CommunitySafe.gov.uk

Today Merton Police commence Operation Lockdown, a three month burglary initiative which will employ a range of tactics to disrupt burglary, gain intelligence and arrest and convict offenders in identified hotspots across the Borough.

Whilst the number of burglary offences across the Borough remain relatively low, there has been a recent rise in the number of opportunist burglaries where entry has been gained through open windows and unlocked doors. Many of these could be avoided. Residents are reminded to lock doors and windows when they go out, to keep ground floor doors and windows closed and secure when they go to bed and not to leave expensive and valuable items in view of passers by. Simple measures and some extra care will go along way to preventing you from becoming a victim of burglary.

The Village Ward is not presently a 'hotspot' but please don't be complacement and help us to keep it that way!

Thanks
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village Safer Neighbourhood Team
T: 020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

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NEW REPORTING LINE FOR VICTIMS AND WITNESSES OF HATE CRIME

Tackling hate crime is a priority for Merton, which is why Merton has teamed up with Stop Hate UK to provide emotional and practical support for anyone, who has experienced hate crime.

Whatever your age, race, disability, sexual orientation or whether you are transgender, no one has the right to intimidate, hurt or harass you because they perceive you to be different.

Merton defines a hate crime as a ‘criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion or disability’.

If you feel you have been a victim of this crime you can report it to Stop Hate UK 24 hours a day. Stop Hate UK are an independent charity and everything you tell them is kept confidential. You have the option to remain anonymous if you wish. Stop Hate UK can be contacted by phone, email, text, post and online. Stop Hate UK can speak to victims about hate crime in their preferred language if required.

Telephone: 0800 138 1625
Website: www.stophateuk.org
Email: talk@stophateuk.org

Dear Ms McDonagh,

In response to your letter dated 6th July 2010 (Re: Crime and Anti Social Behaviour at Phipps Bridge).

We pay particular focus to the content of our MPs letters and an audit of our system reveals that we are not in receipt of your earlier letter (dated 1st July 2010). If the matters raised in the letter still require a response please would you be so kind as to re-send a copy and I will ensure I give them it my prompt attention.

Within your letter (6th July) you feel that the ‘the tennis’ is not really the point. I disagree. You are aware that the headline within the Wimbledon Guardian; …‘MP hits out at Mitcham police after shooting and triple stabbing’ within the article you are quoted “Police are more bothered about policing the Wimbledon Championships than the troubled streets of Mitcham the area’s MP has claimed…” Such headlines and supporting comments do little to promote community confidence or reassurance. (I am meeting with the editor and the journalist next week to express my concerns).

I have no doubt you will be able to forward details of the officers who stated that they were - “too busy to help you because of the Wimbledon Championships.” You are absolutely right, and I agree with you, such a message is inappropriate and I am looking for your help to identify and understand who within my command would say something which is so blatantly incorrect. I have made local enquires and no one recalls having had such a conversation.

I am sorry that at the meeting you felt that the impression given by police was that the Mitcham area was a low policing priority, quite the opposite is true. As discussed, my initial assessment of the boroughs deployment and demand profile reveals a substantial amount of our (finite) movable resources are given to the East of the borough. As an MP you will be conscious that as part of the conditions attached to Safer Neighbourhood teams funding arrangements the last government dictated that they should be ring fenced in their designated wards. I have briefed you in relation to my frustrations as to not having been allowed to move this valuable resource around the borough (however see further paragraphs for recent update).

You contend that there was a history of community unease in relation to groups of youths associating in the area and that the community members were concerned about numerous criminal and anti-social acts. The adage “You only know what you know” is a truism in relation to policing. Unless the residents report these issues to police we are unable to build an accurate intelligence picture and take appropriate action. As you are aware under ECHR legislation everybody has the right to associate freely without state interference. Without proper intelligence it is difficult to justify enforcement interventions. I will direct my safer neighbourhood teams to encourage increased reporting in order to give greater justification to future disruption activity.

You feel that ‘if the police had identified that there was a problem and had dealt with ‘the group’ appropriately the stabbings would not have taken place’. I am disappointed that you hold this view. As discussed this incident was spontaneous without any pre-planning. The offender was not known to police in the London area and there was nothing we could have done to prevent the crime from happening. Hindsight is a wonderful gift. When incidents like this happen people are quick to go to the press and it’s easy to blame the police. I readily acknowledge that we are the lead agency in relation to enforcement activity; however the causational factors which lead to criminality are many and varied.

The service (in my opinion) has a disappointing history of failing to respond to unfair criticism when many of the crime related social problems we face today are the result of years of failed parenting, failed education, failed social inclusion policies, ineffective border/integration policies and a distinct lack of investment in diversionary or rehabilitation activity. These failures are the responsibility of many, (including those in government) not just the police.

In this role I have ownership of the borough’s criminal intelligence profile and have a good understanding of those believed to be involved in more serious and organised crime. You are right (and I agree) that whether those intent on crime are members of a gang or otherwise is really a mute point. The more important issue is what is being done about it. I hope that when we next meet I can reassure you that we are trying hard to service the policing needs of the borough (although as discussed due to the legacy of national debt; continuing current operational capability will be an increasing challenge).

You have asked for a copy of the boroughs deployment profile. This is a restricted document as it specifically details both our operational capacity and capability. I will of course share the details with you when we next meet. I can however brief you on Merton’s policing model:

The borough’s operational workforce profile can be split into four main areas Response, Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT), CID and Operational Support. The Response officers deal with calls from the public and answer calls anywhere within Merton. The CID investigates reported crimes and deal with crime related prisoners, Operational support include the Merton crime squad, the Merton task force and other distinct units (i.e. the Merton sex offenders unit). They are deployed where the intelligence takes them (as stated predominantly in the East of the borough). The SNTs as discussed are rigid in number and are equally distributed (ring fenced in relation to movement) throughout the borough to provide local contact, visibility and reassurance. Apart from the SNT the deployment of resources is intelligence led & reactive to where crime is taking place. You are correct in your view that our ‘demand profile’ reveals that the majority of crime takes place within the East of the borough

It is also worthy of note that Merton is one of the boroughs affected by low crime rates within the MPS. As of last week the MPS had suffered 204918 Crimes so far this financial year. Merton is one of 32 London boroughs and in comparison we experienced 3670 which equates to just 1.8% of all London’s crime. A more strategic view could be that in light of the low Merton crime rate many of the boroughs resources would be better placed in the high crime rate boroughs (Lambeth, Hackney and Southwark etc.). This of course is something I hope to avoid as it is my intention to keep Merton crime levels as low as possible.

In my short time here so far, I have worked hard to understand the demands and constraints associated with delivering effective performance on the borough. Historic and entrenched ways of working will not deliver the performance needed in the new economic environment. In order to justify the retention of our current officer/staff numbers we will need to demonstrate how we can be both dynamic and flexible in meeting policing demands ensuring that we re-focus our activities where the public needs us most.

As you are aware Merton borough consists of twenty wards. We have recently completed comprehensive analysis of the borough in relation to crime mapping. Based on historical annual trends supported by management information and recent up to date intelligence it is clear that 5 wards present a real opportunity to improve our borough crime performance: Abbey, Colliers Wood, Cricket Green, Figges Marsh & Lavender Fields.

Starting Monday 19th July the borough will commence ‘Operation Lockdown’ which will be focused on preventing priority crimes in these 5 wards. A headline for this operation is that I have secured central agreement that I can pilot the concept of SNT staff on the remaining 15 wards providing substantial assistance to the Lockdown wards (although still aligned to their local wards). I am very excited about this opportunity for the borough to demonstrate both dynamism and flexibility as the rest of the MPS watches to see how it will work.

Reading your letter I am obviously delighted that you are committed to, and demonstrate, such a strong desire to ensure that the police provide a good service for all Merton’s communities. I totally share this view. I hope that we will be able to rely on your continued support in the future. As requested I will copy both your letter and this response to the community safe email group for sake of both completeness and closure.

Yours Sincerely

___________________________
Dick Wolfenden
Merton Borough Police Commander

Dear Mr Wolfenden

Re: Crime and Anti Social Behaviour at Phipps Bridge

Thank you for taking the trouble to write to me on 3 July about some comments I made to a journalist who was at the meeting I arranged to help the police reassure local people about policing on the Phipps Bridge estate. I spoke to the journalist after the meeting, after the conversation I had with you, and after the letter of 1 July that I wrote to you expressing my concerns about the meeting, to which I have yet to receive a reply.

The journalist attended the meeting, and he clearly felt that the approach of officers at the meeting was not as good as it could have been. I mentioned, as I did to you, that in my dealings with your officers they had told me that they were rather too busy to help me, due to the Wimbledon Championships. I hope it will be clear to you now that this is a totally inappropriate message to give a local community representative. However, the tennis is not really the point.

My concern was not about the high priority given to the tennis – although I do regularly hear complaints about this – but about the impression that was given at the meeting that Mitcham was a low priority. Although we are all very happy that you have found the suspects involved in the stabbing, more than a hundred residents would not have attended the meeting if they were not concerned about far wider issues. Specifically, they were concerned about numerous criminal and anti-social acts in the area by the same group of young men, including a drive-by shooting, various acts of intimidation, and an assault on a drinker.

As I explained to you on the phone and in my letter of 3 July, the response of officers at the meeting was to argue about the semantics of whether the group committing these acts was a gang or not. However, the truth is that if the police had identified that they were a problem and had dealt with them appropriately, the stabbings would not have taken place. Arguing about semantics was, therefore, seen by people at the meeting as unnecessarily argumentative, and as complacent.

Moving to your point about your recent examination of the Borough’s deployment profile, I would be grateful if you could let me have a copy of this profile. I am pleased that you believe the East of the Borough is as well serviced as the West, and should like confirmation from you that the deployment of resources is linked to the rate of crime in each neighbourhood. As you know, the crime rate in the East is approximately twice the rate of the West, and the rate in Cricket Green is roughly three times greater than in most of Wimbledon. Therefore for you to be satisfied that Mitcham “suffers no detriment in resource allocation”, I assume your figures will show that deployment is roughly three times greater in Phipps Bridge than in the West of the Borough, and roughly double in the rest of my constituency. Can you confirm that this is correct?

Finally, I can assure you I am absolutely determined in my efforts to ensure the police provide good public services for all of Merton’s communities. This is why I arrange regular opportunities for officers to promote their work at events I organise in Mitcham and Morden. Sometimes this is in response to particular crimes, but I have also arranged numerous meetings to introduce residents to their Safer Neighbourhood Teams, or to publicise the police’s ability to help deal with crime and anti-social activities in certain hotspots.

In this spirit, I will be contacting you separately in order to arrange a meeting in the Armfield Crescent area, where residents are worried that gang activity (or something very similar to gang activity) led to a separate shooting incident just over a week ago. It would be really good if the local police service could use this opportunity to show that they desperately care about our local residents and have a proper plan to ensure residents feel safer in their own neighbourhoods.

I hope that this is helpful, and look forward to your reply to this letter and that of 1 July. Since you have copied your correspondence to the Merton Community Safe email group, I am happy for you to circulate this letter to the same recipients on my behalf, or for you to let me have their details in order for me to email them all separately. I will, of course, only use those details for this purpose and not for any other reasons.

Yours sincerely,




Siobhain McDonagh

Merton Police Borough Commanders reply to Siobhain McDonagh MP over the Wimbledon Guardian Headline dated 1st July 2010

Dear Ms McDonagh,

I am writing to you in order to express my concern in relation to the quotes apparently attributed to you within Thursday’s (1st July) Wimbledon Guardian: Headline “MP hits out at Mitcham Police after shooting and triple stabbing.”

Within the article you are quoted:- “Do they [the police] care at all? It seems they’re more bothered policing the All England Club than they are about the lives of people in Mitcham. Three people have been stabbed and less than a year earlier; a teenager was seriously injured in a drive-by-shooting. But the police want to argue over the semantics of what gang means.”

First and foremost our efforts are specifically directed at trying to keep ‘all’ Merton residents and those who frequent the borough as safe as possible. As you are aware London can present logistical challenges in relation to policing large and significant events. Over the course of any calendar year this borough will be expected to supply officers to help police these events which are held at various locations off the borough. The All England Tennis Championships are no different and we rely on reciprocal arrangements where significant numbers of external resources from other boroughs are drafted in to assist. The planning and preparation for the event is both thorough, detailed and takes into account the ongoing policing needs of the borough to ensure our day-to-day borough policing commitment is always maintained.

Within the article you make reference to instances of serious assaults which have been committed within your constituency. The police responded quickly and have charged an individual. I have met the victims and the family members who (contrary to the article) feel that Merton police have done a good job. For some time now we have been considering the intelligence picture which informs our deployment of resources. An examination of the borough’s most recent deployment profile reveals that the East (Mitcham) side of the borough is well serviced by deployable proactive resources (extra officers) and suffers no detriment in resource allocation when compared to the West side of the borough (Wimbledon).

I must confess that I am struggling to understand what point you are trying to make in relation to the ‘semantics of gangs’ issue, suffice to say that (no doubt like yourself) I have no time for men of violence. Whether or not individuals are ‘gang’ affiliated, I can assure you that the police are doing what they reasonably can to prevent and detect such instances of serious harm.

Although I am immensely proud of the work that is conducted on a daily basis by the officers on Merton borough, I don’t for one minute think that the police get it right on every occasion and there are always improvements that can be made. Rest assured that (contrary to your comments within the article) we actually do care very much and it’s because we care that irresponsible & sensationalised media coverage such as this can have a significant impact on staff morale.

Finally I welcome the views, challenges (and hopefully) support of other key public officials and hope that we are all united in our efforts to try and provide good public services for all of Merton’s communities.

Yours Sincerely

__________________________________
Dick Wolfenden
Merton Borough Police Commander

July 2007
DRIVE OUT VEHICLE CRIME
Come and get your free ‘Secur-I-Disc’ tamper proof tax disc holder as part of an ongoing campaign to drive out vehicle crime in the Borough. The ‘Secur-I Disc’ tax disc holder prevents the re-use of a tax disc, thereby making it pointless to steal.
Merton Police Crime Prevention Advisor PC Greg HUNT said, "This is our final intervention of the ‘Drive Out Vehicle Crime’ campaign which has been a real success in getting the message out to the public to take valuables with them and to secure their vehicles. We hope the Merton residents will continue in this trend to keep ‘theft from vehicle’ statistics down”. Your local Safer Neighbourhood Teams will continue to run smaller more local crime prevention events within the Community”.
The ‘Secur-I-Disc’ tamper proof tax disc holder are available free of charge at the vehicle crime road shows run by your local Safer Neighbourhood Teams or by contacting your local Safer Neighbourhood Team. For further crime reduction advice contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team.

Your Village Team can be contacted by telephone on 020 8721 2457 or by E mail: village@met.police.uk

Thanks
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT.
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HAVE YOUR SAY! - Sent on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

Have Your Say on Policing in London.

The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) is consulting on London's policing priorities and are interested in the opinion of people and businesses in your ward. (Village)

The MPA would be grateful if you could disseminate details of the consultation to your ward contacts including Key Individual Networks (KINs), ward panel members and anyone else who you think might like to take part.

People can take part in the consultation by completing a short questionnaire online (www.mpa.gov.uk/publications/policingplans/haveyoursay/) or calling 020 7202 0063 for a paper copy or telephone questionnaire.

The Have Your Say on Policing in London consultation closes on Friday 26 November 2010.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer with the consultation.

Melissa Pepper
Research Analyst

Policing Planning and Performance Improvement Unit
Metropolitan Police Authority

Met Forward is the MPA's strategic plan to make sure the Met will:

fight crime and reduce criminality
increase public confidence in policing
achieve better value for money
To find out more go to www.mpa.gov.uk/publications/metforward/

Dear Ms McDonagh,

I am writing to you in order to express my concern in relation to the quotes apparently attributed to you within Thursday’s (1st July) Wimbledon Guardian: Headline “MP hits out at Mitcham Police after shooting and triple stabbing.”

Within the article you are quoted:- “Do they [the police] care at all? It seems they’re more bothered policing the All England Club than they are about the lives of people in Mitcham. Three people have been stabbed and less than a year earlier; a teenager was seriously injured in a drive-by-shooting. But the police want to argue over the semantics of what gang means.”

First and foremost our efforts are specifically directed at trying to keep ‘all’ Merton residents and those who frequent the borough as safe as possible. As you are aware London can present logistical challenges in relation to policing large and significant events. Over the course of any calendar year this borough will be expected to supply officers to help police these events which are held at various locations off the borough. The All England Tennis Championships are no different and we rely on reciprocal arrangements where significant numbers of external resources from other boroughs are drafted in to assist. The planning and preparation for the event is both thorough, detailed and takes into account the ongoing policing needs of the borough to ensure our day-to-day borough policing commitment is always maintained.

Within the article you make reference to instances of serious assaults which have been committed within your constituency. The police responded quickly and have charged an individual. I have met the victims and the family members who (contrary to the article) feel that Merton police have done a good job. For some time now we have been considering the intelligence picture which informs our deployment of resources. An examination of the borough’s most recent deployment profile reveals that the East (Mitcham) side of the borough is well serviced by deployable proactive resources (extra officers) and suffers no detriment in resource allocation when compared to the West side of the borough (Wimbledon).

I must confess that I am struggling to understand what point you are trying to make in relation to the ‘semantics of gangs’ issue, suffice to say that (no doubt like yourself) I have no time for men of violence. Whether or not individuals are ‘gang’ affiliated, I can assure you that the police are doing what they reasonably can to prevent and detect such instances of serious harm.

Although I am immensely proud of the work that is conducted on a daily basis by the officers on Merton borough, I don’t for one minute think that the police get it right on every occasion and there are always improvements that can be made. Rest assured that (contrary to your comments within the article) we actually do care very much and it’s because we care that irresponsible & sensationalised media coverage such as this can have a significant impact on staff morale.

Finally I welcome the views, challenges (and hopefully) support of other key public officials and hope that we are all united in our efforts to try and provide good public services for all of Merton’s communities.

Yours Sincerely

__________________________________
Dick Wolfenden
Merton Borough Police Commander

Merton - Driving out vehicle crime

June 2010
DRIVE OUT VEHICLE CRIME
Get your free car air freshener as part of an ongoing campaign to drive out vehicle crime in the Borough
Merton Police and Safer Merton are handing out free car air fresheners to motorists in the Borough with a crime prevention message written on it. The message on the air freshener is clear - STOP - All valuables have been removed whilst on the other side the message reminding motorists to remove all valuables appears.
Merton Police Crime Reduction Advisor Pc Greg HUNT said, "The Partnership is committed to keeping crime low by reducing vehicle crime. Theft from motor vehicle is on the increase and all too often the thief steals property left out on open display in the vehicle. These air fresheners serve 2 purposes, firstly that all items of value have been removed from the vehicle whilst secondly acting as a reminder to remove items of value from the vehicle. Taking a few seconds to remove any valuables from your vehicle may save you hundreds of pounds in repairing a broken window and replacing your valuables. This runs alongside the vulnerable vehicle scheme already being run by your Safer Neighbourhood Teams. If officers out on patrol discover something of value left out on open display in a vehicle they will contact the registered keeper and warn them of the likelihood of returning to their vehicle and finding that property stolen. This will either be in person at the time or by the Teams writing to the registered keeper if not local. This information may well be shared with insurance companies in the event of an insurance claim which may affect that claim”
The air fresheners are available free of charge at the vehicle crime road shows run by your local Safer Neighbourhood Teams or by contacting your local Safer Neighbourhood Team. For further crime reduction advice contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team.
For any further information please contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team via the main Met Police website by telephone or by e-mail. If you wish to become a member of Community safe and sign up to free crime alerts and news of what your local safer Neighbourhood Team is up to please contact them direct or join via www.communitysafe.gov.uk.

Your Village Safer Neighbourhood Team can be contacted on Telephone 020 8721 2457 or by E mail on village@met.police.uk

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT.

Your Village Safer Neighbourhood Team will be at the Windmill Car Park on the Common this Sunday 23rd May 2010 and will be able to carry out cycle marking and offer crime prevention advice. We will be there from 10.00 - 14.00 hours.

As the days are now getting warmer and you may have holidays planned, below is some straight forward advice to help prevent burglaries while you are away.

Most burglaries are carried out by opportunist thieves who will look for an easy way into your home. Around 20% of all burglaries are committed by people entering premises through an open or unlocked door or window, so it's a good idea to thoroughly check all doors and windows are locked and secure before you leave. Whether you intend to go out for the evening or away on holiday for a few weeks you should aim to make your home look as though it's occupied and someone is in, for example, don't close the curtains - in the day time it shows the house is empty. Even small precautions can help reduce the chances of becoming a victim of crime, leaving the lights, TV or radio on and using a timer switch can also help give the impression that someone’s home. Like everything in life, there are no guarantees, but by following a few simple rules may make all the difference in deterring that potential burglar:-

Use the Royal Mail's “keepsafe” service - they keep your mail for up to 2 months while you're away. Mail sitting on your doorstep is a sign that you are away
Cancel the delivery of milk and newspapers.

Disconnect the telephone answering machine, or re-word your greeting message to give the impression that you are only temporarily unable to answer.

Ask a neighbour, friend or relative to keep an eye on your home for you, collect your post, open and close the curtains and if possible park their car on your driveway.

Cut the lawn and trim back plants before you go away.

Don't put your home address on your luggage when you are travelling to your holiday destination. A house number and postcode will suffice if you want to label your luggage.

If you normally leave valuable bicycles or similar items in your shed, consider putting them in the house.

Make sure that you lock all outside doors and windows & set your burglar alarm if you have one.

If you do not have an alarm, consider investing in a dummy alarm box. It may well be enough to deter the opportunist thief.

If you see anything suspicious while your neighbours are away, call 999 in an emergency or for non emergency, call your local Safer Neighbourhood Team.

The Village Team can be contacted on Telephone 020 8721 2457 or E mail Village@met.police.uk

For further advice go to http://www.met.police.uk/crimeprevention/burglary.htm
http://www.metbumblebee.org/images/operation_bumblebee.jpg
www.metbumblebee.org <http: />

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
T:020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

Police events this weekend.

Your Village Safer Neighbourhood Team will be holding a Police drop in
surgery this Saturday 1st May between 10.00 and 11.00 hours at the
Lighthouse Restaurant on the Ridgway where you can call in to meet your
local Police Team to discuss any issues or concerns you may have.

On Sunday 2nd May we will be at the Windmill Car Park on the Common
between 10.00 - 14.00 hours where we will be carrying out cycle marking
and offering crime prevention advice.

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
T:020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

April 2010
DRIVE OUT CAR CRIME
Get your free ‘Don’t Bother’ kit as part of an ongoing campaign to drive out vehicle crime in the Borough
Merton Police and Safer Merton are handing out free ‘Don’t Bother kits’ to motorists within the Borough. Theft from vehicles accounts for 66% of all recorded vehicle crime. The don’t bother kit helps educate the vehicle owner to remove valuables. It also tells a would be thief that valuables have been removed from that vehicle.

Merton Police Crime Reduction Advisor Pc Greg HUNT said, "The Partnership is committed to keeping crime low by reducing vehicle crime. Theft from motor vehicle is on the increase and all too often the thief steals property left out on open display in the vehicle. The ‘Don’t Bother Kit tells the thief that everything of value has been taken from the vehicle. Taking a few seconds to remove any valuables from your vehicle may save you hundreds of pounds in repairing a broken window and replacing your valuables. This runs alongside the vulnerable vehicle scheme already being run by your Safer Neighbourhood Teams. If officers out on patrol discover something of value left out on open display in a vehicle they will contact the registered keeper and warn them of the perils of their actions. This will either be in person at the time or by the Teams writing to the registered keeper if not local. This information may well be shared with insurance companies in the event of a claim which may affect that claim”
The don’t bother kits are available free of charge at the Partnership Road shows through the year or by contacting your local Safer Neighbourhood Team.

For further crime reduction advice contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team
via the main Met Police website by telephone or by e-mail. If you wish to become a member of Community safe and sign up to free crime alerts and news of what your local safer Neighbourhood Team is up to please contact them direct or join via www.communitysafe.gov.uk.

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
T: 020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

Please take note of these recent local issues and share with family, friends and neighbours.

Bogus callers - There have reports of a female preying on the vulnerable and elderly purporting to be from social services then gaining entry to premises and stealing property. The majority of these offences have occurred in the Morden area, let’s not be complacent. Please check for ID of all callers and check on your neighbours to ensure they do not fall victim to crime, report all suspicious persons to police.

**********************************************************
Believed medicine scam-Leaflets are being distributed through letterboxes from a charity requesting unwanted medicines, claiming they can be sent to third world countries. The flyer is bright yellow with black writing. It indicates that members of the public should place any unused/unneeded medicines in a plastic bag and leave it on their doorstep on an allocated day. This is not believed to be a legitimate agency and there are serious safety issues with medicines being left on doorsteps where they may be accessed by children. We would advise that any such medicines are returned to a dispensing chemist. Again, please report to your Village Safer Neighbourhood Team on the details below.
If urgent dial 999.

Thanks
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
Tel: 020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

For some simple no nonsense advice on making your home less attractive to burglars, please see the attached short document.

I have taken this from the website www.metbumblebee.org where lots more useful information is available.

If you can, please take a few minutes to look at it.

Thankyou
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
E Mail: village@met.police.uk
Tel: 020 87212457

• Operation Bumblebee Advice. (58 KB)

This Saturday 20th March 2010 your Village SNT will be at the Windmill Car Park on Wimbledon Common between 10.00 and 14.00 hours.
We will be able to offer advice and provide booklets on burglary prevention as well as advice on preventing vehicle crime and cycle marking.
This week we have free satellite navigation wipes to give away that you can use to remove sucker marks from your windscreen.

We hope to see you there.

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC 795VW
Village SNT
E Mail: village@met.police.uk
Telephone: 020 8721 2457.

Burglary is one of the Village Wards priorities, as well as motor vehicle crime and anti social behaviour.
To assist Village residents protect their homes, we are offering personal visits to give advice on home security in order to prevent burglary. We also have booklets available giving 'advice on burglary prevention' if you prefer.
If you would like either a home visit or a booklet, please E mail us on village@met.police.uk giving your address and contact number. We will then arrange a convienient time with you to visit.
On line advice can also be found at WWW.MET.POLICE.UK/CRIMEPREVENTION.
This is part of 'Operation Bumblebee'.

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
T: 020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

Face the Public

Police and council join forces to answer your queries

Merton Council and the Police are joining forces next week (Wednesday 10th March 2010 from midday - 2pm) with the second 'Face the Public' event aimed at listening to your views and giving answers to your community safety questions.

As part of their statutory duty to speak to the public about these issues, Merton Council's chief executive Ged Curran and Merton Police Borough Commander Chris Bourlet are going around the borough over the coming months inviting people who live, work or visit Merton to come along and ask them their questions about community safety, crime and anti-social behaviour.

They will kick start the events next Wednesday 10th March 2010 in Wimbledon Town centre on the Piazza near to Morrison's Supermarket from midday until 2pm and will have the local Safer Neighbourhood teams on hand to speak to you too. Just look out for the reassurance bus and come and get involved.

Further events will follow throughout the year .

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
T: 020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

Please see below details of this months ongoing anti car crime initiative:

WIPING OUT CAR CRIME
Get your free sat nav dusters/screen wipes as part of an ongoing campaign to drive out vehicle crime in the Borough
Merton Police and Safer Merton are handing out the complimentary wipes and dusters to wipe away the suction marks left by a satellite navigation system on your car windscreen. Even if you have taken your ‘sat nav’ with you, thieves spotting a suction mark may break in to see if it has been hidden in the glove box.
Getting rid of the marks will hopefully deter criminals looking for the tell tale signs and reduce the risk of unnecessary damage and cost to your vehicle.
Supt Pete DOBSON Partnership lead for Merton Police said, “I fully support this scheme and I urge the public of Merton to secure their vehicles, keep them free of valuables and remove suction marks to help reduce vehicle crime”.
Merton Police Crime Reduction Advisor Pc Greg HUNT said, "The Partnership is committed to keeping crime low by reducing vehicle crime. The theft of satellite navigation systems is one of the highest crimes at the moment, so taking a few seconds to get rid of the suction mark on your windscreen may save you hundreds of pounds in repairing a broken window and paying for a new sat nav”.
Screen wipes and sat nav dusters are available free of charge at the Partnership Roadshows through the year or by contacting your local Safer Neighbourhood Team. For further crime reduction advice contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team.

Thanks
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
T: 020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

To help reinforce the current 'Drive Out Vehicle Crime' initiative, your Village Safer Neighbourhood Team will be at the Windmill Car Park this Saturday 6th February from 10.00 - 14.00 hours.

We will be able to offer vehicle security checks/advice as well as provide secure number plate screws to prevent number plate thefts. We will also be able to security mark your cycles if required as well as provide other crime prevention literature.

We hope to see you there.

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Wimbledon Village SNT
T: 020 8721 2457
E Mail:Village@met.police.uk

Message from Wimbledon Village SNT re Vehicle Crime.

** Free Number Plate Security Screws**

The Merton Police vehicle crime iniative is now going into the second phase - we are looking to safeguard peoples number plates which are still being stolen. The stolen plates can be used on other vehicles in the course of committing other crimes so it is important to prevent this kind of theft.
The following message is being sent to all communitysafe members.
The team can provide you with a vehicle security check, please contact the team for more information or number plate screws.

February 2010

DRIVE OUT VEHICLE CRIME
In the second of seven planned vehicle crime reduction interventions under the ‘Drive out Vehicle Crime’ campaign, Police across Merton are handing out free security screws to motorists for securing number plates.
Merton Police and Safer Merton are advising motorists to secure their number plates using security fixings to prevent them from being stolen. Once fitted, they cannot be removed using a normal screwdriver.
There has been a significant increase in the theft of vehicle number plates across the borough in the last few years with 11% of all recorded thefts in Merton being theft of number plates.
Acting Sergeant Dan WHEATLEY from the Raynes Park Safer Neighbourhood Team said: "Merton Police is committed to keeping crime low by reducing vehicle crime. The theft of a vehicle number plate may appear to be a minor crime but it is an inconvenience and causes a financial cost to the car owner. In some cases stolen plates are then used to facilitate further offences. The use of security fixings can prevent your number plate from being stolen. Merton Police are also investigating all such reports and speaking to all victims of this type of crime to ascertain the circumstances behind the theft. If reports are found to be false to avoid parking fines and congestion charging then robust action will be taken against those making that report.
Security screws are available free of charge at the Partnership Roadshows through the year or via your local Safer Neighbourhood Team.
For any further information please contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team via the main Met Police website by telephone or by e-mail. If you wish to become a member of Community safe and sign up to free crime alerts and news of what your local safer Neighbourhood Team is up to please contact them direct or join via www.communitysafe.gov.uk.

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
Telephone: 020 8721 2457
E mail: Village@met.police.uk

Happy New Year!

Just to let you know that recently, over night in the Village area there have been incidences of strangers going onto driveways, trying car door handles and front doors to see if they are open in order to steal your property.

This was identified by footprints in the snow. A dog unit managed to track to culprits so we know who they are.

As well as this, over the holiday period, a letter box burglary was attempted whereby a stick was used to try to hook car keys from inside the property. Luckily this was foiled by the occupant taking direct action and again the culprits were caught and arrested for burglary.

Therefore please ensure your vehicles are kept locked when unattended and that you remove keys from near your front door and that your front door is secured properly when shut.

We will be holding the first of this year's surgeries on Saturday 16th January at 10.00 - 11.00 at the Lighthouse Restaurant on the Ridgway to discuss any concerns you may have. We hope to see you there if you can make it.

Below I have included information on a new Merton Borough initiative regarding vehicle crime that reinforces what we are already doing. Please could you take a couple of minutes to read it.

If you seen anything or anyone suspicious please call us direct, alternatively if we are not on duty and you get the recorded announcement call 999 in an emergency.

Thank you
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
T: 020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

DRIVE OUT VEHICLE CRIME IN MERTON

January 2010
DRIVE OUT VEHICLE CRIME
In an effort to combat vehicle crime, Merton Borough Police in conjunction with Safer Merton are launching a ‘Drive Out Vehicle Crime’ initiative which will include a number of partnership interventions throughout the year, the first of which is to provide a property marking service for those living within the Borough that may well have received property such as sat navs that may well be used and left in vehicles.
Inspector Jim COOK from Merton Police said, “Vehicle crime is the one of the highest crime types in the Borough and a number of Safer Neighbourhood Teams have had vehicle crime reduction chosen by their ward Panels to work. We will be looking to raise the public’s awareness and offering advice on how they can help us reduce the incidence of vehicle crime. Over the coming weeks and months Merton Police will be carrying out a number of proactive operations against those involved in vehicle crime. Already the Safer Neighbourhood Teams conduct a large number of Automatic Number Plate Operations and will continue these with both uniform and plain clothes patrols in areas where vehicle crime is most prevalent. I would urge those living in Merton to contact their local Safer Neighbourhood Team and sign up to Community Safe to receive up to date news of what their local Safer Neighbourhood Team is up to. This is a free system and by joining it you can find out about crime alerts and what the Police are doing in your local area. You can join by either logging onto WWW.Communitysafe.gov.uk or by contacting your local Safer Neighbourhood Team direct”.
We take this opportunity to remind you all to:
Ensure cars are locked – this might seem simple but a high percentage of cars are left unlocked in Merton.
Don’t leave anything on view – you may know your jacket is empty but an opportunist thief doesn’t.
Take your sat nav out of your vehicle and clean the suction mark off the windscreen – thieves will smash your window just to check the glove box.
For any further information please contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team via the main Met Police website by telephone or by e-mail. If you wish to become a member of Community safe and sign up to free crime alerts and news of what your local safer Neighbourhood Team is up to please contact them direct or join via www.communitysafe.gov.uk.

As Christmas is fast approaching, now would be a good time to remember some simple security measures that could save you being a victim of crime over this festive period. I know most of them seem obvious but they sometimes get forgotten in the rush and excitement!

Vehicles:

Please keep valuables, including sat navs, shopping, mobile phones out of sight.
Remove sat nav sucker marks from the windscreen.
Keep your vehicle locked, even when parked at home behind closed gates.

Home:

Do not leave your house or vehicle keys near to the front door as they may be removed via the letterbox.
If you are expecting a parcel, ensure someone is in to recieve it or arrange for a neighbour to take it in for you so it is not left on the door step.
Do not leave presents on show indoors so they can be seen from outside.
Ensure windows and doors are locked when out.
Once you have opened your presents, do not leave the boxes on show outside, advertising your good fortune to criminals.
If receiving a new bike, please keep it secure, not just left unlocked in the front/rear garden.

If you are going away:

Ask a trusted neighbour to take your post in for you so it is not left on show.
Make your home look like someone is living there by leaving your curtains open, using timer switches to turn on lights and a radio after dark.
Suggest a friend or neighbour parks on your drive.
Get someone to replace dustbins and recycling boxes after collection.
Cancel newspapers and milk if required.
Set your burglar alarm.
Have a good time!

General:

If going out for the evening, please ensure you look after your handbag/coat. During this period there is usually a large increase in valuables (mobile phone/purses etc) taken from these, normally when they are left on the back of chairs or on the floor in pubs or restaurants.

If you or you children are lucky enough receive a new bike from Santa, we are holding a bike marking session on Sunday 27th December between 10.00 - 14.00 at the Windmill car park on the Common. We will easy to find.

Above all, thank you for your support throughout the year and we hope you and your families have a great Christmas and New year!
From your Village Safer Neighbourhood Team:

Sgt Adrian Sutherland
PC Tony Leworthy
PC Phill Reeves
PCSO Caroline Bedford
PCSO Michelle Seccombe
PCSO Kevin Hickman

T: 020 8721 2457
E Mail: village@met.police.uk

Dear resident,

At Merton borough we want to increase the numbers of volunteer police officers ('specials') who work with us to reduce and detect crime where they live. We already have 40 volunteer officers with the full powers of a constable who work with us in various roles from answering 999 calls to making their neighbourhoods safer alongside the safer neighbourhood teams.

Specials make arrests, deal with prisoners conduct stop and search and participate in police operations. I am working full time to train, support and develop our specials to make sure they have the skills and confidence to patrol our streets. Most of our specials have full time jobs and contribute some of their spare time to keeping our streets safe.

We can provide you with full police training, an experienced officer to work with you and develop your skills and the chance to participate in one of the most challenging and exciting jobs in London. If you are interested in finding out more then please drop me an email at VWMailbox-.msc@met.police.uk. Or phone me on my personal mobile 07919 044 056.

Kind regards

Ben Morrison
MSC Manager
Merton Borough

Please find below the annual headline crime figure for the last year in the Village Ward. I have also included the previous 3 years figures as a comparison. It is also available in graph format on the attached document.

As you can see, residential and non residentual burglary has reduced year on year, however there is still more work to do. Two new initiatives are the 'Home Security Scheme' and the 'Vulnerable Vehicle Scheme'.

This means that if we see any houses or vehicles on our patrols that look like they could be victims of crime e.g insecure or property left on display, we will contact the owner to make them aware. The majority of vehicle crime on our patch is still due to vehicles being left unlocked or valuables left on display.

Our priorities for next year remain:
1. Burglary
2. Motor vehicle crime
3. Anti social behaviour

Annual Crime Figures November 2009.

Crime 2006/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09
Burglary Dwelling 82 70 48 41
Burglary Non Dwelling 58 32 46 33
Motor Vehicle Crime 207 137 89 120
Assaults 63 34 42 52
Robbery 27 6 12 25

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
T: 020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

• Annual Crime Graph for Village ward. (76 KB)

There have been a number of thefts from motor vehicles of satellite navigation units, laptops, wallets and other property. These have all been from vehicles that are parked behind locked security gates where the vehicle has been left unlocked. Please can residents be aware that thieves know vehicles behind security gates are often unlocked and therefore an easy target for them.

Please protect yourself by locking your vehicle at all times and do not leave property on display to tempt a thief.

Police have forensicated all of the vehicles that have been broken into in the area and are looking to identify the persons carrying out these thefts.

The Wimbledon Village Business Association are holding a Christmas Shopping Event in the Village on Sunday 6th December between 11.00 and 17.00 hours.

Shops will be offering discounts, nibbles and drinks to get you in the mood for shopping!

Santa will be arriving at midday on horseback and will have his Grotto outside the Dog and Fox.

Full details of the event including participating shops and activities can be found at www.wimbledon-village.com.

We hope to see you there.

Regards
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Village SNT
T:020 8721 2457
E Mail: Village@met.police.uk

Please be aware of this Postal Scam that has recently been highlighted to us:

The following scam has been uncovered and been confirmed by Royal Mail. The Trading Standards Office are attempting to make people aware.

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 or 0906 6611911 (a Premium rate number).
DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.

If you do call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 02072396655.

Many thanks.
Tony Leworthy PC795VW
Wimbledon Village SNT.
T: 020 8721 2457
E mail: Village@met.police.uk