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Mid Sussex security and crime prevention news for the community
| Neighbourhood Watch Handbook |
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Mid Sussex Neighbourhood Watch have produced a handbook containing a
wealth of useful information.
The 50 page publication contains advice and tips on keeping the
criminal at bay; personal, property and vehicle security, fire safety,
local contacts listings, plus much more.
The booklet has been sponsored by many local agencies including WSCC,
Mid Sussex and Haywards Heath councils, the Fire & Rescue service,
Sussex Police, Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Federation and the Scarman
Trust.
The printed booklet can be obtained from Mid Sussex police stations or
downloaded from the links opposite in either PDF or ZIP format.
The handbook is identical within both files types >>>
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Download
members handbook (PDF) (3.86MB)
Download
members handbook (ZIP file) (3.47MB)
Downloading and Printing info here.
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See
our crime blog for latest Mid Sussex crime issues.
| Operation Beatsweep feedback |
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This was a multi-agency operation run between 19-24th May involving the
DVLA, licensing enforcement, VOSA, trading standards and the parish
council all working together to tackle 'crime and grime' in the village.
Operation Beatsweep tackled issues that were raised by some 150
Hassocks area residents, including parking, anti social behaviour and
speeding vehicles.
During half-term, year 11 pupils were stopped when seen underage
drinking while celebrating in a very vociferous and drunken manner.
Parents are advised to be aware of where their children are and what
they're up to.
60 vehicles were stopped during safety checks and of these nine were
issued with prohibitions for serious vehicle defects and three for no
MOT. Seven minor infringements were reported with licensed vehicles
and one driver was arrested twice in the week for drink driving and his
car seized.
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Random speed checks were conducted at various locations and at various
times. In London Road and Ockley Lane quite a few drivers were
stopped and advised, while in Priory Road, Stonepound Road and Grand
Avenue no speeding was apparent. It's suspected that 'speeding mis-perception'
was at work here. Volunteers for the Hassocks Speedwatch Scheme are
to be sought to carry out speed checks and relay information to
police. If you're interested please .
A post event street briefing was held at The Parish Centre on Thursday
5th June where locals were able to learn how the action week went.
The full Operation Beatsweep report can be downloaded below:
Download
Op Beatsweep report (61KB)
Downloading and Printing info here.
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Summer
crime prevention tips on the seasonal page.
| Sussex Police Community Message No
43 |
- May 2008 |
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Here is the latest message to the community (21st May) from Chris Ball,
Chief Inspector for Mid Sussex District. It is intended to keep the
local community informed and updated about key issues and developments in
the area and can be downloaded opposite >>>
It is also available on our RSS feed
and blog.
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Download
Community Message 43 (16KB)
Downloading and Printing info here.
Previous
message No 41 (April, 26KB)
(No, we don't know what happened to No. 42 either)
This document has been reformatted by this
website from Sussex Police original into a PDF document suitable for
downloading.
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See
our general crime prevention tips.
| Mid Sussex Neighbourhood Watch
newsletter |
Watch Out |
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Watch Out is the Mid Sussex Neighbourhood Watch newsletter and is
distributed locally by the PCSOs and Neighbourhood Watch
coordinators. Designed to keep Mid Sussex residents informed of
local crime issues, it contains a wealth of local information and crime
prevention advice.
The spring edition has items on Neighbourhood Policing and
Neighbourhood Watch working together in the future, some tips on
perimeters, paths and outbuilding security, details of a new No Cold
Calling Zone in Burgess Hill, PCSO blog access details and the latest NST
news. Recent previous editions are also available.
Click to view Watch Out.
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See
the scams page for scams and frauds to be aware of.
| Police Surgeries |
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PCSO Sally Howarth advises dates for forthcoming Police Surgeries
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All are held at the Hassocks Parish Council Offices in Adastra
Park. Please come along if you have any problems or questions that
the police may be able to help with.
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July - Thursday 24th, 11.00 am - 12.00 pm
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See
the reports page for crime reports and statistics for
Mid Sussex.
| Search Teams training exercise |
- Operation Ramble |
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On 2nd February a search and rescue training exercise took place in the
North Downs area of Sussex. Colin Field, the High Sheriff of west
Sussex together with representatives from Sussex Police Authority,
independent advisory groups, Haywards Heath town council and Mid Sussex
council emergency planning department, observed the event.
The many volunteers spent several hours searching for a teenage
dummy. Lowland search dogs, Sussex search and rescue and Sussex
Police all took part. The groups came together for extensive
training - and gained further invaluable experience which has been proven
by their successes during real searches.

C.I. Chris Ball, Mid Sussex District Commander said: "The
Neighbourhood Watch Search Team are a pivotal and essential part of how
police deal with some critical incidents involving missing people in the
Mid Sussex area. My thanks go to the volunteers for their
professionalism and dedication."
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Sussex Police has pioneered the use of trained volunteers to assist in
this vital role with over 140 currently active.
PC Bennett said: "Searching large areas of open countryside is not
just a matter of swamping the problem with personnel. This needs to
be carried out systematically and with people trained in the correct
techniques. Our trained volunteers are specialists in their own
right and a vital asset in finding vulnerable missing people as quickly as
possible."
"The volunteers come from all walks of life and gladly give their
time, when they are able to do so. A call out at the weekend is not
usually a problem for most volunteers, but we cannot and do not expect
them to turn out if committed with work or family matters - which is why
we need to train a substantial pool of volunteers."
"The training is informative and fun. These types of outdoor
exercises, which are held a few time a year, are designed to test our
teams over a variety of terrain. Although it would be great if we
did not have to deploy search teams in this role, persons do go missing in
circumstances that require large scale searches of the countryside."
For search volunteer information please contact PC Geoff
Bennett on 0845 60 70 999 or .
Visit the Sussex
Search website.
Related:
Sussex Search's
blog
High
Sheriff's blog
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Bogus
caller advice on the bogus page.
| Operation Crackdown |
- for safer roads |
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Operation
Crackdown is a multi-agency partnership including you, Sussex
residents. The aim is to make our roads safer and our neighbourhoods
a better place to live.
More information and a full list of partners is on the Operation
Crackdown website.
We
need your help to tackle problems in your part of Sussex by telling us
about abandoned vehicles and anti-social driving you've seen, eg speeding,
thoughtless driving/riding, under-age drivers/riders, drink or drug
driving, tailgating, mobile phone use, vehicles in unsafe condition,
untaxed cars and motorbikes...
If you spot any of the above:
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Pull over safely at the side of the road, or ask a passenger to write
down details
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Vehicle make, model, colour and number will all help police enquiries
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Use house numbers, shop names, road names to pinpoint the incident's
location or a potential abandoned vehicle
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Write a brief description of what you witnessed, while still fresh in
your mind
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Visit: www.operationcrackdown.org
or call 01243 64 22 22 to record your information, which will only take
a few minutes
Your information will be analysed and appropriate action taken if
necessary by Sussex Police. Those identified can be tackled in a
number of ways - by education, letters and home visits to give them a
chance to consider their actions and what future actions they need to
take. More serious cases where lives are potentially put at risk, or
those who fail to heed initial warnings are likely to face prosecution.
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Remember! Do not attempt to write anything while
driving and always stop in a safe place prior to using a handheld mobile
phone.
Since
going live there have been 186 entries and as a result there has been a
seizure of a motorcycle for anti-social riding as well as an individual
being identified as involved in two incidents of road rage within 4 days.
The summary below identifies some of the key causation factors which
the police record regularly as contributing to road traffic crashes where
people are seriously injured or killed. The significant reporting of
mobile phone use and drink driving should be taken as a warning to
motorists that this database will allow their activities to be
recorded. Many of these offences, if prosecuted, will result in
penalty points, disqualification and heavy fines.
A summary of some of the activities being reported is:
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63 cases of careless or dangerous driving
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5 cases of drink driving
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37 cases of mobile phones being used by drivers
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5 road rage reports
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36 excessive speed reports
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7 cases of tailgating
The following is a typical response which accompanies a
report:
"Thank you for this and at last we feel someone is listening to us
when we ask for a more peaceful life."
"What a good idea this website is."
"The only thing I find that I do not want on, is the map that comes
up under location, as most people will be able to tell you the location
without a map."
"I think the site is great and easy to use."
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See
our general crime prevention tips.
| Problems within the community - can
we help? |
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West
Sussex Mediation Service was set up locally to help people who are having
problems with their neighbours and others in the community and finding it
hard to resolve. Examples include: noisy or inconsiderate
neighbours, antisocial behaviour, verbal abuse, boundary and hedge
disputes, pet and parking problems, ball games in the road, rubbish or
bonfires and dispute over use of common areas.
Disputes can escalate over time and often lead to police, council,
solicitors and landlord involvement.
Mediation is a way of resolving disagreements with the help of an
independent third party. Our mediators are trained volunteers who
live in the local community - they will not make judgements or take sides,
but will encourage everyone involved to find an acceptable solution.
Our aim is to bring people together to talk and resolve
difficulties. We hope that we can help restore goodwill and make
life more acceptable for all parties.
If you are having problems with a neighbour or anyone in the local
community, we may be able to help. The office is normally staffed
weekdays between 9.00am -1.00pm and 2.00 - 5.00pm (answerphone at other
times).
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Mediation
works because:
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The Mediators are neutral and help both parties reach an agreement
they are both happy with
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Both parties have the opportunity to be heard fully and hear the
other side of the story
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Mediators do not give advice or solutions, but encourage the parties
to take on responsibility for finding a practical solution. They
help by identifying main dispute issues and underlying causes - meaning
that any agreements reached are more likely to work
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Mediation is an informal, private process involving only the parties
themselves and the mediators who act according to a strict
Confidentiality Policy
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Finally, mediation is a free and usually quick way of solving
disputes and is run by a Management Committee, currently seeking to
recruit further Trustees
Address: West Sussex Mediation Service, Alphacom
House, 8A Oakhill Road, Horsham, RH13 5SB.
Tel. No: 01403 258900 .
Web: www.westsussexmediation.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1084592.
We welcome donations or grants.
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