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Wickhambrook
Community Police Officer
(C.P.O. 608 McKenna)
01284 774100 |
| CONTACT DETAILS FOR THE BURY RURAL SNT |
Are you aware of the
Community Intelligence Hotline ?
It's a voicemail facility based in the Area Intelligence Unit. Information can
be left anonymously regarding criminal activity or anti-social behaviour.
01284 774029
The number has been introduced as part of the Intelligence Initiative. |
Please visit this
link which will take you to the CRIME
REDUCTION information |
click the logo to find out more about Suffolk First |
My name is Brendan McKenna and I am your Community Police Officer
working from Clare Police Station (CPO 608).
I currently look after ten parishes, a list of which I have
included below.
I enjoy the role of Community Police Officer, which, I believe
is what the public believe policing is all about, but it is
only with the support of our local community that we can be
effective in our fight against crime.
We are very fortunate in that we live in one of the safest counties
in England, with a very low crime rate. However, please let's
not get complacent. As you may be aware, Suffolk is aiming to
be the safest county in England by the year 2005. We are currently
on course to reach this goal but we do need everyone to play
their part in helping us to achieve this aim.
Wickhambrook has suffered a number of thefts from garden sheds
and out-buildings. We normally remember to lock our homes but
how many of us forget about our sheds and out-buildings?!
If you wish to purchase locks and shed alarms or other security
equipment, then please feel free to call in at Haverhill Police
Station or Bury St Edmunds Police Station where there is a wide
variety of these items on sale. |
| Community Watch Liaison
Officer |
Diane Townsend |
01284 774499 |
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Local Community Police Officer |
P.C. Brendan McKenna 608 |
01284 774100 |
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Wickhambrook Neighbourhood
Watch |
All Co-Ordinators |
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| Would you like to be a Special Constable? |
| We are currently seeking Special Constables to
work in the rural area, working within your community. If you
can spare a few hours a week and would like to help keep your
community crime free, then please contact myself on 01284 774100
or the Suffolk Police Western Area Headquarters on 01284 774099. |
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P.C. Brendan McKenna
covering the parishes of
Stradishall, Wickhambrook, Lidgate, Ousden, Cowlinge, Depden,
Hargrave, Stoke by Clare, Wixoe, Hundon
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P.C. McKenna frequently attends Parish Council meetings to report
on local police matters and is particularly concerned to reduce the
crime which is degrading the quality of village life. P.C. McKenna
can be contacted through his ex-directory number at the Clare Police
Office and would request that this number be used to report all incidents
of anti-social or criminal behaviour in, on or around our community.
P.C.
Brendan McKenna direct
01284 774100 (CPO 608)
Please note down this number. This is not the '01284' (Bury St Edmunds)
number shown in the telephone directory for the Clare Police Station.
That merely puts you through to a semi-automated County Force message
handling and control system - an up-market answering machine. This
'01284 774100' number rings directly in P.C. Control Office who will
put you directly through to C.P.O. McKenna's radio and will be answered
by him or, during his off-duty times or when he is out of the office,
it will take a message which he, will receive personally within a
fairly short time. You can also ask for C.P.O. Spraggons (PC 411)
who covers the other Haverhill rural section. IF THE MATTER NEEDS
DEALING WITH URGENTLY please do not ask for a specific Officer. Whoever
is available will then pick up the message immediately.
He isn't on duty 24 hours a day, but he will receive and use the information
at the first opportunity. So he asks - "Please don't put the
phone down - leave a message - anonymously if you wish". Simply
say what you know, or what you think you know, or what/who you suspect
- or, if leaving messages on answering machines is not your favourite
pastime, just leave your phone number so that he can call you back.
He wants to help us - now it's up to us.
One exception he has mentioned. If you hear or see any criminal activity
actually happening, such as windows being broken, it is likely that
the criminals are still nearby. In that case, don't hesitate - dial
'999' immediately. The Police will respond. It probably won't
be P.C. McKenna, but they will not be peeved if it is too late to
catch anyone. '999' is not simply for life-threatening emergencies
such as road accidents. It's to summon rapid Police assistance in
all situations. |
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Some
'Frequently Asked Questions' |
| Question |
Answer |
| If I see something shouldn't I just tell
someone who's involved with the particular venue, i.e. the MSC
- someone on the committee? Won't they deal with it? |
No. There's nothing better they could do except
relay the information on to P.C. McKenna, and that simply adds
delays |
| Won't I get my windows smashed
in by these vandals if I report them? |
No. P.C. McKenna has given an assurance of
complete confidentiality and care in using any information given
to him. |
| But I don't know the names of
these troublemakers - what good is that? |
Any information is useful. Names are ideal
of course, but descriptions, now many involved, when things
were first noticed, could they be Wickhambrook people or from
elsewhere - no matter how vague, uncertain or secondhand the
information, let P.C. McKenna put the pieces of the jigsaw together. |
| But suppose several people report
the same thing - won't P.C. McKenna get annoyed? |
No. He welcomes all reports. The more an incident
is reported, the stronger the evidence that the incident has
had a wide impact. |
| Can't we just leave it to someone
else to report these things? |
If you want to leave it to 'someone else' but
that simply takes the crime one step further away from being
solved. |
| But what if I don't really know
who was involved. Suppose I'm acting on prejudice. Suppose I'm
dropping some poor innocent into trouble. Isn't it better to
keep quiet? |
Let P.C. McKenna use his professional
judgement to filter the information he's given. He will handle
it properly, sensitively, professionally and discreetly. But
he cannot work in a vacuum. |
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