Safety Zone plan for Gidea Park
On Saturday 27 September representatives from Havering
Police, Havering Council Community Safety and Trading Standards will be visiting 320 households in Gidea Park as the first step in
setting up a Safety Zone.
The visits will be to residents in Cedric Avenue, Dorset
Avenue, Hill Grove, Marshalls Drive and McIntosh Road.
Under the Safety Zone initiative representatives of Havering Council and the Metropolitan
Police provide crime prevention advice, equipment and security
coding kits.
Residents
are also encouraged to join Neighbourhood Watch which is known to have a
deterrent effect on criminals, especially burglars.
This initiative in Gidea Park is part of a programme
which will see a new Safety Zone set up in Havering every month as part of a
commitment to keep Havering a safe place to live, work or visit.
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Join Neighbourhood Watch
Neighbourhood Watch’s main aims are to prevent
crime, reduce the fear of crime, and improve safety.
Modern Neighbourhood Watch is about making sure
that no one has to feel afraid, vulnerable or isolated in the place where they
live. It's about people looking out for each other, crossing barriers of age,
race and class to create strong, cohesive communities that benefit everyone.
There are currently 23 Neighbourhood Watch Groups in
Gidea Park, Marshalls Park and Rise Park.
The roads covered are Ashmour
Gardens, Ayr Way, Beauly Way, Dorset Avenue, Glenton Close, Glenton Way, Greenock
Way, Heather Glen, Hill Grove, Horndon Road, Lake Rise, Links Avenue, Maidstone
Avenue, Merlin Road, Moray Close, Parkway, Saffron Road, Seaforth Close, Seymer
Road, Sorrell Walk, The Elkins, Wayside Close and Williams Close.
If you live in one of these roads joining your local
group makes it stronger and more effective.
If your road is not listed then forming a Neighbourhood
Watch Group is straightforward and can be done quickly if you and a few
neighbours are keen to help combat crime.
Neighbourhood Watch acts as the eyes and ears of the
community. It has been shown that Neighbourhood Watch areas are
far less likely to be targeted by criminals.
Displaying stickers on doors and windows is a good
way to let outsiders know that Neighbourhood Watch is active.
For more information on how to join
or set up a Neighbourhood Watch Group email Community
Safety.
To receive local Neighbourhood
Watch newsletters sign up here.
Find out more about Neighbourhood Watch here.
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Confidential
information
Crimestoppers
is a confidential way of providing information about known or suspected
criminal activity.
When you
pass anonymous information to Crimestoppers you're making a real difference in
your community.
As a
result of information passed to Crimestoppers nationally:
- Around 17 people are arrested every day
- During
2013-14 over £18 million worth
of illegal drugs were taken off
the streets.
You can
give information on 0800 555 111 or through our Anonymous
Online Form - both of these routes are completely anonymous and available
24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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Making Havering
even safer
Havering Council’s
Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Osman Dervish, said: “Havering is one
of the safest boroughs in London with low levels of crime but we want to make
it even safer, which is why we have launched this joint initiative with Havering
Police.
“All of
us can play our part by implementing some easy crime prevention measures to
protect ourselves, our homes and businesses, as criminals generally move on if
they can’t find a quick and easy way in.
“We know
that, working with residents, we can drive away the burglars, combat
anti-social behaviour and reduce car-related crime which are three issues
residents worry about most – this newsletter provides some ideas of how we can
reduce crime, and the fear of crime, in our community.”
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ASB down by a third
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) is any behaviour that
causes alarm or distress to another person not of the same household and the
good news is that locally this has fallen by a third in the first eight months of this year.
The year-on-year fall means that there has been 95 fewer victims of this crime in
Gidea Park, Marshalls Park and Rise Park compared to last year.
Reducing the level of ASB has been one of the top
priorities for the local Safer Neighboured Team from Havering Police which has
increased patrols in key locations.
Active Neighbourhood Watch Groups have also helped
by keeping the police informed of what is happening, showing, once again, that
by working together we can keep driving down crime.
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Autumn Nights campaign
Each year the Metropolitan Police launch Autumn
Nights, a seasonal awareness campaign to combat burglary, robbery and
anti-social behaviour.
Londoners become more vulnerable to burglars at
this time of year as the evenings get darker with burglars on the prowl for
valuables and cash, but some simple measures can reduce the risk of your home
or business being targeted.
Burglary,
on the whole, is an opportunist crime, often resulting from insecure premises.
A burglar
will select their target because it offers them the best opportunity to carry
out their crime undetected and with the fewest number of obstacles in their
way.
A
building, including a garage or shed, that presents itself as unoccupied and
insecure is far more likely to be targeted than one that is properly secured.
Check out
the Beat the Burglar article below for top tips on how to make your home
secure.
Havering Police’s
Safer Neighbourhood Teams will be increasing their patrols during this campaign
and will be paying particular attention around Halloween and the run up to Bonfire
Night.
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 Beat the burglars
Ten top burglary crime prevention tips for Londoners:
1. Mark or etch your property with your postcode, house or flat number or the first three letters of your house name.
2. If an item has a serial number register it here.
3. Do not leave your car keys, valuables or ID documents near a door, letterbox or window.
4. Always check who's at the door and don't open it if you feel anxious.
5. Close and lock all your doors and windows, even if you are only going out for a few minutes.
6. Keep your valuables out of sight.
7. Use timer switches to turn the radio and some lights on if it will be dark before you get home or if you are going away.
8. Fit a mortice lock to your front door and other external doors. Consider installing a burglar alarm.
9. Always keep sheds and outbuildings locked.
10. Cancel milk or other deliveries if you will be away.
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