Post by keith on Dec 10, 2011 19:42:56 GMT 1
THOUSANDS of people have agreed to be the "eyes and ears" of the police in the fight against rising crime.
About 30,000 people in Hull have joined forces to combat crime and antisocial behaviour in their streets.
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The newly launched Neighbourhood Network has brought together 120 community groups and residents associations.
With the backing of senior police officers and council officials, members will be kept in touch with the latest information about crime in their area.
They will then pass the information on to their neighbourhood, along with regular crime advice, using leaflets and regular meetings.
Chief Inspector Dave Rawding, who runs the city's neighbourhood police teams, said: "We want the members of the network to be our eyes and ears on the streets.
"We will impart information to them, but we want them to know we are here for them and will act on any intelligence they pass on to us.
"The network gives people a direct channel to us and the local authority, so they can influence the way public services are provided in their area.
"They will get regular news and reports. We will provide monthly police updates relating to the city ward in which they operate to tell them what we have been doing.
"This will include appeals for information and details of offenders brought to justice."
Members will be offered crime prevention training. They will also be asked to deliver leaflets advising people how to combat crime and appealing for help identify vulnerable people who need extra help.
Cliff Smith, who runs the Pine Neighbourhood Watch group on the Kingswood estate, said: "If this works as intended, it will be excellent. We want to support the police and show we don't tolerate crime and antisocial behaviour."
Les Paling, of the Park Neighbourhood Watch Group, which represents dozens of people in and around Ings Road, east Hull, said: "We are all feeling buoyed by the launch of the Neighbourhood Network. To- gether, we can make a difference."
The network has been set up after the demise of the Humberside Association of Neighbourhood Watch Groups (Hanwag) in October last year, when £220,000 of funding was pulled.
Hanwag was funded through a series of grants from Humberside Police Authority and the four local authorities across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.
It ran for 28 years and won numerous national awards for its efforts in bringing areas together to tackle crime.
Now, after police and council officials got together, neighbourhood groups across the city are saying they feel united to fight back against rising crime.
In Hull, although crime has almost halved in the past seven years, the latest figures across April to October show the number of offences rose from 2,586 last year to 2,780 this year, a jump of 7.5 per cent.
Although robbery and car thefts have dropped, significant increases in theft from cars and burglaries have led to the overall rise.
The network was officially launched earlier this week at Humberside Police's social club in Inglemire Lane, north Hull.
It also comes as PCSOs in the East Riding have been challenged to set up more Neighbourhood Watch groups.
Police are also looking to boost the number of Farm Watch and Business Watch programmes operating across the county.
About 30,000 people in Hull have joined forces to combat crime and antisocial behaviour in their streets.
.
The newly launched Neighbourhood Network has brought together 120 community groups and residents associations.
With the backing of senior police officers and council officials, members will be kept in touch with the latest information about crime in their area.
They will then pass the information on to their neighbourhood, along with regular crime advice, using leaflets and regular meetings.
Chief Inspector Dave Rawding, who runs the city's neighbourhood police teams, said: "We want the members of the network to be our eyes and ears on the streets.
"We will impart information to them, but we want them to know we are here for them and will act on any intelligence they pass on to us.
"The network gives people a direct channel to us and the local authority, so they can influence the way public services are provided in their area.
"They will get regular news and reports. We will provide monthly police updates relating to the city ward in which they operate to tell them what we have been doing.
"This will include appeals for information and details of offenders brought to justice."
Members will be offered crime prevention training. They will also be asked to deliver leaflets advising people how to combat crime and appealing for help identify vulnerable people who need extra help.
Cliff Smith, who runs the Pine Neighbourhood Watch group on the Kingswood estate, said: "If this works as intended, it will be excellent. We want to support the police and show we don't tolerate crime and antisocial behaviour."
Les Paling, of the Park Neighbourhood Watch Group, which represents dozens of people in and around Ings Road, east Hull, said: "We are all feeling buoyed by the launch of the Neighbourhood Network. To- gether, we can make a difference."
The network has been set up after the demise of the Humberside Association of Neighbourhood Watch Groups (Hanwag) in October last year, when £220,000 of funding was pulled.
Hanwag was funded through a series of grants from Humberside Police Authority and the four local authorities across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.
It ran for 28 years and won numerous national awards for its efforts in bringing areas together to tackle crime.
Now, after police and council officials got together, neighbourhood groups across the city are saying they feel united to fight back against rising crime.
In Hull, although crime has almost halved in the past seven years, the latest figures across April to October show the number of offences rose from 2,586 last year to 2,780 this year, a jump of 7.5 per cent.
Although robbery and car thefts have dropped, significant increases in theft from cars and burglaries have led to the overall rise.
The network was officially launched earlier this week at Humberside Police's social club in Inglemire Lane, north Hull.
It also comes as PCSOs in the East Riding have been challenged to set up more Neighbourhood Watch groups.
Police are also looking to boost the number of Farm Watch and Business Watch programmes operating across the county.