Neighbourhood Watch
the newsletter of the Arnold Association
of Neighbourhood Watch Schemes
delivered free to more than 6,000 households
Spring 2013
Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter – I hope you will find something useful in it.
The Association has no party political leanings and we are delighted that Councillors from both major parties
on Gedling Borough Council have recently sponsored us financially to help us to keep the newsletter in print
and to run the Best Buddy Awards in local schools. We would not normally mention Councillors by name,
especially so close to the elections in May, but two County Councillors who have been very generous to us
are both standing down. They are Ged Clarke and Mel Shepherd and it is lovely to be able to say “thank you”
to them both for their past help.
Our Annual General Meeting in March 2013 was rather poorly attended. In hindsight the money we saved by
not sending out reminders to Head Coordinators in the run up to the date was a false economy and a lesson
has been learned. It was sad for me to have to mark the passing of our founder Chair, Derek Jordan, who
died on 28 December 2012 after a long illness. I was glad, however, that we had two excellent speakers, Ms
Chris Cutland, Deputy to the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and Mr Colin Handley,
the PCC's Partnerships Officer. Between them they gave us much useful information about progress in
Nottinghamshire Police.
At the top of this page you will see a new logo – that of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award
2012 which has been given to Neighbourhood Watch. The Queen announced the Award on 12 December
2012, to mark the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee to thank organisations involved in the promotion of
volunteering and their support to volunteers. It was also awarded to organisations involved in volunteering
during London 2012 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find information about ways you can be safer and avoid breaking the
law, together with the answers to our Christmas puzzle – Lincolnshire Locations. Sorry about the small print
but there's a lot to cram in.
Kate Vaughan-Newton
Community Speed Watch Launched
We have written about this many times over the last two
years but finally we can report it is here: Community Speed
Watch for all of Gedling Borough.
The Borough Council have purchased two mobile speed
cameras, high-visibility vests & street signage to enable
residents themselves to monitor vehicle speeds on ‘target
roads’ where it has been reported there are concerns.
Residents will record speeding vehicles in zones of 40 MPH
or less. If drivers are caught speeding, warning letters are
sent to registered keepers of offending vehicles by the
police. Persistent offenders will be targeted by trained police
staff based on the intelligence gathered by the resident
teams. Mark Towlson, Community Safety Coordinator for
Gedling Borough Council said “Our team will be responsible
for the equipment, with co-ordination of residents by their
local Councillors.
Other community groups such as
Neighbourhood Watch would be able to get involved in time”.
Mark went on to explain that training for residents would start in April and would take place on Saturday
mornings at Carlton Police Station. Insp. Andrew Knight & PC Phil Anelay will be conducting the training
sessions which will cover policy, process, safety and equipment use. Mark already has 14 people signed up
for the training sessions, mainly for the initial pilot of roads used as a ‘rat run’ between Westdale Lane &
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Cavendish Road. “We would welcome more residents for the initial training sessions, including those from
the Arnold area; we have room”. Anyone wishing to join the sessions should contact Mark direct on 0115
901 3845 or email: [email protected]
We asked Mark if excessively noisy vehicles (not just those speeding), especially modified performance cars,
mopeds & scooters could also be recorded and reported. Mark, an ex-police officer himself said that the
police are always looking for such information and would approach the registered owners about the nuisance
they were causing.
We have passed a list of the roads the Association have recorded to Mark, however it is important that
residents raise the issue with their local Councillors to ensure all problematic roads are included within the
scheme. Any roads that the police are currently aware are causing residents issues and have speeding set
as an area priority will be automatically included; please contact your local Councillor to ensure yours has not
been missed. We hope to see you in training soon.
Dispose of your waste carefully – Fine if you don’t!
Having your waste collected by one of the many vans & trucks that circle our communities daily may have
unintended consequences says Niki Pekal – Neighbourhood Warden for Gedling Borough Council.
Due to the rise in the value of metals such as iron and copper, there has been a corresponding increase in
the number of ‘scrap wagons’ that roam our neighbourhoods looking for items that can be collected from our
driveways and gardens, left out by residents who are eager to dispose of them free of charge.
To most, these are enterprising people offering a free service for those in need of waste disposal. For some
they are a worrying pest, responsible for taking items that were not waste, such as valued children’s toys,
bicycles & garden items. For the council Niki explains, they provide a whole new level of nuisance and
unnecessary cost.
Caroline McKenzie – Waste Services Manager for Gedling BC said the cost to council tax payers was
around £4,000 per month, covering 800 incidents per year of fly-tipping. The incidents of fly-tipping ranged
from individuals dumping rubbish, to traders such as builders dumping rubble, but increasing waste dumped
by operators of scrap wagons was becoming a big problem.
Residents with a mixture of waste: food, paper, toys, electrical items and white goods are quite often charged
by the wagon operators for the removal of their waste, whilst metal only scrap is normally taken free of
charge. Unscrupulous operators have been dumping the items of no value and recycling the metal materials.
Niki stated that fridges & freezers were also been dumped due to harmful chemicals older models contained.
The issue for residents who have their rubbish dumped by a waste operator is that the council will sift
through the rubbish to find evidence of the original owner and if they have not made proper checks to ensure
the operator they gave it to was licensed, it is the resident who will be prosecuted and fined as well as the
waste operator. Residents have what is called ‘A duty of care’ when disposing of waste.
Tips for ensuring you are protected:
1. Ideally don’t allow ‘scrap wagons’ to collect any non-metal waste, including fridges & freezers that
may contain harmful CFC’s
2. If you hand-over or allow to be collected any waste, ensure you check they have a ‘Trade Waste
Licence’ & ‘Waste Transfer Note’. Only a licensed waste operator will have these. Never use one
that does not have these credentials and check they are valid. Visit www.environmentagency.gov.uk/publicregister or call 0870 8 506 506 for confirmation.
3. Take additional details such as photographs of your waste and the vehicle registration number of the
waste disposal wagon.
Alternative waste disposal options:
• You can leave any amount of recyclable material in black bags next to your green wheelie
bin and it will be collected. Waste in bags next to black bins will be ignored
• Our nearest public waste disposal point is in Calverton (signed from A60). All but trade
waste can be taken here, however if you have a van you may be asked for a permit.
Permits are available free of charge for Nottinghamshire residents wishing to dispose of their
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own household waste & small amounts of construction waste from their own home. You will
need to fill in an application form & provide a copy of your Vehicle Registration Certificate
(V5C), showing matching personal details. Apply in person at the Gedling Borough Council
Civic Centre or online
• www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/living/waste/hwrc/wastepermits
• Gedling Borough Council will remove items such as fridges, freezers, TV’s, cookers,
mattresses, sofas and carpets etc. for a fee. The first item is £13 and up to three items £16.
Additional black bags are £1 each for up to 10 and then 50p each for more. Call 0115 901
3621 to arrange a pick-up or visit: http://www.gedling.gov.uk/wasterecyclingenvironment for
further details
• Clothes, shoes, glass & paper/card can be recycled in places such as the facility in
Sainsbury’s car park. Carrier bags & small electrical batteries can be recycled in-store.
• If your items such as furniture & white goods are still usable, many charities such as Family
First, Oxfam and others will pick them up free of charge and you’ll be helping someone else
at the same time.
Remember you have a duty of care in disposing of your waste and with £5,000 fines and potential criminal
prosecution for those who fail to exercise it, it pays to be cautious when you do.
Love Where You Live – Gedling
Firstly, an apology. In the Winter 2012 issue we had a major article about this subject. We got the contact email address wrong – it should have been [email protected] not as shown. Why not get involved
in Love Where You Live – Gedling Borough’s Spring Clean Week, that runs from Saturday 13 to Sunday 21
April. The week aims to inspire, encourage and enable residents across Gedling to improve the environment
in the borough for everyone who lives or works there, or for people that visit. The council will give support to
clean-ups by providing litter pickers, high-vis vests, gloves and plastic bags and arranging for the filled bags
to be collected. They will also remove any graffiti they're told about, and will help groups to promote their
clean up events to people who might want to take part. Any community groups or individuals who’d like to get
involved in the Spring Clean Week should call Terry Ball on 0115 901 3615 or email him at
[email protected]
Lincolnshire Locations answers
1. Norton Disney, 2. Long Bennington, 3. Cranwell, 4. Timberland, 5. Swineshead, 6. Woodhall Spa,
7. Billinghay, 8. Butterwick, 9. Partney, 10. Grantham, 11. Bourne, 12. Crowland, 13. Gibraltar Point,
14. Orby, 15. Nettleham, 16. Market Rasen, 17. Mumby, 18. Louth, 19. Caistor, 20. Gainsborough.
Congratulations to the winners, Anne and Rob Clark of Salcombe Drive, Redhill and runners up Tim Ingle of
Stuart Close, Arnold and Mrs G Wagstaff of Castleton Avenue, Arnold.
Vale Liaison Group website
http://www.valeliaisongroup.org/ is the website address for the above community group which promotes
good relations between Framework Housing Association’s Elizabeth House (next to The Vale pub in
Daybrook) and local residents. It is also a not-for-profit community advocacy group that is non-party political.
If you are struggling to get your voice heard about a local community issue, they might be able to help. At the
time of writing the website is still in development. We hope it will be up and running soon.
Nottinghamshire Police one of four Forces piloting Clare's Law
Since September 2012 Nottinghamshire Police has been allowed to tell people about their partner’s violent
past in situations where it could help protect them from harm. The pilot scheme is running until September
2013 and is properly known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. Out off 44 applications made, the
Force has provided five sets of information arming the recipients with the information required to make a
decision about whether to continue with the relationship. Clare's Law is named after 36-year-old Salford
mum Clare Wood, who was murdered by her estranged partner in 2009. She suffered months of abuse and
death threats before being strangled by George Appleton, who had a history of violence against women. As
well as responding to requests from members of the public, Police are also able to make a proactive
decision to disclose details when they receive information to suggest a person could be at risk.
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CONTACT US
Call 999 when there is: a threat to life; a criminal act in progress, about to be committed or offender in the
vicinity; serious risk to property or person; serious disorder or a traffic collision resulting in serious injury. The
999 system should only be used to save life or when a crime or incident is ongoing .
PLEASE DON’T USE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING METHODS TO REPORT EMERGENCY
MATTERS OF THE KIND DESCRIBED IMMEDIATELY ABOVE.
For all non-emergency calls ring 101.
If you are reporting a crime ask for the Southern Control Room. If you need to speak to a local officer based
at Arnold (High Street) Police Station, dial extension 853 4160 / 853 4161 / 853 4162. Please note that,
although there is no longer a Front Counter service at this station it will not close until the planned new joint
working location with Gedling Borough Council has been set up. Neighbourhood Policing and Response
officers regularly work from Arnold (High Street). The latest information on this is that Paddy Tipping, the
Police and Crime Commissioner, has given permission for the necessary money to be spent on the joint use
building on Jubilee Road next to Arnot Hill Park. It is likely that there will be a “Front Counter” service at
Gedling Borough Council offices. We will let you know more when we do!
Gedling Borough Council’s Neighbourhood Wardens can be contacted via 0115 901 3972 or e-mail
[email protected] – they deal with antisocial behaviour and environmental crime such as
littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling.
To report a loan shark: call the 24/7 confidential hotline 0300 555 2222 or text ‘loan shark + your message’ to
60003
or
E-mail
[email protected]
You
can
also
log-on
to
www.direct.gov.uk/stoploansharks or Private message Notts Trading Standards on Facebook
www.facebook.com/stoploansharksproject
For details of your local Neighbourhood Policing Team (PCs and PCSOs) go to
http://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/local/ and enter your postcode. Further information on Neighbourhood
Watch can be seen at the National NW website: http://www.ourwatch.org.uk/
You can receive community safety and crime related messages by email, text message or recorded voice
from the Gedling Community website http://www.gedlingcommunity.co.uk – you do not have to have a
computer to benefit from this system which is used by the Police and Trading Standards as well as
Neighbourhood Watch.
You can take part in a survey of local priorities at www.neighbourhoodprioritysurvey.co.uk
You can also write to us at:Neighbourhood Watch or email [email protected]
c/o Arnold Police Station
High Street
Arnold
NOTTINGHAM NG5 7DS
It is likely that post will be redirected from this address when the Police Station closes down.
Anonymous messages to give information about criminals or their
activities can be made to CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555111 – you
need not identify yourself and may be entitled to a reward which can
be claimed anonymously. These messages are always treated
seriously – Crimestoppers wants their name – not yours!
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