Neighbourhood Watch
To contact the police in emergency situations where immediate police attendance is required – dial 999To report crime or other incidents where an immediate Police attendance is not required – dial 08453 700700
Community Beat Officer (Police Constable) – PC 577 Lyndon Harris – Direct Dial – 01327 303262 – lyndon.harris@northants.police.uk
Police Community Support Officer – PCSO 7044 Norman Bareham – Direct Dial – 01327 303326 -norman.bareham@northants.police.uk
Welcome to our latest newsletter. Regular visits to our website will help keep you up to date with much of the news and information about policing activities across the county. However, we hope these bulletins will highlight specific news and initiatives that will be of interest to you.
CRIME DOWN BY NEARLY SIX PER CENT
We are always pleased to report improvements in crime figures because it means there have been fewer victims of crime in our county. Between April 2008 and March 2009, crime in Northamptonshire fell by 5.9 per cent – the fifth successive year that crime has come down.
The number of reported offences fell from 63,567 to 59,904, which is 3,753 fewer offences – and victims – than in the previous year. Vehicle crime fell by four per cent and criminal damage was down by 7.8 per cent. Commercial burglary fell by 8.7 per cent, although house burglaries rose by 7.1 per cent.
Reports of anti social behaviour have also fallen significantly, with 8284 fewer incidents recorded last year – a fall of 13 per cent. For more information, see the News section on our website or click here:http://www.northants.police.uk/default.aspx?id=966
LOCAL INFORMATION
Don’t forget you can also get regular local crime figures and trends via our website, in the ‘crime mapping’ section. Using your postcode, you can find out the number of crimes for your local area, for the most recent three-month period.
The maps are designed around ward boundaries and provide headline figures for overall crime, as well burglary, theft and robbery, vehicle crime, violence and anti-social behaviour. The data is updated every month and can be found either via our website home page or at http://northants.crimemapper.co.uk/.
You can also listen to monthly podcasts from your local Safer Community Team Inspector to find out more about what’s happening in your area.
THE SMART WAY TO PREVENT BURGLARY
The introduction of SmartWater into commercial premises and thousands of homes across the county is having a positive effect on burglary, and our officers will continue to roll this out to even more homes and businesses over the coming year.
SmartWater is a property-marking scheme that allows you to mark your valuable items, which then carry a unique signature. This means that lost or stolen property can be identified and returned to its rightful owner. It can also leave a lasting trace on a criminal that can link them back to a crime scene. To find out more, visit www.smartwater.com.
While SmartWater is a very effective deterrent, simply locking doors and windows can be too! We still find that around a quarter of all burglaries reported to us are because doors or windows have been left unlocked. So please remember to keep your property secured at all times and don’t leave valuables on display where they can be seen or reached through doors or windows. Don’t become an easy target for a burglar!