I would like to take this opportunity to give you a brief end of year update from Harold Wood Police Team.
For those of you who follow me on Twitter (
@MPSHaroldWood) most of this will be old news but, our year in brief. There is so much I have had to leave out but that is simply because the email could be too big to send!
From all of us at Harold Wood Police Team, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2016
We look forward to doing it all over again next year!
Warmest Regards, Sgt Charlie Routley
January - The year started off with the team’s
great work being promoted across the borough on posters. Of the 429 less
burglaries reported on the borough, Harold Wood saw a reduction of
almost 50!
February - A busy month
saw us dealing with repeated criminal damage at the Long Term Conditions Centre
in Harold Wood (damage costing over £10,000 in total).
During which, we located
the gap in the fence being used by the suspects and sorted out a DIY fix! (The
NHS have since installed a proper metal fence after an email from me
highlighting the gap.
Since this has happened we have had no further incidents
reported)
In February I also ran our 2nd #MPSHaveringLive which is a live
tweetathon of live 999/101 calls as they happen.
This is to give you an insight
into an average day for officers on our borough. If you haven’t seen any of the
tweets then search the hashtag on Twitter (Next one planned for February time.
Date TBC) The team also assisted in Op Cubo which targets uninsured drivers.
During this Op we helped to seize 9 uninsured vehicles off the roads of
Havering. We closed down a Cannabis Factory in Harold Hill, arresting the
suspect in the process.
March - Started with a
joint initiative with Havering Council and Trading Standards called “Protected
Streets” which saw the team knock on every door in several roads on the ward
and supply the residents with crime prevention advice and items such as
Timer switches and Window Alarms.
A further 8 vehicles were seized during
another Op Cubo and we launched our Virtual Ward Panel surveys which allows
residents a say in how we police Harold Wood
April - A notable rise
in residents reporting discarded Nitrous Oxide canisters around Harold Wood
began as the recreational use began to make national headlines. I’m glad to say
that this issue appears to have stopped now.
But the team increased patrols in
our parks and open spaces. I ran the London Marathon in aid of Richard House
Children's Hospice (Raising over £400 and proving that not all police officers
live on a stable diet of Coffee and Donuts!)
We also came to the aid of a
stranded motorist near the A12 who had run out of fuel and assisted with a
cross border operation in conjunction with Essex Police targeting criminals
using vehicles and crossing the Met/Essex border (M25)
May - The team
assisted with policing the general election. Several polling stations in Harold
Wood and Harold Hill.
We also helped with policing the WeRFestival which is
held in Upminster while I was drafted in to police an EDL march in Walthamstow
June - A very busy
June! The 1st of June was the day I officially became a Sergeant.
Having “acted
up” doing the role for a while. I put on another live tweetathon as
#MPSHaveringLive returned.
With myself and PCSO Steve Lee did our bit to help
keep Harold Wood clean by cleaning up the children's play area in Painesbrook
Park (which to this day is still graffiti free!) whilst Jade and Siobhan helped
the Friends of Harold Wood and Painesbrook Parks with a litter pick.
Following concerns raised from Harold Court
School we also continued
out patrols outside for parents who park dangerously.
Siobhan, Louise and Jade
assisted with Trooping the Colour in London.
We used the power of Twitter to reunite a lost phone with its owner and
I hosted several live showings of the BBC Documentary “The Met” during which I
facilitated Q&A sessions
Finally in June we attended Harold Court Primary
School Summer Fete during which the kids were able to try on some uniform, have
their finger prints taken and I ended up being gunged!
July - July started
with another Op Cubo
and 7 vehicles in seized for being driven without
insurance.
We helped an elderly resident who had been scammed out of thousands
of pounds.
Working closely with their family to get the correct support they
needed.
Another scam was doing the rounds which we also informed everyone about
via Twitter and email. If it sounds too good to be true….. that’s because it
most probably is!
July ended with us attending the Star Wars Convention held at the
Community Hall in Harold Hill. Arranged by a local resident (and ward panel
member!) the event was held to raise money for some very worthy local causes.
Craig tried his best to arrest the suspects but the force wasn’t with him on
this occasion. But he did help to bring crime prevention advice to a galaxy far
far away
August - We welcomed
our new Dedicated
|
25 July 2015 |
Ward Officer (DWO) to the team. PC Anthony Kiddle is an award
winning Wild Life Crimes officer and took over the mantle of DWO on a full time
basis following my promotion to Sergeant.
The team assisted in closing down a
Cannabis factory in Hornchurch and to Police VJ day in London. Anthony hit the ground running by
rescuing two stray horses and re homing them
September - The team had
some brilliant results with arrests and offenders being charged and taken to
court.
The warm nights meant that we extended our patrols in parks and open
spaces to address concerns about anti social behaviour as well as reducing
burglaries being reported at dusk. We also began helping in Romford Town Centre
on a 5 weekly basis.
Our first shift down there was an eventful one with
several revellers being dispersed under the anti social legislation (to avoid
starting trouble) and a colleague was assaulted. Luckily he was ok
October - During October the team conducted several
search warrants during which large amounts of drugs and cash were found.
Along
with the suspects being arrested, Anthony seized and re homed this little guy!
We welcomed two new members to the team who got stuck straight in with several
arrests
The team took part in the inaugural “Mayors
Charity Race” over Harold
Wood Park
where funds were being raised for two local charities and Louise brought in
some rather unseasonal cakes!
November - The team
assisted St Peters
Church with the
Remembrance Sunday Parade along Gubbins
Lane. We do this every year and it’s always an
honour to be part of the day
November also saw us increase our Burglary patrols at key times along
with delivering crime prevention via Twitter, Email, Leaflets and even by
Periscope (a live streaming app where we recorded a patrol).
Storm Barney caused
a bit of havoc with trees being felled across the borough and our thoughts were
with the friends and families of those effected in the Paris attacks
December - Our efforts
to reduce Burglary continued with further patrols, crime prevention advice and
even a video on Vine showing how you can use Christmas lights to avoid becoming
a victim of burglary.
Another live tweetathon was done on the 16th and the
bravery of my colleagues during the incident in Leytonstone left me in complete
awe and admiration!
|
4.15pm and it's dark, so leave a light on,
buy a timer maybe |
We conducted a Drink
Drive awareness morning operation at Harold Wood
train station to highlight the dangers of driving the next morning when still
over the limit.
Tesco at Gallows Corner donated 100 timer switches to us which
will be given to the most vulnerable residents in Harold Wood and Harold Hill
All that is left to say is that Harold Wood SNT wish you a very Merry
Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2016.
We are already making plans for
early next year to help keep Harold Wood one of the safest places to live in
Havering!
All the best
PS Charlie Routley 26KD
Harold Wood Safer Neighbourhoods Team
02087212509