Two hundred more police constables planned for Surrey

Good News of the Policing Front: The following press release from Surrey Police makes clear their committment to visible Policing on Tandridge's streets:

TWO hundred more visible police constables could be policing Surrey’s streets as part of plans being developed by the Chief Constable to meet the demands of local people. They will be used to increase the local neighbourhood policing teams and add further numbers to the Operation Shield campaign, keeping London criminals out of Surrey by fighting organised crime gangs who operate across Force boundaries.

This is part of wide-ranging radical plans being drawn up to make big cuts in senior officers and bureaucracy, and to have a simpler approach to policing with many more officers on the frontline. Surrey Police Authority, who has encouraged the Chief Constable to be radical because of the financial challenges faced by the Force, will be asked to agree interim plans on December 10 before more detailed planning takes place.The proposals include reducing the number of senior officers within the Force, simplifying the structure and cutting bureaucracy. These changes will enable Surrey Police to invest in 200 extra frontline police officers, and to ensure the Force remains financially sustainable, making the best possible use of tax-payers money.

This innovation builds on the forces determination to focus on the wishes of local people above national targets and bureaucracy.The Force is exploring, with councils, opportunities to locate local policing teams within borough and district council offices to provide a better service to the public in tackling local problems. This approach has been piloted in Woking and Addlestone, and has reaped rewards in ensuring joined up partnership activity on local issues. The Force is also looking at providing a greater range of more accessible places for the public to meet neighbourhood policing teams, such as within libraries, shopping centres and any other busy focal points in communities.

This would replace some old and expensive police buildings with even more accessible ways for the public to engage with us. Many police buildings are little-used by members of the public but there will be no changes to police stations until better locations for meeting neighbourhood teams have been put in place. Replacing old stations with better ways to meet the public will cut the cost of running our old buildings by millions of pounds and help pay for the 200 extra police constables on the frontline.Chief Constable Mark Rowley said: “We are determined to put the Surrey Public First and give them the increases in visible policing they demand - even in a recession. We have difficult choices to make. We can either refuse to change, be forced to cut officer numbers and carry on with a complicated policing structure, lots of managers and bureaucracy and numerous inaccessible old, expensive police buildings - or have 200 more visible police constables working out of buildings in more accessible locations tackling issues that matter most to people. This can be paid for by the changes we are about to present to the Police Authority.“This review is necessary to find ways to continue delivering this excellent service against an overall reducing budget from Government for policing. We want to fix our funding issues and at the same time we want to deliver more police officers on the streets than we have ever had before. We believe this is the best way of spending taxpayers money and giving the public what they have been asking for. “These emerging proposals are at a very early stage. The Police Authority is interested in our plans and we need to take more details to them before a final decision can be made. We also need to have discussions with councils across the county to review opportunities for us to work closer together.”

Warning Rogue Traders About

Local police have reported that between the 14th and 16th November a resident of Limpsfield Chart was approached by persons claiming to be able to fix damage to their roof. They have asked for payment in advance to pay for materials before looking at the roof and suggesting it needed replacing entirely. No work was carried out or even necessary and the persons have left with the money.

So be warned and please contact Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222 if anyone tries it on with you.

Criminal Damage in Hurst Green - message from the Police

The area of Hurst Green over the past 2 months has suffered an increase in criminal damage, the majority of these cases have involved vehicles being damaged both in the driveway and on the road.

On Friday 13th November there was a significant increase in the amount of damages caused during the evening, again with the majority of offences involving vehicles being damaged. Police believe that these damages have been caused by an individual firing pebbles and bolts from a catapult within a vehicle and driving off.

Police believe that none of the victims have been targeted and that their property has been selected at random by these offenders.Police are urging anyone with information about these offences to come forward. You can pass us information by going to a Police Station, speaking to Officers whilst they are out on patrol, by sending an email or by giving them a call. (3672@surrey.pnn.police.uk or 0845 125 2222)

Police have currently increased their patrols around the Hurst Green area in an attempt to prevent further offences from occurring and to find the individuals responsible. Criminals be warned... if you are found in possession of a catapult you will be arrested.

To reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of this crime there are some simple steps you can take;(1) If you have a garage park your car in there.(2) If you have a drive park your car on it.(3) Leave your car somewhere with good lighting, if the area is well lit it reduces the chance of your car becoming a target as the offenders know that they are more likely to be caught.(4) Leave your car where there is good CCTV.

Local Police are happy to speak to anyone who needs crime prevention advice, they are even happy to visit your home address to offer such advice.

Bus Stops and Budgets

I spent a wet Wednesday morning trialling around Holland and Hurst Green looking a sites for new permanent bus stops. Southdown PSV have taken over from Metrobus as the local operator and have changed the service to ensure a regular half hourly service to Oxted and Redhill six days per week. According to both the operator and local taxi drivers (who have been be-moaning their loss of business) this has been a total success. I hope we managed the tricky balance of bus passengers, other road users and residents who have a bus stop outside their homes. I am sure I will hear if we didn't!

As a council we are starting to put together our budget for the next financial year. It is going to be a tough one. The Labour Government having indebted British taxpayers money on a colossal scale have no money for underfunded Councils like Tandridge and we are very aware that local residents suffering from lower incomes, the threat or reality of redundancy are not able to support a large increase in council tax. But with a large fall in our income from other sources the difficulty will be to protect the front line services which are so highly valued by those who use them.

Tandridge is a safe place, but our position near London, Kent Sussex and the M25 means that we sometimes get the odd case of serious criminality - such as the attempted armed robbery on the Londis shop and attacks on the One-Stop and two weeks ago an attempted attack on a girl in the middle of Oxted in broad daylight on a Sunday. Fortunately the girl managed to get away, but these acts demonstrate the need for a partnership between a properly funded and democratically accountable Police force and local people who keep an eye on their neighbourhood and report all criminal and anti-social acts.