According to Inspector Milvanovic from Greater Manchester Police Saddleworth Homewatch has directly contributed to a reduction of crime in the area.
The following summarises some of the key points made by the Inspector to the Saddleworth Homewatch team on the 21st September 2011
Inspector Milvanovic said, ‘The neighbourhood team had progressed well during the year. Crime is down and this is in part at least due to the way the team has operated.’
E watch is now circulated widely and gives information on current crimes to those who have joined the scheme. Members are urged to join and inform others on their patch of any particular concerns.
The Inspector felt communication with the public had improved and he referred to the on line P.A.C.T. (Partnerships and Communities Together) which had attracted a great deal of attention from the public. He said that this method of communication would increase over the next 12 months.
Saddleworth & Lees now have two extra Police Constables, who now form part of a three-officer Neighbourhood Criminal Investigation Unit, that deals with low-level crime. The new procedures mean criminal investigations are dealt with far more promptly and victims are kept better informed.
He said established anti social behaviour procedures remained very much part of their daily business, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings and urged all members to continue to report instances to the police. The Police cannot deal with this problem without information from the public.
For traffic he said the Police retained responsibility for the vast majority of traffic offences and there had been a meeting during the year looking at how speed could be contained. For persistent speeding motorists he urged members to note registration numbers and report drivers to them.
Inspector Milvanovic confirmed that there is a proposal to close the Enquiry Office at Saddleworth following a public consultation on the issue. The number of visitors to the Station was not seen as warranting a continuation of the facility but the Neighbourhood Officers would continue to work from the Station.
Finally he said members should continue to report anything suspicious, which is vital in the prevention and detection of crime. He said, ‘We would rather come out to a false alarm than to miss some important information.’
If you would like detailed information regarding crime and anti-social behaviour in Diggle click here.
