Little Gaddesden – (Jan 25 to Feb 25, 2015)
Offence / No. In Parish / No. in DacorumDwelling Burglary / 0 / 33
Burglary Other / 1 / 59
Criminal Damage / 0 / 84
Vehicle Crime / 0 / 98
Anti-Social Behaviour / 0 / 217
Other / 1 * / 547
For more details on crime in your area please visit www.police.uk. Enter a postcode to see the ‘crime map’ for the local area.
Outcomes
· A cannabis warning * was issued to a 19-year-old from Chesham.
Other News and events
There has been one burglary other (non-dwelling), where offenders broke in to a garden shed and stole the lawn mower and gardening tools. This appears to be a ‘seasonal crime’, as often this type of theft takes place when the lawn mower etc has been put away for the winter and the shed where it is stored is not checked for a few months. The theft took place some time over a two week period during the winter months.
Local police surgeries will be held outside the Post Office/shop in Little Gaddesden between midday and 1pm on the following Fridays: March 20th; April 24th and May 22nd (more dates to follow). Please come along if you want to chat about any policing issues or just to say hello.
Useful information
You can follow your local team on Twitter @berkopolice
Visit www.herts.police.uk where you can find the latest police and crime news, crime prevention advice and people wanted by police.
Police non-emergency number 101. (In an emergency always use 999).
Contact Crimestoppers anonymously with information about crime on 0800 555 111.
Sergeant’s Message
Reported crime remains low across all our parishes as we start the new year but please do be aware of shed-break ins which tend to happen at this time of year. Secure your sheds and outbuildings with good quality locks and, where possible, get your expensive gardening equipment security marked (post coded or other property marking). Most people think of securing their homes but can overlook that on occasions a thief will target sheds as a ‘softer’ option.
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Police patrol the rural areas on a regular basis. One such patrol, resulted in a 19-year-old man from Chesham being stopped near Ashridge. Further investigation revealed that he had a small amount of cannabis.
Now the winter weather is starting to break the Safer Neighbourhood Team will also be stepping up road safety patrols to keep motorists, pedestrians and other road users safe. We will look out for speeding vehicles as well as drivers using mobile phones and unsafe and/or uninsured vehicles.
If you have any concerns about crime, anti-social please contact PCSO Lee Clements on 101 or by email or you can contact me, if the matter is of a more serious nature, on my Airwave radio when I am on duty on 01707 354192. (In an emergency always use 999.)
Sgt Peter Huffer
Berkhamsted and Tring Safer Neighbourhood Team
Chief Inspector Glenn Channer:
I am responsible for policing and community safety across the whole Borough of Dacorum and, as you will know, I have a Safer Neighbourhood Team dedicated to the area (neighbourhood) where your parish lies. A team of police constables work across this neighbourhood and a PCSO is assigned to each ward area. They are the community’s first port of call for local issues. They whole team is supported by Specials and supervised by a police sergeant, who has included a parish message, as above. You have a team that is committed to tackling and reducing crime, bringing offenders to justice and keeping you safe.
I am pleased to say that crime continues to be very low in your parish and we have undertaken a number of operations in the area, particularly during the night, disrupting and preventing travelling criminality – offenders passing through or targeting the area before moving on to commit crime elsewhere. We will keep up our relentless pursuit to track them down and stop them committing crime in Dacorum and anywhere in Hertfordshire.
On a final note, we were delighted to welcome your local MP Mike Penning, who is also a Home Office Minister for Policing, as our special guest at the Constabulary’s award ceremony recently. Here we recognise exemplary long service, outstanding work and bravery and it was great to have someone from government hear first-hand what a great service the Constabulary gives to the people of Hertfordshire.
Message from your Police and Crime Commissioner, David Lloyd
I am delighted that your local Safer Neighbourhood Team has begun a new style regular monthly update for your parish council. It is vital that local police engage with local representatives - you are in a unique position to communicate with and act on behalf of local residents and businesses. I want this report to give you the information that you need to understand the kinds of incidents that happen in this area and the low levels of crime it enjoys.
Please let your local Safer Neighbourhood Team know if you would like more detail on a particular incident, bearing in mind that not all details can be divulged for data protection or operational reasons. Officers have also told me that they will attend parish council meetings in person if requested subject, of course, to operational commitments. With plenty of notice, a police officer or local PCSO will endeavour to come along and will try to visit a parish meeting in person at least four times a year.
You may have already seen the good news that I will not be increasing the police precept of the council tax for yet another year. Your residents will not be paying a penny more for policing, yet they will continue to get an excellent service from the Constabulary and, in fact, will see an investment in more police officers.
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My Police and Crime Plan has been in place for nearly two years now I believe that progress so far has been very good. However, the world has moved on significantly over that period and I think it’s time to look at whether any changes or additions are now required. It is something I am just beginning to look at and, as ever, it will be driven very much by the input of those who live in or serve Hertfordshire. So, if you have any ideas or issues you would like to put forward for consideration at this early stage, please contact me by email at or call my office on 01707 806100.
As you may know, I am firmly committed to tackling rural crime and was pleased to be invited to a barn meet recently over in East Herts, organised by the local Safer Neighbourhood Team and hosted by a local landowner. It was attended by over 70 farmers, residents and business people. It was a great way for the police to engage with the rural community and find out what policing and security issues are current. Together with the Rural Operational Support Team, the Constabulary is really getting to grips with matters that affect the countryside.
During my tenure I have launched a number of new schemes to improve safety and cut crime. One of these is Community DriveSafe which enables residents, who feel there is an issue locally with speeding and anti-social motoring, to take the driving seat. If your parish would benefit please visit my website for details, and see how to initiate a scheme with a local petition, at www.hertscommissioner.org
There is also my Commissioner’s Community Fund which gives grants to local organisations that help victims of crime or support the aims of my Police & Crime Plan (entitled ‘Everybody’s Business’). The fifth round of funding has just been announced and is open for applications until 25th March 2015. Again, there are more details about this on my website and, if you are involved in or know an organisation or group that could benefit, please take a look and make an application.
David Lloyd March 2015
Help Protect Hertfordshire’s Heritage Sites
Last year Hertfordshire Constabulary launched Heritage Watch to help protect the county’s thousands of historical sites, monuments and artefacts from heritage crime. Ten months on, the Constabulary is asking for more people to join Heritage Watch to help in the fight against heritage crime. You can sign up on the Constabulary’s web page: www.herts.police.uk/HeritageWatch.
Heritage crime is any offence which harms ‘heritage assets’, including architectural theft, criminal damage, unauthorised excavation. Putting right damage can lead to repair bills of hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Through the scheme, the Constabulary hopes to protect our heritage by improving communication between people who live near these sites, those who have an interest in the county’s history and the police.
Mark Harrison, National Policing and Crime Advisor at English Heritage, said: “We hope that local communities across Hertfordshire will come together in Heritage Watch networks that will make a real difference and will help us to protect and preserve our wonderful heritage for this and for future generations."
Chief Constable, Andy Bliss said: “It’s important to protect Hertfordshire’s historical and cultural assets for future generations. People who live close to historical sites, and those who have an interest in our local history, tend to frequent the county’s heritage sites more often and are more likely to notice anything suspicious. We hope the public will become the ‘eyes and ears’ of these precious sites and report any untoward activity to us.”
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