TACKLING CRIME AND DISORDER IN ST.HELENS – WARD UPDATE THATTO HEATH

Significant reductions in crime and anti-social behaviour continue to be experienced across the Borough, which reflects the work being done by the Partners on the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership. There are exceptions of course and there have been increases in some individual crime types, e.g. Theft from a Motor Vehicle and Nuisance Vehicles. Some Wards may have experienced increases in individual crime types.

April to Jan April to Jan +/- % 2008/9 2009/10 Borough Wide Profile British Crime Survey Comparator Crimes 6,299 5,119 - 18.7 Total Recorded Crime 11,354 9,746 - 14.2

Ward Profile British Crime Survey Comparator Crimes 405 346 - 14.6 Total Recorded Crime 672 625 - 7.0

Theft of a Vehicle 19 17 - 10.5 Theft from a Vehicle 41 60 46.3 Domestic Burglary 48 40 - 16.7 Theft from a Person 6 4 - 33.3 Criminal Damage and Arson 173 146 - 15.6 Drug Offences 43 68 58.1

Anti -Social Behaviour calls t o the Police • Rowdy Behaviour 389 326 - 16.2 • Nuisance Vehicles 27 77 185.2 • Street Drinking 8 5 - 37.5

Merseyside Police - Your Neighbourhood Inspector is Debra Rayment and your Neighbourhood Sergeant is Gary Bradley.

Safer St. Helens Website

The St. Helens Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership has launched a brand new Safer St. Helens website. The website provides the latest statistics in crime reductions across St. Helens and also provides supportive resources, top news stories, crime prevention advice and downloadable content such as leaflets, newsletters and latest publications. You can visit www.safersthelens.org.uk , to find out what members of your local community and The St. Helens Crime and Disorder Reduction partnership are doing in your neighbourhood to combat crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour. You can also complete the CDRP survey, and help us identify crime priorities in your neighbourhood.

Borough Wide Initiatives

Meet the new Chief Constable

Jon Murphy became the new Chief Constable of Police on 1 st February 2010. Jon joined in January 1975 and has been a career detective serving as an investigator in every rank. He is an experienced Senior Investigating Officer having led homicide investigations, corruption enquiries and covert operations. He has extensive experience of command of firearms operations and critical incidents. Jon has been commended on 14 occasions and was awarded the Queens Police Medal in the 2007 Birthday Honours.

Alcohol Seizure Success!

Last year St. Helens Council, Merseyside Police and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partners continued their crackdown on underage drinking by seizing more than 3,900 bottles of alcohol from teenagers.

Every Friday and Saturday evening, including during school holidays, police officers and youth workers were on patrol across St Helens, removing alcohol from underage drinkers.

This operation is part of the Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP) to prevent and tackle youth crime through a triple-track approach of tough enforcement, non-negotiable support and prevention. 69 areas across the country are delivering an intensive YCAP package to ensure young people have safe places to go and interesting things to do on Friday and Saturday nights over three years from 2008- 2011.

Chief Inspector Mike Constantine said: “We are asking parents to make sure they know where their children are and what they are up to. We are using a number of initiatives in St Helens to clamp down on underage drinking, including high visibility patrols. Instances of anti-social behaviour can increase when young people and alcohol mix and we are doing everything possible to ensure alcohol does not get into the hands of young people.”

“I would remind people that it is illegal to sell or supply alcohol to young people under 18 and I would urge our communities to support us by reporting any such incidents so that we can take appropriate action."

Councillor Teresa Sims, Executive Portfolio Member for Safer Communities in St Helens, said: “Recently we found a 12-year-old girl who was out on the street on a Friday night with a two litre bottle of high strength cider. Usually, the young people we find in possession of alcohol are somewhat older, so this was quite unusual. However, we have seen reductions in anti-social behaviour in the area, since Operation Greenall came into existence. Anti-social behaviour is often associated with alcohol, and over the past year we have seen a 26% reduction in anti-social behaviour in our Borough. Parents still have their part to play too, you need to know where your child is and ensure you don’t give them alcohol.”

St. Helens Hawk team success In response to concerns raised by the local community, Police from St. Helens Hawk Team have been carrying out operations targeting drug dealers and drug activity in the St Helens area.

Over the past 12 months (January – December 2009) 176 drugs warrants have been carried out which resulted in 155 people being arrested for various drugs offences. £40,500 cash and drugs to the street value of over £1.5m have also been seized which included the discovery of 29 cannabis farms and over 3800 cannabis plants.

Sergeant Jack Moore said: "St. Helens' Hawk Team has continued to achieve impressive results in tackling drug dealing, drug use and its associated crimes. These results are testament to the excellent work carried out by the Hawk Team and show how committed Merseyside Police are in responding to the concerns of local people and catching those responsible for drug dealing in the area."

Your Dog, Your Mess, Bag It, Bin It!

St. Helens Council and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partners are tackling the problems of irresponsible dog ownership with the roll out of hard-hitting signs. The first signs have been installed in Haydock and Mossbank and will soon be seen throughout the Borough. There are no excuses for not cleaning up after a dog fouls and the signs make it clear the penalties people face for their actions. Authorised officers patrol our streets, Parks and Green spaces and will not hesitate to issue Fixed Penalty Notices when appropriate however cooperation is much more acceptable.

Officers may approach any Dog walker and ask if they have or need any ‘Poop Scoop’ bags which are widely available free of charge. They may also offer low cost micro - chipping and will encourage training and responsible ownership.

Ward Initiatives

Heart Walk

On Wednesday 3 rd February the first ‘Heart Walk’ took place at Balmer Street Mission. The walk will take place every fortnight at 10.45am starting at the same location.

Please feel free to come along and join Thatto Heath CSOs and St. Helens Councils’ Environmental wardens on this health awareness walk.

New Neigbourhood Inspector

Debra Rayment is the new Neighbourhood Inspector for Eccleston, , Thatto Heath and West Park. She started her new post on the 11 th January 2010 and was previously a Critical Incident Manager based at St. Helens Police Station.

Inspector Rayment said, ‘ I look forward to meeting and working with local community, council and our partners to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in the area. I would urge people to come forward and provide us with information so that together we can achieve an improved quality of life for residents, visitors and businesses within the neighbourhood. I aim to improve confidence and satisfaction and deliver a quality of service that is both professional and meets your needs.

Help prevent wheelie bin fires

The neighbourhood has suffered an increase in wheelie bin fires over the past 2 months. Please see the below advice supplied by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service to ensure you are not affected.

Wheelie bins can become an easy target for fires and vandalism. An arson attack on a wheelie bin can endanger your safety, cause damage to your property and pollute your environment. It can also put strain on Fire Service resources and delay more urgent and life threatening incidents. You can help reduce the potential abuse of bins and risks posed by bin fires, by following the simple advice below.

• Never store bins close to windows or doors - any fire in a bin could easily spread to your property • Wheelie bins should be stored securely out of sight behind locked gates • If a secure location is not available the wheelie bin should be closed and secured away from buildings • Bins should be placed on the highway on collection day and returned to your property as soon as possible after emptying • Don't overfill your bin or leave rubbish next to it

Looking after your bin will greatly help the Fire Service and could even save lives.

Arrests, charges and convictions

• Andrew Littler, aged 42, of Kimberley Avenue, Thatto Heath, received a 12 months community order and was to pay £80 compensation for criminal damage to a mobile phone and assault by beating.

• Carol Ann Jackson, aged 53, of Cumberland Avenue, St Helens, received a two months curfew order with £80 costs for dishonestly claiming housing and council tax benefit.

Burglary and Vehicle Crime Prevention Campaign

During the last 2 weeks of January Merseyside Police carried out a force wide campaign aimed to tackle burglary and car crime in Merseyside. This involved Police Officers checking that homes and vehicles in Thatto Heath were secure. In all police checked 5,702 homes and 1,260 vehicles. The owners of any insecure property were given Crime Prevention advice and leaflets. Crime Prevention Road shows were also held at local shops, schools and medical centres where partner agencies gave out Crime Prevention literature and advice.

Young skateboarders show off their skills!

To entertain young people during half-term there was a Skate Park on Gillars Green Estate (behind the shops ) on 15 th February. It was funded by Helena Homes and gave young people the opportunity to use their bicycle or skateboard on a specially designed course.

Crime Prevention

Below are a few tips to help prevent you becoming a victim of burglary:

• Keep all doors and windows locked. • If you have a UPVC door, remember to lock it with the key. • Security mark your valuables with a UV pen or Smartwater. • If you have a house alarm, use it when you go out and go to bed. • Ensure alleygates are locked at all times.

For more information, please visit www.merseyside.police.uk/crimeprevention, or contact a member of your neighbourhood team for a free crime prevention survey

Priority Setting

You said

In the last Policing Priority meeting, it was agreed by those present that the following should be treated as priority:

1. Anti-Social Behaviour – Basildon Close 2. Vehicle Nuisance – Thatto Heath 3. Anti-Social Behaviour and Criminal Damage – Harlow/Nutgrove Allotments

We did

Merseyside Police have continued to patrol Basildon Close on a regular basis due to a number of anti-social behaviour issues. The parents of the young people involved in anti-social behaviour have been notified, and Merseyside Police, St. Helens Council and Crime and Disorder reduction partners are gathering evidence to possibly of issuing those involved with Anti-Social Behaviour Contracts.

A high police presence has been maintained in areas known to have a problem with vehicle nuisance. However, since Christmas there has been a problem with mini motorbikes in Basildon and Hempstead Close appearing that a couple of young people may have been given a mini motorbike as a Christmas present. Your local neighbourhood policing team will continue to give the area extra attention and will be taking the police quad bikes out again when availability allows.

Merseyside Police have seen a reduction in problems noticed previously at Nutgrove and Harlow Allotments since having obtained the keys to the allotments, allowing more convenient access for both the dog patrols and police officers.

Since the introduction of the Section 30 Dispersal Order in Peterlee Close, Merseyside Police, St. Helens Council and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partners are pleased to report again that there have been no problems on the close this month. This means the introduction of the Section 30 Order appears to be having the desired effect. However, the police are continuing to maintain a high presence in the area.

Merseyside Police have also recently carried out a ‘Speed Watch’ scheme in Elton Heath Road. This will be a regular feature in the area to address speeding issues. Merseyside Police stopped 15 motorists who were issued with an endorsable fixed penalty notice for speeding.

The next Policing Priority Meeting to set local policing priorities will be held on Monday 12 th April 2010, 2.00-3.00 pm at The Sure Start Centre.

Useful Contacts

0151 709 6010 – NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER (general enquiries, speak to Neighbourhood Officers)

999 – EMERGENCY

0800 555 111 – CRIMESTOPPERS (providing information about crime in your area anonymously)

Further information can be found at – www.merseyside.police.uk

St Helens Council

Tel: 01744 456789

Email: [email protected]