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Message from Angmering's PCSO - I have now been working in Angmering for three months and have been trying to build up links with the community and to try and provide a point of contact with the police. Together with Sussex Police, the main campaign I have been working on is 'Enough is Enough'. The aim of this is to tackle anti-social behaviour and under age drinking. I have also been involved with crime prevention days which have included car crime. This was to highlight that cars are easy targets and that valuables should not be left on show in people's cars. With the darker evenings, Operation Twilight advised the public to make sure their curtains are drawn, a light or lights are left on, and even perhaps a radio left playing if their homes are left un-occupied during the evening. This will give the impression that someone is at home and hopefully not make it an easy target for would be burglars. I would also like to remind the residents of Angmering that if they witness anti-social behaviour or anything suspicious they should report it to the Police on 0845 60 70 999. (Andrea Oakley)
PCSO Surgery - The Angmering Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) will be holding a "Drop-In Surgery at Angmering Parish Council Offices from 10.00am to 11.30am on Wednesday 16 November 2005. If you have any issues that you wish to raise, you can go along and speak to the Officer present. Mobile phone security marking will also be available on the day.
Sussex Police have divided the County into a number of Districts. Our own, Arun District (part of West Downs Division), is divided into Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) areas, allowing Sussex Police to deliver a more localised service to reduce both crime and the fear of crime. The District is headed by a District Commander.
Angmering comes within the "Littlehampton WA2" NPT area which also covers Beaumont Park, East Preston, Ferring, Rustington, Littlehampton Town Centre, and Wick. The area, which has an officer strength of 38 PCs, is headed by a NPT Inspector.
Each parish or ward within Littlehampton WA2 has an appointed NPT Sergeant. Angmering is also fortunate in having an appointed Police Community Support Officer (PCSO).
Chief Inspector Brian Bracher - Arun District Commander
Inspector Mark Hammond - Officer in charge of "Littlehampton WA2" NPT area. Email: mark.hammond@sussex.pnn.police.uk Phone: 0845 - 60 70 999
Sergeant Darren Pickering - Angmering's appointed NPT Sergeant. Email: darren.pickering@sussex.pnn.police.uk
PCSO Andrea Oakley - Angmering's appointed Police Community Support Officer. Email: andrea.oakley@sussex.pnn.police.uk. Primary Point of Contact: If you have any problems in the neighbourhood, phone PCSO Oakley on 0845 - 60 70 999. Secondary Point of Contact: PCSO Oakley can also be contacted if necessary through the Angmering Parish Council Office. Call into the office or phone 01903-850756.
- Issue of Fixed Penalty Notices for public nuisance under Chapter 1
Part 1 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001
- Issue of Fixed Penalty
Notices for Dog Fouling, littering and riding on footpaths
- Power to
request a name and address for Fixed Penalty Offences and Offences that cause
injury alarm and distress to another person or damage or loss of another's
property
- Power to Request the name and address of a person acting in an
antisocial manner
- Power to request a person to stop drinking in a
designated public area and to surrender open containers of alcohol
- Power
to confiscate cigarettes and tobacco products from young people
- Power to
confiscate alcohol from Young Persons
- Power of Entry to save life or
limb, or to prevent serious damage to property
- Power to seize vehicles
used to cause alarm and distress
- Power to seize vehicles used to cause
alarm and distress
- Power to require the removal of abandoned vehicles
- Power to require the removal of abandoned vehicles
- Power to stop
vehicles for the purpose of a road check
- Power to maintain and enforce a
cordoned area established under terrorism act
- Power to stop and search
vehicles and things carried by driver/passengers under terrorism act and things
carried by pedestrians
- Power to regulate traffic for the purpose of
escorting abnormal loads
- Power to stop a vehicle for emissions testing
The PCSO is an important person in our community. The PCSOs powers (see above) may be interesting, but they do not really give much insight into the intended rôle of the job. In the list below, Angmering's former PCSO, Emma Orpin, explains her wide and varied rôle:
Reduction of crime - Deterrent - Via high visibility patrols of
particular problem areas at relevant times i.e. pub closing etc
Reduction in fear of crime - High visibility - Patrolling at times
and in places where there are large numbers of people. This reassures and also
gives me the opportunity to speak to lots of people and meet young children
etc.
Intelligence gathering - Information is obtained via
conversation with Members of the public, or by observation. All information is
fed into the Divisional Intelligence Unit.
Combating Anti social
behaviour - By tackling groups of youths, and adults in some cases, taking
details, submitting intelligence, providing evidence for Acceptable Behaviour
Contracts and ASBO's.
Witness Support - Supporting Witnesses by
maintaining contact, picking them up and taking them to I.D. Parades, and
staying with them throughout the process, and keeping them informed without
discussing the individual case.
Neighbour disputes - providing
liaison to resolve neighbour disputes as quickly and possible.
Traffic
Issues - Reporting issues to Highways (In terms of road
systems/signage/lines etc)
Parking Issues - Full powers of a traffic
warden. Providing liaison for ongoing problems, referral to highways, issue of
Fixed penalties etc.
Community Liaison/businesses - To feed info
back to Sussex Police regarding issues, events etc and resolve any
disputes/issues asap.
Neighbourhood Watch - Regular meetings with
co-ordinators and residents. Contact and liaison with its local Chairman.
Recruitment of new co-ordinators in areas where schemes do not exist.
Schools Liaison/Intervention - Involvement with School Intervention
and Liaison Officers. Attend assemblies, provide lessons and intervene in
situations at school. Work with schools to resolve issues which have come up
for pupils outside school. I am also on the PTA of a local school.
Truancy Sweeps - With local authority truancy officer, stop check
truants found on normal patrol. Check reasons for being out of school. Inform
school and parents if necessary.
Youth Interaction (Scouts/youth
clubs) - Regular involvement with youth groups. Support events and provide
regular info for youths. Very informal contact sometimes reaps excellent
rewards.
Crime Prevention Advice - e.g. if a house is burgled in a
particular street, I will provide information to not only that house, but every
house in that street and surrounding streets to make life harder for the
burglars etc.
Pro-active Policing - e.g. if I notice criminal damage
somewhere, i.e. a hole in a fence panel, I will knock on the door of the home
and tackle the issue whether previously reported or not. I routinely deal with
issues I come across before they are reported. Another example would be
tackling door to door salesman if seen to make sure they are legitimate.
Parish Councils - Regular contact with the Parish Council to resolve
issues and provide another point of contact for myself in the community. I also
attend their meetings.
House to house enquiries - Carried out after
any incidents in the village.
Scene guards - Provided to maintain
the integrity of a crime scene so that Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCO) can
obtain the best possible evidence.
Traffic control - Provided after
accidents when blockages occur - to keep traffic flowing smoothly.
Missing person enquiries - Searches of the area etc. For example, I
recently was approached by a mum in the village who hadn't seen her child for
an hour or so even though it was raining heavily and he normally didn't leave
sight of the house. Within 5 minutes, six cars were searching the area and the
Police Helicopter was scrambled to search from the air. He was home within 2
hours.
Visiting victims of crime - To provide support advice and
reassurance.
Mobile CCTV - To capture evidence and monitor hotspots.
Police surgeries - Held monthly to provide informal contact and an
open invitation to the whole community should anyone wish to meet me, ask
questions, or report issues.
Stop forms etc - Any interventions
involve taking personal details which are held on record at Sussex Police.
Licensing checks - Off licences and pubs are checked to make sure they
are not serving anyone underage or intoxicated. Offenders are reported to the
licensing officer.
Alcohol / tobacco confiscation - Alcohol/tobacco
is confiscated from anyone underage etc. Parents are informed and the source of
the alcohol or cigarettes investigated.
Entry to save life/limb - If
someone is feared to be ill etc inside a property, and no response can be
raised, I can break in to save life, limb or property.
Section 59 -
warning and seizure - Those people who use vehicles in an anti-social
manner, likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public,
will receive one warning only when their behaviour is reported to me. If any
other complaint is received about themselves or their vehicle in a 12 month
period thereafter, I have the power to seize the vehicle.
Removal of
abandoned vehicles - Self explanatory.
Cycling on footpath -This
Is an offence. I do ask people to get on the road unless very young, or push
their bikes etc. If people refuse, I take details and issue Fixed Penalty
Notices.
Powers of a traffic warden - Self explanatory.
Taking children home - If children are young and out late at night,
or older children are misbehaving, I have been known to put them in the car and
take them home and explain their behaviour to their parents, or the fact that
11year old shouldn't be out at 11pm etc!
Liaison with Councils - To
resolve a whole host of community issues.
Fly tipping/Graffiti - If
a resident will supply a skip or paint and brush, I can ask the Youth Offending
Team to paint out graffiti or clear fly tipped rubbish free of charge.
Community Wardens also patrol the parish periodically. They are not part of Sussex Police but are part of Arun District Council's community safety initiative. They do not have the powers of either PCs or PCSOs but do act as eyes and ears in the community.
Arun District Council comment: "The Wardens play a major role in tackling some of the community safety issues faced by the district's residents by patrolling the streets of the district. Set up through the Arun Crime and Disorder Reduction partnership, the Wardens were a response to calls from the public that a more visible presence was needed on the streets of Arun. The team of two wardens work closely with Sussex Police to help advise people on ways to prevent themselves from becoming victims of crime.
Their presence has not only acted as a deterrent to would-be vandals and shoplifters, but has also been partly responsible for a recent increase in public confidence and safety - a recent Arun District survey found Arun was on balance a safe place to live, and 75% of respondents reported feeling safer as a result of the new Community Warden scheme. So if you have any concerns and you see the wardens, make sure you talk to them about your worries - in most cases they will able to help you themselves, or point you in the right direction to the people who can help.
For further information on the wardens, please contact the Community Safety Unit at Arun District Council on 01903 737500, visit the website at www.arun.gov.uk/communitysafety, or e-mail community.wardens@arun.gov.uk "
Crimes may be reported direct to the Police in the following ways:
Alternatively, you may report a crime anonymously by phoning Crimestoppers on 0800-555 111 (free call). To learn more about giving anonymous crime information, visit Crimestoppers website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org/giving/givinginformationoncrime/
Sussex Police are leading a pioneering project employing new technology to provide a solution to the blight of abandoned vehicles within the county. Operation Crackdown is a multi-agency facility designed to save significant costs by reducing the time a vehicle remains abandoned. You can read more about this initiative and use Sussex Police's on-line abandoned vehicles reporting form by visiting www.sussex.police.uk/operations/crackdown.asp
County Buildings
East Street
Littlehampton
BN17 6AR
Phone: 0845-60 70 999
Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri 10:00 - 20:00 Sat 10:00 - 18:00, Bank
Holidays 10:00 - 18:00 Closed Sunday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years
Day
Click on following links to access these websites for advice on crime prevention and related matters:
Sussex Police
Home
Office
Crimestoppers
Crime Reduction Website
Sussex Safety Camera Partnership
National Neighbourhood Watch Association
PCSO Emma Orpin, who was Angmering's PCSO until 4 August 2005, provides further insight into the life of a PCSO by sharing with us the contents of her notebook for just one day during April 2005:
"Arrived at Littlehampton Police Station. Looked on the system and updated my notebook as to current jobs in the Angmering area. Caught the bus to Angmering. Visited Parish Council to discuss recent criminal damage. Called on businesses in the village to start to tackle the parking problem outside the shops. Designed a form to obtain staff car registration numbers to identify who is clogging the limited waiting more effectively, and move them quicker. Visited an address at [...] Road. Problem with children playing in a ditch to the rear of the property. Adults also use it as a toilet. Phoned Arun District Council who are going to cost and obtain approval for fencing to restrict access to the ditch. Obtained complaints about animal carcasses being thrown in there, possibly from illegal hunting activity - i.e 4 deer hooves tied together thrown in there, skinned Badger found etc. Intelligence form completed. Visited [...] Close to follow up on complaint about mini motorbike. Issued section 59 warning. Phoned the informant who was pleased with the result. Visit to [...] Way. Having problems with youths exposing themselves and children kicking footballs at a property. Will add road to my patrol. Made informant aware of procedures concerning Anti-Social Behaviour. Carried out 2 homes visits to see youths who were named. Parents have "grounded" the youths for one month each. House to house enquiries at [...] Close with regards to an assault. Results obtained from householders, plus extra witness details obtained. Crime report updated, spoke with Officer in Charge upon return to the station. Spoke with householders at Bramley Green re criminal damage to their property. They have refused to report the incidents but have agreed to call me on mobile to give names so that I can deal with the issue more informally and submit intelligence reports in case other property's are being affected. That way Sussex Police will have a place to start looking. Provided some education as to the reasons why every incident should be reported. Found mother searching for son which prompted Missing Person Search. Within five minutes of calling up 6 other units were searching the area and the Police Helicopter was scrambled to search from the air. During my search on foot, I came across a very dangerous site containing chemicals. Children are playing here. Spoke with my area Inspector and E-mailed the Crime Prevention Officer for urgent survey and likely report to Health and Safety Executive. Also informed Environmental health, and advised the Fire Brigade who put a marker on the address."