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WATCH WORD For Leicester & Leicestershire Newsletter of CITY & COUNTY NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH – (LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE) Working in SUPPORT of LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE. Charity No. 1072275 Issue 50/2017 The City & County Neighbourhood Watch is here to represent the concerns of members and their families. We operate entirely outside the police chain of command, so we can always promise an independent and confidential service Working in SUPPORT of LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE

CITY & COUNTY NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH (LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE)

Have you visited City and County Neighbourhood Watch (Leicester & Leicestershire) Website recently? www.neighbourhoodwatchleicester.net

LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE

Kayleigh’s Love Story to be preserved in national archive

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Issued on 15/12/17 at 8:25 a.m.

The multi award-winning short film Kayleigh’s Love Story is to be preserved in the national film archive.

The eight-times award winning film is to be preserved by the national film and television archive at the British Film Industry as part of the UK’s rich heritage of film.

The short film about the rape and murder of 15-year-old Measham schoolgirl Kayleigh Haywood was made by Leicestershire Police last year to highlight the dangers to children of online grooming. It has been screened to hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren in the UK and overseas, and has been viewed online by an estimated 36 million people.

Deputy Chief Constable Roger Bannister said he was delighted that the importance of the film and its message was being recognised by the film industry. He said: “We made the film to raise greater awareness of the dangers posed to children by predators operating online and the most important statistic is that it led directly to 50 children in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland coming forward and making disclosures to us.

“Those disclosures enabled us to safeguard those children – something that may not have happened without this film.

“To win awards for our work is of course extremely rewarding – enormous care and effort went into the making of the film and the decision about how we should show it to children in small, supervised screenings in school.

“To learn that the BFI now intend to preserve the film in the national archive is hugely satisfying, and helps create a permanent legacy for an inspirational piece of work that was born from the bleakest and most tragic of circumstances. I hope Kayleigh’s family can feel some consolation that their daughter’s legacy will help keep children throughout the world safe for generations to come.”

Tim Cabrelli, Senior Partner at Affixxius Films, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to see one of the most impactful pieces of work we’ve ever produced be entered into the BFI archive for prosperity.

“It’s an accolade that is rarely achieved within our sector and reserved more for the Hollywood blockbusters, so it’s great to see it getting further recognition and being preserved for future reference and generations to come.”

Kayleigh’s Love Story was a Gold Winner at the EVCOM awards this year, and this success qualifies the film to be entered into the BFI Archive.

Moving and uplifting Christmas Carol Concert

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Issued on 12/12/17 at 2:55 p.m.

Nearly three hundred people made it through the snow last night (Monday 11 December) to attend the Christmas Carol Concert held by Leicestershire Police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

The service at Leicester Cathedral was attended by members of the public as well as serving and retired officers, staff and their families. The collection from the service will be shared between two charities – Leicester Children’s Holiday Centre and Cardiac Risk in the Young which was chosen by the family of PC Austin Jackson who sadly died on duty in March. PC Austin’s wife and four children were at the service along with the Lord Lieutenant Lady Gretton, the Chief Constable Simon Cole QPM, the Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, Steve Lunn, the High Sheriffs of Rutland and Leicester, Tiff Lynch from Leicestershire’s Police Federation and the Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach.

Guests were welcomed by The Very Revd. David Monteith, Dean of Leicester, and Leicestershire’s Cadets held a Guard of Honour. The congregation joined the choir in singing carols and enjoyed readings by the Chief Constable Simon Cole, PC Reg Varney who was awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year's Honours, DC Tony Gale from the Christian Police Association, Steve Lunn, Chief Fire and Rescue Officer and Rick Taylor, Assistant Chief Fire and Rescue Officer.

Simon Cole, Chief Constable for Leicestershire Police said: “Last night’s service was particularly poignant as we had been working very closely all day with our colleagues from the fire service at a major incident in Birstall which caused significant damage to a house and neighbouring properties. I was also touched that we were joined by Austin Jackson’s wife, Simone, and their four children and that we were able to raise money for a charity that is important to them. It was a moving and uplifting service followed by hot drinks and mince pies, it was a really lovely evening.”

Adding to the poignancy of the occasion it was the Chief Fire Officer’s penultimate day at work before retiring. Steve Lunn, said: “It was a great honour to once again be part of last night’s carol service at Leicester Cathedral alongside Leicestershire Police. I was touched by the sheer number of people who did their utmost to attend in the adverse weather so I would like to thank everyone who managed to attend. It was a moving evening, and we hope everyone enjoyed it.”

Major new film to protect boys from grooming

Issued on 12/12/17 at 11:01 a.m.

A short film about a teenage boy who was groomed and murdered is being produced to help raise awareness among boys of the dangers of child sexual exploitation (CSE).

The film about Surrey teenager Breck Bednar is being made in an innovative collaboration between four UK police forces.

Surrey, Essex and Northamptonshire Police forces have combined in the project which is being managed by Leicestershire Police which made the award-winning film Kayleigh’s Love Story,

The film is being made with the active support of Breck’s mother Lorin LaFave, who will appear as herself in the film and who set up the Breck Foundation shortly after her son’s tragic death in 2014.

It is being funded by Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach with additional contributions from Surrey Police.

The film comes two years after Leicestershire Police produced Kayleigh’s Love Story, a film about the grooming, rape and murder of 15-year-old Kayleigh Haywood, which has led directly to 50 children in Leicestershire coming forward and disclosing that they were being groomed by predators.

The film has been viewed by an estimated 36.6m people worldwide and has won eight national industry awards.

Breck’s mother Lorin said: “When I first learned about Kayleigh’s tragic story of grooming online, and saw the amazing short film Kayleigh’s Love Story, I knew I wanted similar exposure for Breck’s tragedy as I believe only through education of grooming and exploitation can we strive to empower our young people to keep safer online. “Because the characteristics of grooming are similar, with the control, manipulation, befriending, compliments, gifts, building a relationship through shared interests and laughs, I felt that a boy’s version with gaming and computing was a natural follow on to Kayleigh’s version of a girl being groomed through social media for a relationship.

“I am so thankful to Leicestershire Police and the other Police forces for enabling this film to happen and I look forward to working together to create a safer online for our children."

Matt Tapp, Director of Strategic Communications at Leicestershire Police, said he hoped this film, to be called “Breck’s Last Game” would be equally successful in raising awareness of CSE.

He said: “During screenings of Kayleigh’s Love Story to parents in Leicestershire, a number talked about Breck’s case.

“Following an initial meeting with Lorin earlier this year, and detailed talks with Surrey, with Essex, and with Northamptonshire with whom we have a joint CSE Communications Strategy, we all decided that we should make a film about what happened to Breck.

“Each of the four forces will decide how best it wishes to disseminate the film, but certainly in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire we hope that, in liaison with schools, we can show it to schoolchildren in controlled screenings as we did with Kayleigh’s Love Story.

“At some point late next year we intend to post the film online, with suitable warnings about its content.”

Following a procurement process, the contract to make Breck’s Last Game has been awarded to Affixxius Films of Loughborough, who also produced Kayleigh’s Love Story.

Casting sessions will be held in January and it is anticipated that the film will be completed by mid-March.

Leicestershire’s Assistant Chief Constable Rob Nixon said: “Kayleigh’s Love Story has been extremely successful in warning children of the dangers of online grooming. But we recognise that boys are far less willing to report CSE than girls, and we felt the need to develop a campaign that would help resonate with boys.

“I believe Breck’s Last Game, shown to a suitable and age-appropriate audience and with the right support wrapped around screenings, will do just that”.

PCC Willy Bach said he was proud to support this film, adding: “We all have a responsibility to provide children and young people with the knowledge to protect themselves, whether that is in the street or on-line. It is important that we make this information easy to access and easy to understand, which is why a film is so much more effective.

“It is not just girls who fall victim to this evil, but for too long male victims have been overlooked. It’s hard to believe, but sadly many boys and young male victims actually suffer in silence rather than speak out. This means they don’t receive the appropriate support service to help them recover and, unfortunately, the perpetrator is not brought to justice because no-one knows about the crime.

“It’s time that we shone the spotlight on this type of criminality and encourage victims to speak out, knowing that they will be treated with sensitivity and understanding.”

Watchdogs grade Police legitimacy as “good”

Issued on 12/12/17 at 1:00 a.m.

Leicestershire Police makes fair decisions and treats people with respect. That’s the headline finding of an inspection of the force conducted by Government Police watchdogs.

The Inspectors focused on three specific questions when they carried out their visit to examine the force earlier this year:

 To what extent does the force treat all of the people it serves with fairness and respect?  How well does the force ensure that its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully?  And to what extent does the force treat its workforce with fairness and respect?

The conclusion reached by her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) was that the Force was “good” in all three areas. Judgement grades given by HMICFRS when they carry out such inspections are either ‘outstanding’, ‘good’, ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’.

Leicestershire’s Deputy Chief Constable Roger Bannister welcomed the HMICFRS’s findings, contained in a report published today (11 December) entitled “PEEL: Police legitimacy (including leadership) 2017”.

He said: “Policing with legitimacy is the bedrock of policing in the UK. Police officers have powers unlike any other non-military organisation. We can use force, and we can detain people. And it is critical that the public believe and trust us to use those powers appropriately and fairly.

“But there are other, important reasons why we must at all times behave fairly, honestly, and legitimately. Behaving in that way will instil the public’s confidence and trust in us, and the more the public support and believe in us, the more likely they are to lead lawful lives, and work with us to keep communities safe from harm.

“It’s very satisfying, therefore, that HMICFRS have given us across-the-board good grades for the three areas that they examined in detail during their visit.”

Lord Willy Bach, the Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Quite simply this report is good news for Leicestershire Police and good news for the public of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. It recognises the good practice embedded throughout the force which has a really positive impact on both public confidence and workforce morale.

“I’m particularly pleased to see that the Inspectors have acknowledged the progress made in areas where improvements had been recommended in the last inspection and the focus, from leaders across the force, on treating people with fairness and respect.

“Stop and search has always been a sensitive subject and it is important that people are treated appropriately during any such encounters. The inspectors note the external scrutiny accorded to Stop and Search, including the involvement of my office on the stop and search reference group, which I hope reassures people that that way in which the force conducts stop and search is closely monitored.

“However, there is never room for complacency and having discussed the findings of the report with the Chief Constable I will continue to push for further progress in the coming months and years.”

In detail, the inspectors found that:

 “Leaders at all levels within Leicestershire Police demonstrate a strong commitment to treating people with fairness and respect”  The Force “seeks scrutiny of its services to improve its treatment of people” and is “progressive” in seeking public feedback about the use of stop search powers  Leaders in the force “understand their responsibility to act as role models and this culture is set by senior leaders of the force”  The force is making “good progress” towards ensuring that it is fully compliant with national vetting standards

In its analysis of how the force deals with discrimination, HMICFRS found that there is a culture of intolerance towards such matters in Leicestershire Police, and that “senior officers work with staff representative groups to identify trends that might suggest discrimination in the treatment of people or the workforce”. Inspectors reserve particular praise for the way in which the Force supports and cares for its officers and staff. The report describes the “excellent provision of services to support physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing” and notes that the “breadth of services continues to grow, specifically in terms of understanding, de- stigmatising and dealing with emotional and mental health issues”.

ADVICE & INFORMATION

Theft from Vans

Leicestershire Police is warning local van owners to be vigilant after a recent increase in tool theft from vans.

Van owners are being urged to follow these simple steps to prevent them from becoming a victim:

 if you are staying in a hotel, where possible remove your tools from your van and keep them in your room overnight  don't assume your vehicle has locked properly using a key fob lock. Criminals can use devices which block the signal. Always check your doors are locked before leaving your vehicle unattended  if you have a garage, use it. If your van is parked on a driveway, consider installing security lighting. If neither of these apply, try to park in well lit areas  consider alarming the vehicle or fitting an internal security cage when tools and equipment are not being used, ensure they are kept securely in a lockable store rather than in your vehicle  consider whether the storage area can be alarmed. If the equipment is portable, take it with you  don’t leave tools in vehicles unattended or overnight, and place a sign in the window stating they have been removed  lock/immobilise vehicles and equipment when not in use  visibly mark your machinery and tools using an engraving or chemical etching kit or use a forensic marking kit. Place a sticker in your window to say you have done so - the signage alone, can be a very effective deterrent  keep a list of tools, together with serial numbers and any identifying marks. You can do this at www.immobilise.com. This will help to trace them back to you if they are recovered  consider the use of security patrols around building sites  keep the access to building sites secure – fences and gates help prevent unauthorised entry  if you have any suspicious visitors on your site please call the Police non emergency number 101.

Tools are extremely valuable possessions and when stolen, can impact hugely on small businesses. Leicestershire Police would like to remind all van owners to remove their tools from the vehicle when it is left unattended for long periods of time and overnight.

Anyone with information about vehicle crime in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland is urged to call Leicestershire Police. We rely on information from members of the public in order to crack down effectively on this type of crime. If anyone is offered tools for sale in suspicious circumstances they should contact us on 101. Alternatively, they can call independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.

POLICE SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM

CHARNWOOD NPA

MOUNTSORREL

This neighbourhood beat covers the village of Mountsorrel. Mountsorrel has its own active parish council and Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

It is a large village with a commercial area and transport links to Loughborough and Leicester.

Each dedicated neighbourhood team is supported by the Special Constabulary.

Your dedicated neighbourhood team

Sgt Rod Smart

Collar number: 2992

I joined Leicestershire Police in April 2009 as a Response Sergeant at Beaumont Leys, having spent nine years in the Nottinghamshire Constabulary and three years in the New Zealand Police.

Having been a Neighbourhood Sergeant at Hinckley Road for four years, I moved over to Loughborough in February 2015 to take over responsibility for this neighbourhood team. I work with a dedicated team of officers who are committed to supporting the residents and visitors to the ward by reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.

 Send an email to your neighbourhood team  Leave a voicemail for Sgt Rod Smart by calling 101 and follow the instructions to leave a message for an officer. When prompted, key in the identification number 2992.

PC Glenn Spiby

Collar number: 2041

PC Glenn Spiby joined Leicestershire Police in 2003 and since then has worked mainly on the North of the County in various roles including Beat officer for a neighbouring beat.

I am looking forward to working with the beat team and getting to know the people of Mountsorrel. We will be actively tackling anti-social behaviour and criminality of all descriptions, at all levels, within the village. I will be out and about Mountsorrel and would encourage villagers to stop and say hello and discuss any issues or concerns that they may have.

 Send an email to your neighbourhood team  Leave a voicemail for PC Glenn Spiby by calling 101 and follow the instructions to leave a message for an officer. When prompted, key in the identification number 2041.

PCSO Danielle O’Flynn

Collar number: 6204

 Send an email to your neighbourhood team  Leave a voicemail for PCSO Danielle O’Flynn by calling 101 and follow the instructions to leave a message for an officer. When prompted, key in the identification number 6204.

FACEBOOK GROUPS

Why not consider joining a Facebook Group for your Area. You will then be able to comment and discuss issues with others in your area, on topics that are of interest to you. Blaby District: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlabyNeighbourhoodWatchCCNWA/ Charnwood Borough: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CharnwoodNeighbourhoodWatchCCNWA/ Harborough District: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HarboroughNeighbourhoodWatchCCNWA/ Hinckley & Bosworth Borough: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HinckleyBosworthNeighbourhoodWatch/ Leicester City: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeicesterNeighbourhoodWatchCCNWA/ Leicestershire: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeicestershireNeighbourhoodWatchCCNWA/ Melton Borough: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MeltonNeighbourhoodWatchCCNWA/ North West Leicestershire District: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NorthWestLeicsNeighbourhoodWatch/ Oadby & Wigston Borough: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OadbyWigstonNeighbourhoodWatch/

EAST MIDLANDS DERBYSHIRE: www.facebook.com/CCNWADerbyshire LINCOLNSHIRE: www.facebook.com/CCNWALincolnshire NORTHAMPTONSHIRE: www.facebook.com/CCNWANorthamptonshire NOTTINGHAMSHIRE: www.facebook.com/ccnwanottinghamshire