Semilong Neighbourhood Watch
Community Messages
[NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COMMUNITY MESSAGING - Northamptonshire West - 16.04.10 - ALL NHW GOOD NEWS 0295]
This is a message from Northamptonshire West Police to all Neighbourhood Watch members.
With the success of Operation Guardian, which has reduced burglary by 40%, a lot of new NHW schemes and members have signed up to the Community Messaging System. A number have expressed an interest in SmartWater Forensic Marking, which has been a key factor in our very significant reductions of serious acquisitive crime. As a member of Neighbourhood Watch or Residents Association registered on the Community Messaging System members are eligible for the reduced price SmartWater kit at £15 plus packaging and postage when bought in amounts of 10 or more. Northants Police strongly support Forensic Marking as a key part of our crime reduction strategy.
Any prisoner bought into our custody must check for SmartWater before being placed in a cell. All our neighbouring Police Forces have exactly the same set-up to deal with criminals who operate cross border. All property either recovered from suspects or handed in, as found property will be checked before it is booked into our property offices. Every patrol vehicle you see out on the streets and all burglary search kits have UV kit on board with an expectation of thorough use when checking persons, property or searching suspect's homes. Second Hand stores and Cash Converters in the area are being issued with UV lamps and signing agreements to checking property before they take it in. Trading Standards equipped with UV lamps are now visiting Second-Hand stores across the county as part of the Guardian High Visibility days you have read about in the local press.
Forensic marking is also a key part of our work focused on reducing acquisitive crime on burglary hotspots. We have a sustained drop in burglary on the Thorplands are of over 55% since we rolled out SmartWater as part of a crime reduction project in April last year. More recently the Lumbertubs and Lings areas of Northampton have seen a similar reduction in burglary dwelling against the same period last year. SmartWater was one of the key measures rolled out as part of that project.
We have had calls asking why others cannot have free SmartWater and the simple answer is, we wish we could give everyone a kit and make our job of cutting crime much easier. However we have to make the best use of very limited public funding and put that resource to work in high crime areas. If you live in an area suffering a lot less crime you can still purchase SmartWater at a greatly reduced price (£15 + packing and postage) as you are a member of NHW or a similarly recognised body. The kits can be purchased, preferably in batches of ten or more, directly from SmartWater (www.smartwater.com) quoting membership of your local scheme.
There many ways you can help us to keep your homes safer. Keep your doors locked if unattended (particularly when out cutting the grass in the back garden on the warmer evenings). Nearly a third of all burglaries occur at insecure properties. Keep valuable items out of direct view from outside your property. This is equally true of vehicles as well as your home. Again, most crime is opportune. The most important thing you can do you have already done by joining a NHW scheme.
Keep in touch with your neighbours and keep an eye on each others properties.
Thank you
Ref: WB/CMS/0295/10
**Northamptonshire Police Contact Details**
Emergency: 999
Dedicated Watch Line: 01604 XXXXXXX
Northamptonshire Police Switchboard: 101
Alternatively Call Crime Stoppers Anonymously: 0800 555 111 |
