News 8 November to 14 November
Update from Colchester Community Policing Inspector Mirrington-French
 Inspector Mirrington-French
Last week was busy with Bonfire Night over the weekend and lots of firework events over the weekend and proceeding week.
Like with any events throughout the year, the focus for the community policing team is engagement with local communities and ensuring that everyone is safe during these events. We work very closely with event organisers and partners to ensure that public events are held safely and we often advise those managing events on how to keep their events safe and legal. A lot of this consultation and support is carried out during Safety Advisory Groups (SAG’s) which are held by the city council.
Unfortunately we do see an increase in calls for service around this time of year and most of this relates to increased anti-social behaviour. We do work with schools and businesses to try and reduce and prevent the increase in ASB by educating young people around how their behaviour may impact others and the dangers of playing with fireworks. We also work with businesses around the sale of items such as eggs and flour at this time of the year and the suitability of who they are selling these items to on Halloween. On the whole most of our communities do enjoy these annual events safely and lawfully and like most things, it is the minority of people that are ruining it for the majority.
Our engagement in the city centre has continued last week with multiple arrests including a male arrested on suspicion of burglary and another for a recall to prison. We continue to challenge those in breach of the public space protection order and will work with the council on any necessary enforcement. We completed 376 hours of hi-visibility patrol and completed 20 stop and searches in and around the city centre.
Our Hate Crime Officer has been out this week with Pc Patrick to raise awareness of hate crime and the processes around reporting hate crime and providing inputs to our colleagues who work within mental health settings.
We have been completing engagements and providing crime prevention advice in the wider community and have visited some of the following locations this week; Greenstead Community Centre, West Bergholt, Dedham, Asda in turner Rise, William Harris Way, St Johns estate, Stanway, St Annes and more.
There is so much going on that I cannot cover everything in my blog, but I hope that this gives an understanding and flavour as to what the team have been doing.
 Sgt Christian Denning of the Business Crime Team
As part of Op Sceptre, an intensification week focused on knife crime, our Business Crime Team is launching its Responsible Retailers campaign in Colchester.
Kicking off on today, Tuesday 14 November, the team will be visiting knife-sellers across the area to seek their agreement to sign a fresh agreement around the ethical and careful sale of knives.
Retailers visited include Robert Dyas, Sainsbury’s, TK Maxx and a number of outdoor pursuits shops. Officers were also moving throughout other areas of the city such as Tollgate and the Hythe.
 Officers supporting Remembrance day
Supporting Remembrance Day
Over the weekend our community policing team were deployed to support our partners from Colchester Garrison and Colchester City Council at the Town Hall and Colchester Cemetery for the Armistice day Ceremony and two minutes silence.
You can read about one of Colchester's retired Police Sergeants Dave Gillies history and how his military service helped him into policing.
Arrest after boy bitten by dog
A man has been arrested following an incident in Colchester where it was reported a boy was bitten by a dog.
It was reported a 13 year-old boy was riding his bike down Fords Lane at around 2.15pm last Sunday (5 November) when he was approached by a man and his dog.
It was alleged the dog then bit the boy on his leg leaving four wounds that required hospital treatment.
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Wednesday 15 November 1pm to 2pm
Harpers Cafe,1 Cage Lane Boxted Community Hub, Boxted, CO4 5RE
Wednesday 15 November 2:30pm to 3:30pm
Prettygate Pub, The Commons, Colchester, England, CO3 4NP
Friday 17 November 10am-11:30am
St. Margaret's Berechurch (Stansted Road, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8RA)
Friday 17 November 10:30am-11:30am
Oak Tree Community Cafe, Highwoods Square, Colchester CO4 9BB
Friday 17 November 1pm - 2pm
Ali's BBQ House (The Parade, Colchester, England, CO2 8LY)
Monday 20 November 10am - 11am
Lakelands Centre, 2 Western Approach, Stanway, Colchester CO3 8DX
 Preventing car and vehicle theft
Don't let thieves get an easy ride.
Lock your vehicle
Locking your vehicle, even when filling up or parked on your drive, greatly reduces the possibility of it being targeted by an opportunist thief. Even if you have locked your vehicle, check you haven’t left any windows or the sunroof open.
It is actually illegal to leave your vehicle running unattended while you de-ice it or warm it up in cold weather. If someone takes it while it’s left like this, your insurer won’t pay out because you won’t be covered.
If your vehicle has wing mirrors that fold in automatically when locked, make sure you lock it properly. Criminal gangs are looking for vehicles like these where the wing mirrors are still out because it is clear to them that the vehicle has been left unlocked.
Be fraud smart
Online Buying
Auction and online marketplaces are a great way to get a good deal. Most items are genuine, but fraudsters use these sites to offer high value items like electronics or designer goods.
Check the seller or buyer’s review history and feedback from other reviewers. Beware of accounts that may have been set up very recently with lots of favourable feedback that sounds similar.
 Can you tell me about the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, also known as Clare's Law?
The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme gives members of the public a formal mechanism to make enquires about an individual who they are in a relationship with or who is in a relationship with someone they know where there is a concern that the individual may be violent towards their partner.
This information may be disclosed via a request from a member of the public (Right to Ask) or be initiated by the police where a proactive decision is made to disclose information in order to protect a potential victim (Right to Know).
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