This year’s AGM was held at Hinchingbrooke Police HQ on 13th October 2011. It comprised the Chief Constable’s Keynote Address and Presentation of the Cambridgeshire NHW Awards for 2011. Some 75+ Cambs NHW Coordinators attended from 6.30pm and met with Executive Group NHW Members, and chatted with fellow Members prior to the Chief Constable’s Address at 7.00pm. Click Here to view the agenda items and reports.
After refreshments from 6.30pm, the evening commenced with a keynote Address by the Chief Constable Simon Parr BA (Hons).
(To view photos at full size double click on the photo image)
Highlights of the Chief Constable’s Address :
- The new structure of the Cambs Police Force will include a Force Inspector who will have County-wide responsibility for engagement with the public.
- There will be a special County squad set up called Public Protection. This will comprise Officers specially trained to deal with public protection covering areas such as domestic incidents, sexual abuse, child abuse and crimes involving suffering for vulnerable persons.
- It is proposed to use Special Constables in areas close to where they live to support staff deployed and/ or to deal with local issues such as parking near to schools.
- Civilian volunteers are being recruited with specialist skills such as I.T. This will be an expanding area of public service.
- “High demand” families can each cost society up to £360,000 per year for professional engagement. The Chief Constable wishes to concentrate on finding ways of dealing with and preventing this call on society’s resources. This will be a major element to his thinking and working in the coming year.
- He does not wish to criminalise youngsters who have taken just one small step out of order. Restorative Justice will be used to emphasise that this behaviour is not acceptable; regard will be taken to discover and deal with the cause; if this behaviour continues he will use the full force of the law.
- The force has lost some 50 mid rank and senior officer posts, as he has deemed it top heavy compared to other similar forces. All officers will now be expected to make their own judgements and to stand by them, rather than frequently having to refer upwards every action to a higher level for approval.
- In future police, will deal with more crimes over the telephone. Call-centre operatives will be trained to gain more relevant information from persons seeking police assistance than at present
- Officers will carry out more enquiries over the phone for incidents that do not require a police presence on site. This will save a large amount of time and vehicle fuel costs. Any incident that requires an Officer to attend will still be dealt with by an Officer on scene.
- AGM 13th October 2011 ~ AGM Minutes (Oct 2011)
NHW Awards for 2011 were then presented to : -
Martyn Lord (Lode) - Award Citation
Martyn is an asset to both Neighbourhood Watch and the Police. His information sharing is second to none; he knows exactly what is going on in his area, and knows the most appropriate way to share that information. Martyn is keen to help his local policing team whenever possible, in Lode as well as surrounding villages, and he has assisted with distributing posters and leaflets on a number of occasions. Lode benefits greatly from having Martyn as a resident, and he is a fine example to others of how a NHW co-ordinator can support the Police and the wider community.
Shirley Ablett (Cambridge) Award Citation
Shirley is always looking out for signs of crime in her area, and shares information about what’s going on locally with partner agencies. The local policing team regularly meet with Shirley to discuss ways of making the area a safer place for the benefit of others, and Shirley has a hunger and drive to help deal with local issues. Shirley has helped set up other NHW groups on the Abbey Beat in Cambridge, and her scheme is used as a template for others. Shirley sums up the very best in a working relationship between Police and the local community, and the support she has provided to her local team has contributed significantly to successful police operations on the beat. Shirley is now also a Green Inspector, reporting problems and issues to the City Council, and this further demonstrated her concern for the local environment and local residents.
Polly Wilderspin (Swavesey) - Award Citation
Polly is a terrificly hard-working NHW Co-ordinator who is extremely valued by her local policing team. The work Polly undertakes in her own time helps the team to focus their activities based on her feedback from the community. The team can also rely on Polly to signpost residents with concerns to the relevant agencies or police department, and in many cases she can resolve issues that do not require referring to an enforcement agency. Polly feeds information directly into the Police neighbourhood panel meetings, giving a voice to residents by bringing issues to the attention of the panel. Polly acts as a valuable go-between or intermediary for residents who perhaps do not feel confident to contact either the Police or Council, or who simply need advice on who to talk with. Polly has personally recruited village and street coordinators and has passed on her own experience and skills to them. In her own village nearly every street is covered by a NHW member, creating a large network of information for residents, Police and other local agencies such as the District Council. Polly’s work as a member of the Executive Group has also been instrumental in progressing NHW at a County level over the last year, and her drive and enthusiasm are much appreciated.
Other NHW Awards and Citations (not present on the night)
Terry Court (Wisbech)
Terry has shown a never-ending source of enthusiasm for meetings and proactive patrols, getting things moving on the estate where he lives. He has recruited 2 other proactive deputies, who also show great enthusiasm for the role. Terry has organised estate walks with his local PCSO, and keeps his members updated with any new happenings or information. His hard work is deserving of wider recognition.
Valentine Bolam (Wisbech)
Valentine is a very dedicated member of NHW. He is diligent, very proactive, and provides his local policing team with valuable information about what’s going on locally. Valentine attends every NHW meeting locally, and always has a valuable input. He is constantly reassuring his neighbours and keeping them up-to-date with events and incidents. With Valentine the local team feels that the area of the Crescent in Wisbech would quickly deteriorate. He is an upstanding pillar of the community, and a trusted partner of the local policing team.
Bruce Wood (March)
Bruce was Co-ordinator for the first registered NHW scheme in March. He has seen NHW evolve over the 28 years that he’s been a co-ordinator, and seen March NHW grow into an association. Bruce is well-known and respected in the area, and contributed immensely to NHW before having to retire this year – actively disseminating information in his neighbourhood on behalf of the Police and Neighbourhood Watch. Prior to retiring Bruce, ensured that he found four replacements to carry on his work – one of whom is now Secretary of the March Association – and this exemplifies his commitment to NHW and the local community.
