Community Engagement Sergeant

Dear Colleagues

As the Community Engagement Sergeant for West Sussex I am always striving to develop the new ways to engage with and understand the concerns of those who live in, work or visit West Sussex.
To that end I have created a Facebook page - 'Talk to me about life in West Sussex' - where you can air your views about policing, crime and disorder across the county. I am happy to debate issues and do my best to respond to your comments about when things have gone well or not so well.
I really do want a genuine, open and honest debate.
If you want to be part of that discussion please 'Like' my page and/or send me a friend request via the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/sgtpeterallan

I also have a Twiiter account at:   http://twitter.com/sgtpeterallan
Thank you.
Peter Allan

vehicle seen in suspicious circumstances

Dear Neighbourhood Watch Members

Serial 0730 05/05/12 came into us, reporting a vehicle seen in suspicious circumstances,

Unfortunately this was not picked up by me as I was on sick leave at the time. It has since been brought to my attention again and has indeed jogged my memory because I happened to see this vehicle on 9^th May in Park Lane, Maplehurst. As I was leaving Newells Lane, I turned right into Park Lane and came across a vehicle stopped in the road, the engine was running and the driver was in situ. After a short time the driver noticed me and drove off alongPark Lane and turned left by the White Horse Public House and headed towards the A272. This is where we parted company as I travelled onto Copsale.

The informant of serial 0730 05/05/12 tells us that a black male was driving the car, he was wearing a florescent jacket and was seen to be driving up and down peoples drives.

The vehicle is registered to a male in Reading, unfortunately there are no other reports on either the driver or vehicle.

The vehicle in question is a Dark Grey/Black Ford Focus, vehicle registration mark is

                             LS56 FHM

As it stands, there are no connections with serial 743 09/05/12 where a Vauxhall Insignia vrm FN12 PXP, apart from both drivers wearing florescent jackets.

Please ring us if you see this vehicle again and quote the above serial numbers. I will ensure markers are put on these vehicles to ensure the controller at the time can see that there is previous history.

Serial 0793 15/05/12

This relates to a report of suspicious males in Newells Lane. They were travelling in a white Ford Transit Pickup truck, VRM CV54 YVD. Two males were in the vehicle, one white male aged in his 60’s, Grey Hair and the other male in the passenger seat was in his 20’s. The males drove onto the farm and asked the informant if he had any scrap metal, the informant said no and the males the premises.They were seen again 30 minutes later,still in Newells Lane. No further reports have been received.

Thank you all for your vigilance, this is a NHW scheme that really seems to be working well

Kind regards

Tracy Field

PCSO

07733010215

EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

Dear Colleagues

This message is being sent out to all NHW Coordinators in Horsham on behalf of the NHW Horsham District NHW Association.

HORSHAM DISTRICT NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH ASSOCIATION

 

EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

 

Dear NHW coordinator.

 

Please will you inform all your members and persuade as many of them as you can to attend the meeting mentioned below.

 

As you may know, last autumn with the help of the police, the Horsham District NHW Association was formed.
To hear what we have achieved so far and what we hope to achieve in the future we hope you will come to an EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING at 7:30pm on Monday the 11^th of June in the Large Parish Council Chambers, Beeson House, Lintot Square, Southwater, RH13 9LA, at which we will seek your approval of our Constitution, of our Committee Membership and of our proposed auditor.

Following the EGM there will be a meeting of your Committee at which you can hear reports of all our activities and contribute to the discussion.

Everything we are undertaking is intended to make your task as a co-ordinator easier and we welcome any feedback, comments or involvement you may like to give.

 

You will find a more detailed notice of the meeting by visiting http://www.mynhwsussex.org/Steyning/Blog/?page_id=94

 

Please do not hesitate to ask for more information from either of us.

 

David Langdon (Chairman) david47contact@talktalk.net

Arthur Carden (Vice-Chairman) carden@one-name.org.

Operation Thames

Organised Immigration Crime, Human Trafficking and Exploitation

Sussex Police is currently reviewing its processes for combating all types of Organised Immigration Crime, Human Trafficking and Exploitation (OICHTE) offences, which are in effect “Modern Day Slavery”.

 

Human trafficking is the movement of a person from one place to another into conditions of exploitation using deception, coercion, force, the abuse of power or the abuse of someone’s vulnerability.

 ‘Exploitation’ may include:

-          prostitution

-          forced labour (including criminal activity like shoplifting or cultivating cannabis)

-          slavery or low-wage work or

-          removal of organs for transplant.

 

Trafficking does not only affect people entering the UK. Trafficking can involve bringing people into the country (legally or illegally), taking people out of the country or moving people within the UK. UK nationals can be trafficked within or out of the UK; it is not only foreign nationals who can fall victim to this area of organised crime.

 

Research and operational experience has shown that there are a number of activities into which organised crime groups will commonly seek to place trafficked people for the purposes of exploitation. Some of these activities will be criminal; others may appear lawful on the surface (and of course in most cases will not be committing trafficking offences).

 

Potentially vulnerable venues and locations might include:

-          Brothels/ massages parlours

-          Gentlemen’s clubs/ exotic dancing clubs

-          Areas associated with on and off-street prostitution

-          Areas associated with roaming DVD sellers

-          Areas associated with roaming building/ tarmacing canvassers

-          Areas associated with organised or persistent begging

-          Soup kitchens/ homeless hostels

-          Pick Your Own fruit farms

-          Nail bars

-          Car washes

-          Smaller fast food outlets

-          Residential/ care homes

-          Cannabis factories

 

It is vital that community and business partners assist us by reporting activity that might arouse suspicion that vulnerable individuals are being exploited following trafficking. Victims will often be tightly controlled, working long hours for little or no pay and living in poor or cramped housing with little contact with the outside world. Victims may also report that their travel documents have been taken from them.

 

A number of recent investigations by Sussex Police have confirmed that this type of crime is being committed in our county. However, we want to know more about the extent and scale of this problem. We would ask communities and businesses to be vigilant for any such suspicious activity, reporting any incidents to the police and quoting the operational name ‘Op Thames’. 

Sgt Jim Collen

Operation Thames Project Team, Crawley Police Station

Time for doorstep cold callers to feel the heat

Dear Colleagues

This message is being sent out to all NHW Coordinators on behalf of the Sussex NHW Federation.

Dear Friends,

As you may know, crime prevention leaflets are dwindling due to Home office cuts, please read below and follow the link to obtain a “No cold calling sticker”

 

http://www.ourwatch.org.uk/news_and_events/news/time_for_doorstep_coldcallers_to_feel_the_heat/

Time for doorstep cold callers to feel the heat

3 May 2012

Article courtesy of The Daily Mirror

Surrey Trading Standards has produced some powerful warning stickers, which The Daily Mirror adapted to make suitable for you, wherever you live.

These fliers are backed by the Trading Standards Institute. Ron Gainsford, the Institute's chief executive said: "Cold calling is an unwelcome practice which can pave the way for distraction burglary and for opportunist rogues who get their foot in the doorway under the pretence of working for a well known company.

"Combating doorstep crime to protect especially vulnerable consumers is an important part of the invaluable work done by trading standards officers up and down the country. They see firsthand all too often the devastating consequences of rogue cold callers; not only the financial losses can be catastrophic, but the distress from harassment in the safety of their own home can also cause long term damage to the victim's mental and even physical well being."

"Consumers need to know that any trader who does not go away when asked is committing a criminal offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations."

"We would encourage any consumer who does not wish to be visited by a doorstep seller to put a sticker on their door, which makes their wishes and legal protection clear. We appreciate that the practice of face-to face selling is legitimate and provides for those in society who do not have access to internet and other market opportunities - but our strong view is that householders must have the right to opt out from this with a clear sign on their home, and for this wish to be respected."

We are also delighted that these fliers had the backing of the Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network. Chairman Jim Maddan said: "I am vehemently against cold callers, I have seen the damage they've done to people's live".

A spokeswoman added: "Neighbourhood and Home Watch schemes are a great example of how communities can work together to help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and make our streets a safer and friendlier place to live. This new resource will help support local people to take action against doorstep callers and rogue traders, and keep people safe in their homes."

To download a Cold Calling Warning sticker, please click here.

 

John Wright
Chairman
Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Federation.
( Mobile:     07917 385213

Community safety/customer satisfaction survey

Dear Colleagues

This message is being sent out to all NHW Coordinators in West Sussex.

Dear friends,

 

This might be of interest to you and enable you to have Your say in the development of West Sussex? Please feel free to pass on to your friends, it is important if YOU want change?

 

Community safety/customer satisfaction survey for residents of West Sussex

This message is being sent out to all Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators in West Sussex on behalf of the Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Federation and West Sussex County Council. Please forward it to all your members, and other residents of West Sussex.

Dear Neighbourhood Watch members,

 

WSCC Better Communities has been working with Customer Insight to develop a community safety/customer satisfaction survey for residents of West Sussex. The survey is now live on the WSCC website, and as many people as possible are encouraged to complete it. The survey asks residents for their views on public services, and this will relate to any contact they have had with their local authority, as well as their perceptions of their local area. This should ensure that WSCC reaches a varied and representative sample of the public, which will enable them to prioritise their work with communities in a more informed manner. This is not just about crime, community safety and anti-social behaviour - the responses will impact on the work of all staff, and be of great assistance to the incoming Police & Crime Commissioner, who is due to be elected in November.

Can you please help to achieve the best response possible to the survey? You can do this by:

(a) completing it yourself, and

(b) sending the link on to other colleagues, friends and family who live in West Sussex.

 

Please do not forward this email on to your local/parish contacts as WSCC will be contacting them separately. 
The survey is available online here http://bit.ly/IIrxdv and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. If you or your contacts need a hard copy there is also a PDF version which is attached. Hard copies can be returned to the Freepost address which is listed at the end of the survey.

Please pass on this information to all your friends who are residents of West Sussex. Thank you for doing this, and taking the time to help to keep our communities safe.

 

Best wishes

 

John Wright
Chairman
Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Federation.
( Mobile:     07917 385213

Faults in West Sussex street lights and other street furniture

Dear Colleagues

This message is being sent out to all NHW Coordinators in West Sussex on behalf of the Sussex NHW Federation.

Faults in West Sussex street lights and other street furniture

This message is being sent out to all Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators in West Sussex on behalf of the Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Federation. Please forward it to all your members.

Dear Neighbourhood Watch members,

 

From time to time faults develop in street lights and other street furniture such as traffic bollards and illuminated street signs. These faults are usually easy to get rectified, and the sooner you report the problem the sooner it will be fixed. In the meantime there could be an avoidable safety hazard. We would urge you to play your part, as responsible members of our communities, to report faults as quickly as possible. The faults could include street lights not functioning correctly, bollards displaced, bare wires visible or where the top of the light column is shrouded by trees.

 

Problems are dealt with by West Sussex County Council’s contactors, Southern Electric. There are two ways of drawing the problem to their attention, and it really helps if you know the column numbers involved (there is a number marked on every light column, often near eye level, or there should be a sticker attached to other items), as well as the street and approximate location. The first is to phone their call centre 0800 0482 435, and the second is online http://www.lightsoninwestsussex.co.uk/Public/ReportFault.aspx . Both methods are free of charge.

 

Online, enter a nearby postcode to display a map of the area, or a street name and then select the correct one. The map can be “grabbed” and dragged, or use the arrow keys at the top left of the map, until you can see the faulty item. If the map seems congested at that spot (there could be several items in places) then you can zoom in on the map by clicking on the + sign at the top left corner within the map. Click on the faulty item and “For faults only”. You can then select the nature of the fault, or “Other” and insert comments. Use “Other” to report trees blocking the light. Then select “Next” and enter your details. If you want your computer to remember these (for example, if you think you may need to make other reports) then tick the “remember details” box, then Send.

 

Please pass on this information to all your friends in West Sussex.

 

Kind regards

 

John Wright
Chairman
Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Federation.
( Mobile:     07917 385213