HORNSEY AND WOOD GREEN ASSOCIATION OF NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCHES
MINUTES OF MEETING
Held at The Civic Centre, Wood Green, N22
Tuesday 11th September 2007 at 7.30pm
Present:
Ralph Crisp (Chair) Hornsey Lane Gardens
Terry Husband (Treasurer)Concord
Mr Richard Wood (Guest Speaker)Police Superintendent
Jason Aldridge (Guest Speaker)Police Detective Sergeant
Paul Davies (Guest Speaker) Police Sergeant, Alexandra Ward
Jennifer BracherChange Manager, Magistrates Ct. (Guest Speaker)
Victoria AbdullaPCSO Bounds Green Ward
Eric BeckGMTRA
Dave BelgravePCSO Bounds Green
Dave BirdPolice Sergeant, Fortis Green Ward
A BornWood Lane
Faith BornWood Lane
Heather EadePCSO Bounds Green
Wendy FoxShakespeare Gardens
Lauritz Hansen-BayHampton Court
Mark HarrisonPCSO Noel Park
Wendy HillShakespeare Gardens
Ron HoileWoodside Watch
Shirley HusbandConcorde
Marian JanesCrescent Road
Ron JonesWoodside Watch
Arthur LeighDukes Avenue
Brian LivingstonFortismere
Mel MouzourisPCSO Noel Park
Frank NolanGardens Watch
Chico PachecoPark Avenue South
Carol PhillipsPCSO Noel Park
Vivian RodgersScotch Estate
Allison SaundersPCSO Noel Park
Cyril SheridenStanhope Road
Alistair SmithPerth Road
Brian SunderlandThe Sandlings
Pauline SyddellNeighbourhood Watch Link Manager
Wolf WayneFormiddale
1. INTRODUCTIONS
Chairman Ralph Crisp opens the meeting and thanks everyone for attending. One amendment to the agenda, Sergeant Paul Davies of Alexandra Safer Neighbourhood Team will present the sector report in place of Sergeant Paul Saunders who is unwell.
2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for non attendance was read out, many of the apologies were from members attending the Wood Green Assembly meeting which was also taking place this evening.
Barbara Adam, Leo Akib, Peter Burgess, Kim Davies, Antonia Dietmann, Ted Dixon, Bruno Dore, Richard Gardner, Peggy Kirk, Ron Lock, Angie McEvoy, Alexandra Nicol, Yvonne O’Dell, Bernd Pulverer, Dorothy Rynhold, Paul Saunders, Mary Shurman, Otis Williams, Fred Williams and Catrina Zahoor.
3. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING AND MATTERS ARISING
The minutes of the last meeting held at the Royal British Legion on 26th June were read and accepted as a true reflection of this meeting.
4. DETECTIVE SUPERINTENDENT & DEPUTY BOROUGH COMMANDER,
RICHARD WOOD (GUEST SPEAKER)
There are eight recognised financial investigation units across the UK; Haringey has the only unit in the Metropolitan Police area. The aim is to use the law and police powers more effectively to take away any gains made from crime and makes criminals think twice about committing crime.
Laws have been in place for sometime to allow police to investigate individual’s financial links to crime and recover money made from their criminal activities, however the impact of this did not take off in London until 2003 when Jason Aldridge and the team set up the Haringey Financial Investigation Unit. Jason knows everything there is to know about financial investigation and is the best in London, and probably the best in the UK. The work this unit has done on Haringey borough has been fantastic.
Question: What is your impression of what is happening in respect of policing on this Borough?
Answer: Haringey is extremely successful in solving crime; within the Metropolitan Police area only Redbridge has solved more crimes than Haringey. Mixed performances in other areas, some have fallen and some have risen. We have a constant flow of officers into and out of Haringey and we are currently just slightly under strength. Safer Neighbourhood Teams are now fully established, also numerous other specialist units across the borough.
Question: How are you dealing with unruly youths?
Answer: A lot of resources are going into fighting anti social behaviour as this blights people’s lives. Disposal areas and stop and search are some of the tactics we use, when this behaviour comes to our attention we do take action.
Question: Do you have any criminal gangs in Haringey?
Answer: There have always been gangs going back to the Krays. This is a very emotive term often hyped up by the media; what determines a gang? There are identified gangs across London, other borough have more ‘gangs’ than Haringey.
Question: How do you deal with Knife Crime and what happens if a 10 year old is caught with a knife?
Answer: Haringey has a positive charging policy with respect to knife crimes. One of the main areas of knife crime is robbery, Haringey has a very high detection rate and have also seen dramatic fall in robberies. Young people make mistakes, we have a specialist youth and community unit who would try to educate and guide a 10 year old away from a life of crime rather than charge a child for carrying a knife. Parents of any child would be informed immediately any such child had come to police notice.
Question: What are the policing plan priorities?
Answer: Across London it would have to be terrorism. Haringey borough priorities can change, we are very focused on knife crime and any impact crime such as burglary, robbery and offences involving violence.
Question: Safer Neighbourhood Teams are supposed to be ringfenced, why is Muswell Hill SNT understaffed?
Answer: Muswell Hill SNT is fully up to strength, however they do have two on sick leave. Safer Neighbourhood Teams are ringfenced and are not used in other operations as a matter of course; however there will always be exceptional circumstances when they will be called upon.
Ralph commented that he has recently had two positive experiences recently; in both cases police responded immediately to reported incidents and followed up with forensics.
Superintendent Wood stated that he is passionate about policing on this borough, and is very interested to receive feedback from residents regarding police performance, good or bad. Any comments can be sent to him via the police website, and he would be very happy to attend future Neighbourhood Watch meetings.
5. DETECTIVE SERGEANT JASON ALDRIDGE (GUEST SPEAKER)
Metropolitan Police Financial Investigation Unit
Please see attached hand out.
Formed in 2003, the Financial Investigation Unit works with many other agencies to detect and recover any financial or material gain made from criminal activity. The team consists of a Sergeant and five detective constables each with more than 10 years police experience. Money and possessions recovered can be given to the victim or put into police and local resources.
The unit have also had success in finding missing persons and locating witnesses to crime via financial investigation; i.e. checking where and when credit and debit cards or travel cards are used.
Intelligence comes from various sources, including the general public. A common indication of a person involved in illegal activity is someone who does not work but has an expensive car and possessions. Often money to buy such possessions has come from crimes such as drugs, benefit fraud or other serious crimes. To report any suspicions please telephone either crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or Haringey Police on 020 8808 1212.
Question: I read in a newspaper that 90% of UK’s heroin comes via Green Lanes, is this true?
Answer: This is not a confirmed fact and no one would be able to confirm this; the story may have come about as a result of a resident being jailed for 30 years for drug trafficking. This does not stop with the removal of one person and you would then have to look at any associates.
Question: How do you choose whom to investigate?
Answer: I have a free rein; I choose what and whom we investigate. Intelligence comes from many different sources.
6. JENNIFER BRACHER (GUEST SPEAKER) Community Change Manager,
Haringey Magistrates Court Community Justice Initiative.
Please see attached handout
Jennifer explained that she was project managing a new community and justice initiative. This involves engaging with the local communities to find out what affects them and the best way to deal with it. The project is looking at specialist courts for anti social behaviour and the community having a say in such areas as unpaid work.
On the 17th October (subject to change) there will be a meeting to discuss and be part of this initiative. There are a limited number of spaces for people to attend and give their views and opinions. If you would like to attend please contact Pauline.
Question: What is the duration of this project?
Answer: Until it is rolled out nationally, this is envisaged to be at the end of 2008 and is a long-term initiative.
7. SECTOR REPORT FROM SERGEANT PAUL DAVIES, ALEXANDRA WARD
SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM
See separate handout for crime statistics.
Statistics show that there is an increase in drug crime on the borough. On Alexandra Ward drug crime is up 47%, this is an indication that we have been more successful at drug detection, which has pushed the figures up. Almost all other crime types are down.
Ward news:
- Alexandra Ward: Extra patrols in and around schools during the first week of term. Children returning to school with new ipods and mobiles tend to be targets for robbers. One person was arrested.
- Fortis Green: New initiative – bin stickers with police telephone numbers on them. This is to increase awareness and get contact details across to the public.
- Muswell Hill: Many shops in the area now have radios to communicate with police and each other; these were purchased with the proceeds from the Financial Investigation Unit.
- Stroud Green: Targeting drug problems with plain clothed operations.
- Bounds Green: Two crack house closures and looking at getting dispersal orders for windscreen cleaners on North Circular Road.
- Highgate: ANPR (Automated Number Plate Reader) operation resulted in 4 arrests.
- Woodside: Holding a young persons initiative day, meeting police cadets.
8. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT – RALPH CRISP
- Neighbourhood Watch Street Signs: All signs ordered before April should now be up. There has been a problem with contractors not putting these at the correct height; this is being addressed.
- Lighting: a number of lighting projects are planned. The council lighting department are also optimistic about getting more funding for major structural problems in roads.
- Number of Neighbourhood Watches on Haringey Borough has now reached 166.
- Muswell Hill Festival 16th September: Volunteers required manning the stall for an hour.
- Quiz Night 16th October, still not too late to enter your team or even individual, please contact Pauline.
- Website: This is now being regularly updated and maintained, but acknowledge that it does need to be completely redesigned. If anyone knows of a web designer that could assist us please contact Pauline.
- Immobilise database registration: Another reminder to register your mobile phone, this can be done either online or via Pauline.
9. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Eric Beck questioned the action of Crouch End Safer Neighbourhood Team in leafleting the whole ward asking if they wanted to form a Neighbourhood Watch. Eric stated that members of his Watch received the leaflets, which made them question the validity of their Watch.
Pauline explained that Crouch End took this imitative to try to get more people involved in Neighbourhood Watch on their Ward, this has been very successful and even in areas where there is already an existing watch, new residents have been put in touch with the area coordinator.
*** NEXT MEETING***
The Royal British Legion, Elder Avenue, N8
Tuesday 13th November 2007
At 7.30PM