Notes on Neighbourhood Watch meeting held on 15th March 2010

5 members present; not bad considering the reminders were a bit late. Sorry about that.

Mike reported on the NHW Steering Group meeting which he attended in January. Sergeant Alan Bell chaired the meeting, and PCSO Tess Smith was also present. 6 NHW members attended, from the Area North region. Dave Elson is retiring, and his duties (informing on alerts etc) will be taken over by Tess Smith. Better tracking of messages, and filtering so we receive those relevant to us should be in place soon.

It seems the Police would like more feedback from groups about what they expect from the Police, and in return would like us to promote Nominated Neighbour schemes and other such developments. A clear protocol that details exactly what is wanted will need to be written. There will be another meeting at the end of March.

On 3rd April there will be the village Spring Fair in the Village Hall. We have the opportunity to publicise NHW to the village, in the form of a board with information. All help to talk to people is welcome. Mary will produce an updated list of contacts at various points in the village, with phone numbers. Any other ideas gratefully received.

In the last couple of months there have been several incidents of rowdiness, and damage to property. The Police have been informed, and Oliver Hammonds PCSO in South Petherton has spoken to individuals that were thought to be involved. Things seem to quieter lately.

In addition a car had a broken windscreen and property removed in Washcross Lane. Remember that if incidents are not reported to the Police, they cannot deal with them. We cannot report things for you. Ring 999 only in emergencies. All other calls go to 0845 456 7000 where they will be dealt with by the switchboard. For follow up purposes you need to obtain an incident number. There have been some rumours about misdeeds , remember that rumours are not reliable, and problems can be put in perspective by contacting local Police.

Mary H Clarke, 17/03/2010
Next meeting 17th May