Hertsmere News Summer 2012 - Hertsmere Borough Council

Community safetyStaying safeHertsmere is still one of thesafest places to live and greatpartnership workingbetween the counciland police goes fromstrength to strength.Over the last year,crime overall has fallenby 3% – that’s 181fewer victims of crime, with bigCrime hasfallen by3%inroads made into areas that concernpeople the most – house burglary wasdown by 145 incidents (29%), carcrime down by 22 incidents and theftfrom a person down by 11 incidents.Be a goodneighbourDid you know thatmore than half of theborough is coveredby a NeighbourhoodWatch scheme?There are 748volunteer-run schemeswhich help to keep Hertsmere a safeplace to live. Schemes are made up ofsmall groups of residents who look outfor signs of crime and share informationwith each other, the local police andthe council.In February around 100 coordinatorsattended the Hertsmere BoroughWatch Conference in Borehamwood,which included presentations aboutHertsmere’s Community SafetyPartnership and what it does to helpkeep the borough safe.The ‘Good Neighbour Awards’ werealso presented on the night. These goto Neighbourhood Watch coordinatorswho go above and beyond what isexpected of them.This year’s winners are MauriceSilverman from Borehamwood,Joanna Reid from Borehamwood, andJohn and Monica Law from Bushey.For more information aboutNeighbourhood Watch and how tojoin a scheme, please visit www.owl.co.uk or call police on 01707 354192.Award for successThe team behind a multi-agencyinitiative, which led to a dramaticreduction in crime and anti-socialbehaviour in Hertsmere last summer,has been given a prestigious award.The community safety team atHertsmere Borough Council were amongthe recipients honoured at the PoliceAuthority’s Safer Neighbourhood Awardsin May for their involvement in OperationBracken. The operation was launchedfollowing a spate of criminal damageand anti-social behaviour incidents in theCowley Hill, Hillside and Brookmeadowwards of Borehamwood.Council officers worked alongsideHertfordshire Police, the British TransportPolice, and a range of other partners, ona number of activities including a prisonworkshop where youngsters got a taste oflife inside and took part in role-plays tounderstand how their behaviour impactsCommitted to safetyCommitted Police Community Support to Officers safety(PCSOs) will continue to be out andabout in Hertsmere after a fundingagreement was renewed for theseventh year running.The council is continuing its £128,000contribution to local policing for 2012/13,with Hertfordshire Constabulary pledgingto contribute the same amount.The council’s money pays for theequivalent of 4.5 PCSOs and overallHertsmere has 24 PCSOs covering thepatch. Maintaining PCSO numbers wasidentified as a priority by residents in asurvey conducted by the council at theend of 2010.The community safety team at HertsmereBorough Council were among those honouredat the Safer Neighbourhood Awardson other members of the community.The Michael Fogarty Award, namedafter Inspector Michael Fogarty whodied suddenly aged 48 in 2006, is givenannually to the best example ofproblem-solving in the force.Councillor Charles Goldstein, portfolioholderfor community safety, said:“This award is richly deserved as it showsall that can be achieved through closepartnership working with the police andother agencies. As a council, we want tocreate a happy, safe community for allresidents, including our young people.“Through this initiative, we haveencouraged more young people to enjoywhere they live and steer those at risk offalling into crime, back on the right course.”Hertsmere Borough Council’s ChiefExecutive Dr Donald Graham (L) with ChiefInspector for Hertsmere Dean Patient6 Summer 2012 Hertsmere News www.hertsmere.gov.uk