From: Andi Cunningham, Chairman

From: Andi Cunningham, Chairman

To: All representatives

FARINGDON NAG 1 - UPDATE

Thank you for voting me in as your chairman again. We have a fantastic team on our NAG and an amazing community that all work together to ensure the success of the NAG process.

I have not sent you any notes from our last meeting that was on January 19th 2015, and that is because I decided to wait to be able to send you an update as well as a record of our meeting.

I have decided to send you an update not in the format of official meeting minutes, as I am bored of them.

So firstly I want to say a huge thank you to Sgt Shane Harrison who will be leaving us at the end of March and wish him lots of luck in his new role in the TVP control room. He realizes that NAG 1 will be giving him plenty to do in his new role with the never ending problems that we have encountered by having an SN postcode in most of our NAG1 area. So Shane – we’re relying on you, as you know!

I don’t know who the replacement Sgt is yet, but both Pam (Chair of NAG 2) and I are kept informed and I will email you as soon as I hear who has the post.

Shane has built up an amazing team for us and I would also like to thank all of them for putting more than the required minimum into their jobs – it is obvious not only in their results but in the trust that they have in the community.

So you will all be across the sad death of a man in the lavatories in Faringdon.

This did bring the subject of CCTV to be upfronted that we had discussed at our last NAG. So I can tell you that this will not be happening. I believe that the authorities will be cutting CCTV and certainly not increasing it.

CCTV is not the same as the potential ANPR that we are still in line to be able to achieve. The Sgt in Didcot (who is the rural crime team Sgt) is looking after this and as soon as it’s in place I will let you know that this has been finalized. (anotherNAG achievement everyone through Mr Anthony Stansfeld who has been a huge supporter to our NAG).

We have on going anti-social behavior problems in Faringdon and Sgt Harrison updated me on this last week. The NH team have been very busy, having to educate the children so they understand the principle of guilty by associationetc, so that we can stop a gang mentality building. As the disruptive children soon have a young following. Youth offending are involved of course and all other agencies are involved where needed.

Wealso have had some rather nasty drug dealers coming into Faringdon that are from large cities nowhere near ourarea. And this is where the trust in our NH team is vital, as without the public phoning in with all suspicious people and cars the police cannot act.

So I am really proud of our amazing PC Chris Linzey, who this week not only had a huge chase with a drug dealer, but hurdled garden fences to obtain, arrest and charged. RESULT.

Now that puts most other Police forces to shame, he did not wait for back up – he gave chase and I am going to sing his praises from the tree tops.

So once again – without the community bothering to phone in, then nothing can be achieved. It works both ways, so please make sure you bring up communication at all your Parish /Town meetings - that the Police rely on the community ringing anything in that does not look the norm. We need to be mindful of this, and encourage everyone to call.

And this brings me to the last topic that was covered by the NAG meeting in January – which was the situation that Coleshill had over Christmas with a young and vulnerable adult. I did note that I was told that some of you did not think of this situation as a NAG issue. Luckily I have never taken instruction very well.

Our Area Commander requested a full report into this case. And he has rung me this week to say well done to Coleshill (well done Sue) for caring and ensuring that this matter came to his desk. We have once again come up against the cross border mental health, Police, Council, Justice system not interacting. And this case will now be used to protect anyone else suffering what this boy had to go through.

If we can make a difference to our communities by enforcing change in procedure then we have achieved for everyone.

Don’t forget that we had Chief Supt Gilbert Houalla from TVP HQ at our last NAG meeting where we campaigned for 2 man crews responding to incidents ( in the safety of our police officers and what they were facing) and this did have an impact on a TVP recruitment drive, so let’s make sure that we keep engaging with the people that can make a difference. And not assume that anyone in a position of power and authority is across what we know.

Rural crime is at an all-time low – and as you know we have been very pro-active on this issue, and have involved every gamekeeper in our area. There are rural patrols and an amazing rural crime team that ensure that convictions are made.

The news is travelling fast that our area take rural crime very seriously and as PC Rob Maris started when he was the acting Sgt with his twitter feed #notonourpatch

And this has resulted in less people traveling into our area as they have heard of all the arrests made, dogs impounded, insurances checked etc.

And lastly as you will all be aware, we have had the review released that looked into Bullfinch and CSE. I am across this report and the programmesput in place to cope going forward. But again, this will need the whole community to be pro-active in ensuring that we have a great communication structure.

Again, agenda this onto all your Parish/ town meetings. We have an amazing NH team, so we need to encourage everyone to just report the smallest thing that does not seem right and it will be checked out. You should ask people ring 101 and ask to speak to one of their NH team, and I can assure you that one of the NH team will get back to them, this way they will know that they are being taken seriously and that the NH team can build an ongoing picture. “safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility”.

So its election time folks! Which is why our next NAG is not until MAY 18th.

So whether you are voted back as Cllrs or not I look forward to seeing you all to move our NAG forward with a new Sgt.

I will email you all with a reminder and an agenda of course, but put MAY 18th at 7pm into your diaries.

Andi

Chairman NAG1