Peter Yexley

At a recent meeting with our local
police sergeant, Mark Andrews, I posed the question; “What could Neighbourhood Watch do to help our local police team?”
I expected a variety of responses but the answer I heard was not what I
anticipated – “report suspicious activity” said Sgt. Andrews. Just three simple words.
We do ... don’t we? Actually we don’t.
When a crime has been committed and police are investigating they may call upon residents nearby and ask if they saw anything suspicious.
Surprisingly the answer is all too often that they did see something and thought it was a bit dodgy, but didn’t want to waste police time as they might be busy.
There are countless crimes that could have been prevented or indeed caught in progress had someone who thought “it looked a bit dodgy” reported it to police.
Do Not Disturb?
Let’s not worry about disturbing the police and be more concerned about disturbing those committing crimes. Some people don’t think twice about calling the fire brigade out to a cat up a tree, so why are we worried about wasting police time? The truth is, we are not wasting police time and they would genuinely prefer be called out based on someone thinking they are witnessing something out of the unusual.
Equally they would be happier to come out to a call from someone who feels that something is not quite right, rather than having to investigate a crime that could have been prevented had that call been made at the time. Even if it is a false alarm – you are NOT wasting police time. Don’t judge whether it is important, call the police. They will not judge you for calling with real concerns.
Emergency Numbers...
You have three options, the new 112 number, the good old fashioned 999 or local non- emergency number. Don’t be afraid of using 999 – if a Crime is in progress or about to
happen or there is a risk of
serious damage to property or indeed a person is or has been injured, don’t hesitate to call 999.
What about 112?
112 is the new emergency number for the European Union. It has call centres in every country, and
allocation is the same as the 999 service. If you are abroad and require emergency assistance, dial 112 and there will be someone able to speak English. 112 operates on a different frequency band to 999. if you are using a mobile, and don’t have any signal, you will not be able to dial 999, however you may still be able to dial 112.
and not so urgent...
Hertfordshire Constabulary has a number for all non-emergency calls 0845 3300 222 . Write it down, programme it into your phone, keep it handy.
When you call, you will hear a short crime prevention message before
being put through.
Use the non-emergency number:
• to speak to a police officer or
member of police staff
• for a general police enquiry, advice and information
• to report an incident or a crime that has happened (not an incident or crime in progress as this should be a 999 call)
Community Priorities
What are the police priorities in London Colney?
You and I...and all our neighbours have a say in this, it is us, the residents that work and live in London Colney that can tell the police what our priorities are.
Recently, Hertfordshire was one of only three forces graded as
“exceeding national standards” for
citizen focussed policing by Her
Majesty’s Inspector of Constabularies.
The local community priorities for London Colney & Colney Heath are:
Youth nuisance and Anti Social Behaviour in Norris Close, Napsbury Estate. 1600hrs-0100hrs 7 days a week
Anti Social Behaviour, in particular the nuisance use of vehicles and fly tipping in Barley Mow Lane and Tyttenhanger Green. At all times day and night, 7 days a week.
Anti social behaviour in Haseldine Road, London Colney between 1800hrs-2300hrs 7 days a week.
Disagree?
Contact Me
The priorities have been agreed through local meetings and consultation. If you wish to comment on these priorities or feel they do not address areas which matter to you then please contact the local police team on 01707 354192 or myself, the Neighbourhood Watch Ward Co-ordinator for London Colney on 01727 825999
Crime in London Colney is down , let’s get it down further.