Hertsmere Community Safety Partnership update

Hertsmere Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is a strategic body made up of local organisations that work together to make the borough a safer place to live, work and visit. The organisations making up the CSP include Hertsmere Borough Council, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Hertfordshire County Council, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, National Probation Service and the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board.

This newsletter provides an overview of the partnership activity between January and March 2025, and details of local services available to Hertsmere residents.

CSP Community Engagements

The Hertsmere CSP holds community engagements in hotspot areas that have been affected by issues such as crime, anti-social behaviour, rogue trading and scams. An engagement was held on Harcourt Road, Bushey, following an incident. A variety of agencies attend these events including Hertsmere Borough Council’s Community Safety Team, Community Engagement Team and Community Enforcement Officers, Hertsmere Police, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Beacon. Hertfordshire Beacon provide emotional support, signposting to other agencies and practical support, information and assistance to victims of crime.

Safer Streets engagements

Hertsmere Police and Hertsmere Borough Council’s Community Safety Team and Community Enforcement Officers have been out in Shenley and Potters Bar, visiting houses to speak to residents about burglary prevention and 'keyless' car thefts. Households with 'keyless' car keys were provided with Faraday bags which protect the signal emitted by the keys from devices used by thieves. Officers also signed residents up to the Herts Connected messaging system which allows subscribers to keep up to date with what is happening in their local area.

Residents receive free messages from the police, Neighbourhood Watch, the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office and Action Fraud. Once logged in, be sure to ‘edit your interests’ to ensure you receive the types of messages that are of interest to you. The messages contain information about crime and events in the area, local policing priorities and crime prevention advice. You can register now by visiting www.hertsconnected.co.uk.

Time for a spring home and garden security check?

Spring is here and Hertfordshire Constabulary has launched its annual crime prevention campaign to help residents make their homes, gardens and outbuildings more secure.

Warmer weather means people tend to spend more time outdoors, using gardening and leisure equipment, but burglars are also out and about looking for valuable things to steal. Any valuable tools, bicycles or other expensive items left out or stored in poorly secured outbuildings can tempt them.

Some tips to make your garden and outbuildings more secure:

• Always lock your shed, preferably with two 'hasp and staple' locks (one near the top and one near the bottom of the door) or use an alarmed padlock.
• Secure your rear garden by locking entry gates with a padlock.
• Burglars can use garden tools to break in, so make sure you securely lock away any tools after use.
• Ensure boundary fences are secure and in good condition. Spiky plants along garden boundaries are good additional deterrents.
• Tools and gardening equipment should be visibly marked with your postcode and house number - this can deter thieves and help police identify the rightful owner.
• Remember to lock your garage door securely. Metal ‘up and over’ doors can be secured with extra locks fitted either side and/or a floor-mounted locking ‘T’ bar with a closed shackle padlock. Wooden garage doors can be secured with two substantial ‘hasp and staple’ locks and closed shackle padlocks (your local DIY store can advise on the most secure options).
• Make access to the rear of your property difficult, keep rear/side gates closed and locked and ensure boundary walls/fences are in good repair.
• Keep wheelie bins secured so they cannot be moved or used as climbing aids.
• Plant defensive spiky plants under windows such as berberis, roses and pyracantha. Watch Hertfordshire Constabulary's defensive plants video.
• Most bicycles are stolen from home so ensure they are kept in secure sheds, outbuildings and garages. Consider installing ground anchors if you have a concrete floor. If not, look for security rated products specifically for wooden and metal sheds.
• Take extra security precautions for storing expensive bikes; it is recommended that they are security marked and registered at Bike Register.

For more detailed security advice, please visit Hertfordshire Constabulary’s crime prevention pages.

Advice issued to drivers following rise in thefts

Drivers are being advised to make sure their cars, vans and motorcycles are secure following an increase in vehicle thefts around the county.

Thefts increased by just under three per cent in March, compared to the same period last year, with 29 offences reported in Hertsmere.

To minimise the chance of becoming a victim, Hertfordshire Constabulary offers the following advice:

• Lock your car whenever it is left unattended and keep it in a garage when parked at night, if possible.
• When at home, keep your 'keyless' car fob (and the spare) well away from the car.
• Put the keys in a screened or signal-blocking pouch, such as a Faraday Bag.
• Reprogramme your key fobs if you buy a second-hand car.
• Turn off wireless signals on your fob when it is not being used.
• Never leave your vehicle unattended with the engine running, even if you are only absent for a moment.
• Consider fitting CCTV covering your home and driveway, to help to deter thieves.
• Use PIR or LED security lighting to make your vehicle more visible as this can also act as a deterrent.
• Always consider parking in a car park that has been accredited with the police approved “Park Mark” scheme.
• Noisy gravel on your drive can help to deter a would-be thief, as they don’t want to alert you to their approach.
• Never leave valuable items or tools on display in your vehicle as this may encourage a thief to break in.
• For security products for your vehicles, search the ‘accredited products’ page on Secured by Design, a police-approved website.

Coffee with a Community Enforcement Officer

The council’s Community Enforcement Officers have been hosting coffee mornings at 96 Shenley Road, Borehamwood. At these events, residents can enjoy some light refreshments and discuss local issues.

Come along to our next session; further details are available in the poster below.

Drugs and Alcohol Training and Awareness

Hertsmere Borough Council hosted a Drugs and Alcohol Training and Awareness day. The training delivered by Change, Grow, Live (CGL), the leading drug and alcohol recovery support service in Hertfordshire, covered general drug and alcohol awareness, Chemsex and how to administer Naloxone. Naloxone is a drug that can reverse the effects of opioids, which anyone can use in an emergency if they find someone who may be experiencing an opioid overdose. It can be administered via a pre-filled syringe or a nasal spray. Forty professionals, including council staff, elected members and some from local agencies, attended the training day. Further information about the support services offered by CGL can be found on their website.

Domestic Abuse Training and Awareness sessions

SAHWR Specialist Domestic Abuse Services delivered an online Domestic Abuse Training and Awareness session to 55 council staff, professionals and elected members. The purpose of this session was to raise awareness of domestic abuse and spotting the signs, the referral pathways and Clare’s Law.

Clare’s Law, or the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, allows someone to apply for information about a current or ex-partner if they are worried they may have a history of abuse and are a risk to them. Alternatively, it allows a friend or relative to make a request on behalf of someone else. Requests can be made on the Hertfordshire Constabulary website.

For support available for victims and survivors of domestic abuse, visit: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/domesticabuse.

Book a FREE Home Fire Safety Visit

The Turnaround Programme

Hertfordshire’s Turnaround Programme aims to improve outcomes for young people, aged 10 to 17 years old, on the cusp of entering the youth justice system by reducing the likelihood of further reoffending by providing support at the earliest point.

Turnaround is being delivered via Hertfordshire County Council’s Children’s Services. Their professionals are experienced, dedicated and highly skilled. As part of Turnaround, you will have a dedicated key worker who will look at what is happening for you and your family, co-ordinating support and interventions that meet your needs, all captured in an agreed action plan.

Joining Turnaround is voluntary and does not require an admission of guilt on the part of the young person. The length of support delivered will be dependent on your needs and subject to local processes.

Some of the things Turnaround can provide support with are outlined below (this is not an exhaustive list):

• employment & training
• improving school attendance
• support with alcohol or drug misuse
• undiagnosed educational needs
• parenting skills
• supporting with any issues in the family environment
• unstable accommodation
• dealing with problem behaviour
• mentoring
• talking therapies to support with mental health and emotional wellbeing.

The programme can also support access into other services as part of a co-ordinated, wrap-around support package.

Garden Waste Collection Service

The council only collects green bins from households that have subscribed to the Garden Waste Collection Service and display a sticker on their bin. To pay for your 2025/26 subscription or find out more, please visit the garden waste page. The subscription cost for collections from April 2025 is £50 for the first green bin, with a concessionary rate of £35 for those claiming Council Tax support. Additional bin subscriptions are £60 each with a maximum of three green bins collected per property. Important! Your green bin is for garden waste only.

Food waste collections

You’re now able to recycle your food waste weekly!

It’s hard to imagine that your plate scrapings, stale bread, mouldy food, tea and coffee bags, meat and fish bones can be used to create sustainable energy and fertiliser – there’s power in those peelings!

Simply put all food waste into your silver food waste recycling bin and place it with your other bins on your collection day.

Your food waste will be taken to a special processing plant in London Colney where it is used to generate electricity to power homes in our borough and produce fertiliser, which is used in farming locally.

To read our FAQs and find out more about the weekly food waste collection, visit the food waste page.

Check your collection day

Some collection days have changed; to check yours, please visit: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/bincollections.

Contact information:

www.hertsmere.gov.uk/csp

020 8207 2277