.actionfraud.police.uk
If you have anything of concern around
fraud please contact Action Fraud who
are a central point of contact for
information about fraud and cyber
crime.
Fly-tipping is also a concern, and once
again this is a matter for the South
Northants
District
Council
to
investigate, you can report it either
online at www.southnorthants.gov.uk
or email [email protected]
or by calling them on 01327 322344.
ASB Legislation - recent changes to
the national Anti-Social Behaviour
legislation sees anti-social Behaviour
Orders
replaced
with
Criminal
Behaviour Orders and Civil Injunctions.
Where criminal behaviour does exist
and youths can be identified then they
will be dealt with for criminal offences,
however hanging around a park and
outside does not constitute a criminal
offence. If a Criminal Behaviour Order
or Civil Injunction Order needs to be
enforced then this will have implications
on the individual for the rest of their
life. Therefore, we look to resolve
matters holistically by working with our
partners and Parish Councils.
Northampton Town v Luton Town,
Saturday 30 April – officers from both
Northants Police and Thames Valley
Police (TVP) attended to provide crowd
control and policing of the event, with
assistance from TVP Mounted Police.
The event went extremely well.
If you are a tenant of a housing
association and have an issue with your
neighbour, you are advised to contact
your respective housing association in
the first instance.
PS Tania Ash,
Safer Community Team Sergeant
Towcester Sector
Page 4 of 4
PS Tania Ash,
www.northants.police.uk