Helping Ourselves In Time Of Austerity
Sun 9 Jan 2011
By Tony Allen
So
we are into 2011 already, the Christmas decorations have come down, and it is
getting back to normal, or is it? The new Government’s Comprehensive Spending
Review has taken place, and announcements are coming out on a regular basis,
some good, some not so good, about all aspects of our lives which we will all
have to adjust to.
Teignbridge
District Council recently sent out a questionnaire to town and parish councils
about which of its 17 main activity areas members felt needed least protection
from budget cuts. In this article, I’d just like to focus on one area which,
not surprisingly, regular readers will know I feel strongly about, and that is our
neighbourhood policing.
Cutting the
policing budget...
It
is quite clear that budgets are being cut within the Devon & Cornwall
Constabulary. This will mean a loss of posts, both police officers and civilian
staff. The Chief Constable has an unenviably difficult task deciding where
these cuts will come, and which services will be most affected. Teignbridge
likewise is considering whether to reduce its budget for the work carried out
with partnering the police to help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.
There is no doubt in my mind
that our neighbourhood policing will be affected by these cutbacks, whether
through reduced personnel or reductions in work shifts. Is there anything we
can do to help out as responsible citizens? After all, it’s our own communities
I’m talking about. I firmly believe we should all be involved in making sure these
are as safe and environmentally friendly as possible, as the days of leaving
everything totally to others, especially public authorities, could be drawing
to a close for some considerable time.
NHW supporting
the police...
One important area where we
can and do help the police, and indeed local authorities, is with Neighbourhood
Watch (NHW). NHW was originally set up to help reduce crime through increasing awareness
of what was going on in their local areas, and spotting potentially suspicious
behaviour. It also encouraged residents to keep an eye on vulnerable neighbours
and empty properties (e.g. during holidays), and in some cases have regular
get-togethers and other social events. Obviously there is always a need for one
or more residents to put themselves forward to lead their own scheme in the
manner they feel to be best for them.
The police supporting NHW...
Key benefits for the
neighbourhood police team are the way NHW’s visibility can discourage criminal
activity, while providing an excellent channel for disseminating news of crime
trends, urgent appeals for help where public involvement can be beneficial, and
for giving advice to groups on methods of crime prevention. It is a two-way
flow of information, because the feedback from residents on areas of concern
are of value to the local police management team and their partners (e.g. local
councils).
Police
budget cuts are already having an effect on NHW, because literature is no
longer being printed on a regular basis. However, the use of IT has been
advocated as a tool for reducing paperwork (and costs) within organisations for
many years. Accessing NHW material, crime alerts and police reports on the
internet and passing on to residents, either via emails or paper copies where
they don’t have access to a computer, can get around this. This keeps the
citizen in control, and does not leave matters completely down to police
resources.
Organising to beat the cuts...
Clearly
there has to be some structure to NHW within a community to provide an
interface for the neighbourhood policing team and the various schemes to be
able to communicate with each other. This is why here in Bovey Tracey we have
created our own NHW Forum, which is a loosely defined association of the NHW schemes
within and around the town. The main co-ordinator for each scheme is its
representative on the Forum. The Forum holds occasional meetings with guest
speakers on topical crime-related subjects, and is actively supported by the
neighbourhood policing team.
Local Council
involvement...
Now
I feel there is a key factor which can help the success of a NHW Forum, and
that is the local council’s formal commitment to support it. As a Bovey Town
Councillor, I have been nominated as the council’s representative on the Forum.
This is good, because it means that via me the council is then involved and
will provide locations for Forum meetings (the Town Hall or the council chamber)
free-of-charge. This is important, because all of us in NHW are volunteers, and
the schemes have no budgets as such. The Bovey Forum has no formal management
and bureaucracy, and I currently facilitate its activities, although any of the
co-ordinators could take on this rôle if they wished.
I
do believe this is also the way ahead for other parishes (like our near
neighbours in Lustleigh, Moretonhampstead and Hennock/Chudleigh Knighton) where
each council could nominate one of its number to be that council’s main
interface with its NHW Forum, showing the commitment and involvement needed to
help NHW flourish in these difficult times.
However,
I’m not a keen supporter of a Teignbridge-wide NHW organisation, other than as
an occasional platform for sharing issues across local NHW schemes. I believe
it creates an additional layer of organisation that is not necessary and perhaps
not affordable at this time.
Taking responsibility for
ourselves...
In Bovey
Tracey there has been a marked interest in NHW recently, partly I feel because
of the
recession and a fear of an increase in crime levels. It seems that cutting
budgets and reducing our neighbourhood policing capability at this time is the
last thing we want or need.
What
I am suggesting here is that all of us can respond to this situation ourselves,
as described above. In practice, if residents want NHW schemes for their roads there
should be nothing stopping them. The NHW Forum, backed by the local council’s
support, and the involvement of the neighbourhood police team, can help get you
started. Contact details are to be found elsewhere in this magazine.
Has NHW always been an early example of The Big
Society?...
“The Big Society” is nothing new, because volunteers
have been taking responsibilities within for their own communities for years. I
feel NHW is one such activity, which can well serve as an example to others of
how to go about it successfully when you have committed people who care about
their communities and are prepared to do something about it.
The
above approach to NHW through Town/Parish Forums with local council nominees
actively involved is what I would recommend to both the Devon & Cornwall
Constabulary and to Teignbridge District and Devon County Councils as the way
ahead. It seems to work here in Bovey Tracey, and shows the positive impact
that good neighbourhood policing and a strong NHW network has on our community.
Despite budget cuts, let’s please try to keep it like that.
Other columns by Tony Allen
TONY ALLEN’S COLUMN “COMMUNITY MATTERS” - Tue 9 Nov 2021
TONY ALLEN’S COLUMN “COMMUNITY MATTERS” GETTING INVOLVED WITH YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL - Mon 2 Aug 2021
TONY ALLEN’S COLUMN “COMMUNITY MATTERS”
BOVEY THANKS VOLUNTEERS & “LIFELINE” SHOPS - Mon 14 Jun 2021
TONY ALLEN’S COLUMN “COMMUNITY MATTERS”
BREATHS OF FRESH AIR ALL AROUND - Tue 7 Jul 2020
TONY ALLEN’S COLUMN “COMMUNITY MATTERS”
COMMUNITY COHESION…………………
- Tue 11 Feb 2020
CLIMATE ACTION: WHERE DO YOU START?.......... - Mon 2 Dec 2019
WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON IN OUR LOCAL COUNCILS…? - Thu 1 Aug 2019
BOVEY TRACEY ACHIEVES “PLASTIC FREE” STATUS........... - Fri 3 May 2019
IDEAS & SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE........ - Thu 24 Jan 2019
COMMUNITY MATTERS - “PLASTIC FREE BOVEY”, RARE PRAISE, ELECTIONS
- Thu 8 Nov 2018
Young people in the community - Thu 15 May 2014
Moving Bovey Tracey forward - Tue 4 Mar 2014
Is Bovey Tracey too shabby and run down to attract visitors? - Mon 9 Sep 2013
A public consultation should be just that - Mon 11 Mar 2013
Athletes, young people and rural watch - Tue 13 Nov 2012
Bovey Beats Most Of The Summer Weather - Wed 5 Sep 2012
What sort of Town do you want Bovey to be? - Sun 1 Jul 2012
Awards, Traffic, Policing & another Top Shop! - Thu 3 May 2012
GOOD NEWS, SPECULATION, AND MORE GOOD NEWS - Thu 5 Jan 2012
RUBBISH, SPEED, LIGHTS OUT, BADGERS and more! - Mon 7 Nov 2011
Newspapers, Tragedy, Cheques and MORE! - Sun 11 Sep 2011
Community Matters - Mon 11 Jul 2011
Growth of Neighbourhood Watch In Bovey Tracey - Tue 3 May 2011
Which would you rather have: A PC (Police Commissioner) OR Several PCs (Police Constables)? - Thu 10 Mar 2011
Security in the current Economic Climate - Thu 4 Nov 2010
Security Matters - Spelling it Out - Mon 6 Sep 2010
The Ultimate Deterrent or Not - Tue 6 Jul 2010
NHS Summary Care Records Will Your Personal Health Information Be Secure? - Mon 3 May 2010
Social Networking - A risk or a good thing? - Sun 28 Feb 2010
Security Matters - Back to Basics! - Thu 3 Dec 2009
Security matters - are you being conned? - Wed 4 Nov 2009
Security matters - ID cards and hotel key cards - Wed 4 Nov 2009
Security matters - Personal security - Wed 4 Nov 2009
Security Matters - Who owns your identity? - Wed 4 Nov 2009
Security Matters - Victim of crime - need help? - Wed 4 Nov 2009
|