Meeting : 20th October 2005
A huge thank you to the people who helped on the night and also with spreading the word regarding the Neighbourhood Watch meeting on Thursday 20th October at the United Reformed Church Meeting Room. We had a wonderful turnout of over 65 people. The evening started with Diane Townsend, our Community Watch Liaison Officer giving a talk about Neighbourhood Watch and how it can benefit our community. This was followed by our Community Police Officer, Brendan McKenna talking to us about the crime figures for our village, his role within the Police Force as a rural policeman and how we can work together in bringing crime down in Wickhambrook. CPO McKenna has been policing Wickhambrook since February having taken over from CPO Martin England. He was joined by Sergeant Colin Clarke who has been involved with Wickhambrook in various capacities for over 15 years and who was also able to give us a very good historical picture of rural crime and in particular in relation to Wickhambrook. These talks generated lots of questions and debate which we hope gave everyone the opportunity to have their say and to establish what problems there have been in the past with Neighbourhood Watch, how they have been addressed and more importantly, how we are moving forward today.

This was followed by an interesting demonstration by Bernard Plume, the Crime Prevention Officer, on how we can help to safeguard ourselves and our property with items that were for sale, ranging from cycle marking packs, mini PIR alarms, personal attack alarms, etc. A full list of the items (which can be purchased at a vastly reduced price) is on the Wickhambrook website www.wickhambrook.org. Alternatively, contact one of the new Co-Ordinators who will be able to provide you with information or call into Haverhill Police Station. A wide range of leaflets were also available with helpful hints and tips on many aspects of crime prevention.

One of the most important aspects of Neighbourhood Watch and combating crime generally is the distribution of information. An important step forward on this front is a new scheme called Police Direct. Police Direct is a new and exciting messaging system and Suffolk Constabulary is the first force in the country to use it to keep people informed about local policing issues. It is a FREE way for ANYONE to get information and you can opt to receive your messages by text to your mobile phone, email or voice message. If you would like to register, there are leaflets available at the Shop and Post Office for you to complete the form or you can visit the website www.suffolk.police.uk and click on the Police Direct logo. If you want the text service only, text Police followed by a space and your postcode to 88588. You can also call the Police Direct Team on 01284 774068.

We had about a dozen people sign up to be Co-ordinators at the meeting which was fantastic. We will be getting together soon to establish the schemes and will let you all know more in due course. Each Co-Ordinator is covering a small number of houses as we think this will make the scheme very successful and so if you are interested in becoming a Co-Ordinator then we would be very pleased to hear from you. Many of you will soon receive your packs of information on being a Neighbourhood Watch member thanks to the new Co-Ordinators that have signed up. We will also be keeping you informed via newsletters, the Scene and the Wickhambrook website. Crime updates are put onto our website together with lots of other useful information, ie helpline telephone number for Anglian Water bogus callers, etc.

If you are interested in joining the scheme or would like more details then you can email us through the Wickhambrook website: nwatch@wickhambrook.org or contact Diane Townsend (Community Watch Liaison Officer) Tel: 01284 774499 Email: diane.townsend@suffolk.pnn.police.uk