Policing

Drive SMART viral campaign

Adrian Creek of Surrey County Council has emailed the Residents' Association to ask that residents view the following video on YouTube. Then the idea is to pass the link onto friends, family and associates to spread the word. In this was the power of the internet can be used to good effect. Adrian's email is as follows:-

"Working as part of the Drive SMART communications group (an initiative set up last September by Surrey Police and Surrey County Council to tackle anti-social driving) I have overseen the scripting, filming and production of a viral film.

I would be most grateful if you could take a look yourself (sending it to a home email address if your workplace bars you from accessing Youtube) and then perhaps email it on to all your friends and colleagues.. .....and then ask them to forward it on again.. .....(which is the basis of a viral campaign younger comms people tell me......!). Perhaps you could even consider putting the link on your Facebook page?

In particular it is aimed at the vulnerable 17-25 age group of young drivers in Surrey who are over-represented in the casualty figures. This is down to a number of factors, two of which are peer pressure and speeding, which this film tackles. We are very keen for as many people as possible to view the film, because we all probably know someone who just might get something from it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk0SJTn2DcI "

Speed awareness courses launched in Surrey

Speeding motorists in Surrey now have the opportunity to go back to the classroom to refresh their driving skills - rather than picking up a £60 fine and three penalty points on their licence.

The courses, offered to those drivers caught speeding just a few miles an hour over the limit, were officially launched at The Spectrum Leisure Centre in Guildford last Friday (February 26th). The launch was marked with a visit from the Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Kay Hammond, and Assistant Chief Constable, Ian Dyson, who called in to speak to some of the first course participants.

The four-hour classroom based presentation, run by road safety specialists from AA DriveTech, is run at three different venues in Surrey, currently Guildford, Staines and Betchworth, but is only available to those travelling just a few miles an hour over the limit*.

The course aims to generate a better understanding of the consequences of speeding and raise awareness of the importance of sticking to speed limits. The course also helps drivers recognise speed limits and provides instruction on driving more carefully. Drivers who meet the eligibility criteria will pay £73 to attend the course, which covers the cost of administering the scheme. It is not offered to drivers who are travelling at speeds well above the speed limit, or those who have attended a national speed awareness course within the last three years (from the date of the offence). Drivers can be referred to the same course elsewhere in England and Wales if that is more suitable.

Implementation costs for setting up the new speed awareness courses were funded as part of the Drive SMART initiative, launched last September by Surrey County Council and Surrey Police to tackle anti-social driving, an issue regularly identified as a concern by local residents. Up to 5,000 motorists are expected to attend the course in the first year. Referrals to the course are via camera-captured speed offences.

The Leader of Surrey County Council, Dr Andrew Povey, said: "Educating people to drive more safely and sensibly is central to our Drive SMART campaign. Offering motorists the opportunity to learn about the consequences of driving dangerously should make them better drivers in the future which in turn will make Surrey's roads safer for everyone."

Surrey's Assistant Chief Constable, Ian Dyson, added: “This is about reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on Surrey’s roads and raising drivers’ awareness of the impact that anti-social driving, in particular speeding, has on communities. Often the most effective way of achieving this is with education rather than enforcement and the speed awareness courses aim to re-educate motorists to drive more carefully and considerately to pose less risk to themselves and other road users.

“This does not mean we are being soft on drivers. Surrey Police will take a robust approach in targeting drivers who continue to act irresponsibly and break the law.”

AA DriveTech Managing Director Jim Kirkwood, said: “We know that education makes a positive contribution to road safety and we work hard to ensure that our courses are relevant and useful to those drivers who attend. We never lecture or preach. We’re there to inform, advise and support the motorists so that they complete the speed awareness course with a better understanding of the risks they face while driving as well as some useful and practical tips for becoming safer drivers.”

For more information please contact Project Manager, Duncan Knox on 0208 541 7443, email duncan.knox@surreycc.gov.uk or Communications Manager, Adrian Creek on 01483 519541, email adrian.creek@surreycc.gov.uk

* Low end speeders are those caught speeding within the ACPO defined range of the speed limit +10%+2mph up to the speed limit +10% +6mph.

Drive SMART is a year-long campaign by Surrey County Council and Surrey Police to tackle the problem of anti-social driving. One of the first initiatives by Dr Andrew Povey, Leader of Surrey County Council, was to pledge £1 million to set up the campaign after the issue was regularly identified as a concern by residents to local councillors.

Information we would like to share with you.

We would like to share a message from our Chief Constable with you, which relates to potential changes at Surrey Police you may have heard through the local media.

Message from Surrey Police Chief Constable, Mark Rowley.

Surrey Police is developing plans to put large numbers of frontline police officers on the streets of Surrey, focused on tackling vital issues which mean the most to the public, such as anti-social behaviour and organised crime gangs. Our planning is at a very early stage, and Surrey Police Authority will be asked to agree interim plans on December 10 before more detailed work takes place.

I am very keen that as many local people as possible are made aware of our plans from myself, rather than through reporting in the local media, which is likely to only give an interpretation of our plans hence this email for your information.

In summary, we want to:

Create up to 200 new police constable posts to improve the service we deliver. There will be more officers working in neighbourhood policing teams tackling anti-social behaviour, and more officers tackling cross border criminality and organised crime groups.
There will be a greater range of places to meet neighbourhood policing teams (e.g. from libraries, shopping centres, council offices).
We want to locate some of our neighbourhood policing teams within borough and district council offices to ensure a better overall service to the public in tackling local problems.
We will be exploring replacing a number of police stations with better ways to access our services. Many of our police stations are old, costly to maintain and not particularly accessible to the vast majority of local communities - borne out by very low numbers of people visiting them. Instead we will provide a range of more accessible ways to meet your neighbourhood policing team.
In order to invest in 200 additional constables we will be reducing the number of senior managers within Surrey Police and replace costly old police buildings with a range of better ways to access our services. It also ensures we are a financially sustainable force essential to ensure the best possible use of public money.

It will take a number of months to make the changes, and we want to work with communities to review the best way of meeting and engaging with neighbourhood policing teams. This is about providing people with an easy way to access policing services; whether it is over the phone, online or within their local community.

I have attached our press release, so you can see the facts from the Force directly.

Yours sincerely

Mark Rowley
Chief Constable
Surrey Police

Police Surgery

The Police hold a "Surgery"/Meeting at St. Georges Church on the last Tuesday in the month at 10am.

Police Advice on Unwanted Callers

You may have seen in the local and national Press that it is reckoned that in times of economic downturn, crime increases. Thus, it is timely that Surrey Police and Trading Standards are giving advice on how to deal with uninvited callers, of which there have been a few in the local area. Below is an extract from the Police’s leaflet on the meeting.

BE SAFE

BE SECURE

Avoid becoming a victim of crime in your home or while you are out and about. Surrey Police and Trading Standards are giving advice and presentations on how to deal with uninvited callers.

Join us on:

Tuesday 12th May 2009 at 11:00am St Georges Christian Centre, Barnett Wood Lane, Ashtead KT21 2DA

BE THERE

Please note that this meeting is not instead of the usual bi-monthly Police Focus Group meetings, the next one being at 7pm on Monday 18th May 2009 at the Peace Memorial Hall.

Partnership Adds More Mobile Sites

Mobile safety camera enforcement vans will be targeting six new sites in Surrey in response to public concerns.

The sites, in Reigate & Banstead, Elmbridge, Guildford, Epsom & Ewell, Surrey Heath and Runnymede, do not meet the criteria for fixed speed cameras, which are reserved for the very worst collision hotspots. But they have either experienced some collisions or residents have expressed concerns about speeding. They were agreed after full consultation with Surrey Police, Surrey County Council and Highway Agency engineers.

They will conform to Surrey Safety Camera Partnership’s standard policy of visible enforcement, with the sites well-signed and enforcement vehicles positioned to be highly visible.

The new exceptional enforcement sites are:

· A217 Dovers Green Road, Dovers Green (30 mph)
· A3 Esher Bypass (southbound), Claygate (70 mph)
· A3100 London Road, Guildford (30 mph)
· B284 Chessington Road, West Ewell (40 mph)
· B3411 Frimley Green Road, Frimley (30 mph)
· B388 Thorpe Lea Road, Thorpe Lea (30 mph)

Partnership Project Manager Duncan Knox added:

“We will continue to investigate the possibility of providing enforcement at other sites where there are casualties or where there are community concerns, but we are often limited over the space available to park our mobile enforcement vehicle safely at the side of the road. In these cases local police colleagues may be able to consider other methods of enforcement.”

Beware Registration Plate Offenders!

Drivers with illegal vehicle registration plates are now being captured on film by the Surrey Safety Camera Partnership.

Over the last 12 months the Partnership has widened its brief beyond speeding and red light violation offences to tackle drivers using hand-held mobile phones and seat belt offenders. Now it has decided to crack down on people with illegal registration plates.

By law, lettering on vehicle registration plates needs to be spaced correctly and a certain size.

Partnership Project Manager, Duncan Knox, explained:

“Our mobile cameras are a very high specification and can read the vast majority of registration plates from a long way away. But it might not be so easy for traffic officers without a camera who need to check details of a vehicle. This move will enable us to contact those drivers who are unaware of the law or who are wilfully disobeying it.”

Anyone caught on camera with an illegal vehicle registration plate will be sent a letter and the DVLA may be notified – and they have the power to withdraw the registration plate from use. The rapid growth in sales of personalised number plates is thought to have increased the number of illegal plates on the country’s roads.

The Surrey Safety Camera Partnership is made up of four public sector organisations, Surrey County Council, Surrey Police, the Highways Agency and Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS), who are working together to help cut casualties on Surrey’s roads.

Theft of number plates

There continues to be offences of theft of number plates from vehicles across Mole Valley. Research shows that stolen plates are used to:

‘clone’ stolen vehicles for re sale
conceal the identity of drivers involved in criminal activity (e.g. stealing fuel from petrol stations)
evade traffic related fines including parking tickets, speeding fines and congestion charges.

There are some steps that motorists can take in order to prevent themselves becoming a victim of this crime:

The DVLA have put into place an industry standard on “anti-theft” plates which are designed to disintegrate if attempts are made to remove need to deal them from a vehicle. These plates cost approximately twice as much as standard plates, but by fitting them you may avoid the cost of replacement plates and also the need to deal with visits or letters from the police about a cloned vehicle committing offences using your registration.

A cheaper alternative is to buy “one way” screws. These are designed with heads that can be screwed on, but cannot easily be unscrewed, and usually need to be drilled out. The increased time the offender needs to spend on removing them, and the increased risk of breaking the number plate and therefore wasting their time, should serve to dissuade them from stealing from your vehicle.

If you are unfortunate and become a victim of this type of crime, please ensure that you inform the police as soon as possible so that they can record the information on the Police National Computer. This will allow any patrolling officers who stop a vehicle with your registration to make further checks to confirm its identity. In Surrey, please use the 0845 125 2222 number.

Don’t make it easy for car thieves

SURREY is one of the safest places in the country but theft of and from vehicles is still one of the biggest challenges faced by Surrey Police. Although vehicle crime in the county is low in comparison to other areas, motorists continue to tempt thieves by leaving items such as satellite navigation systems, laptops and mobile phones in their cars and vans rather than taking them with them.

To encourage drivers to help reduce car crime and save themselves the cost and inconvenience of repairs or having to replace expensive items, Surrey Police has launched a campaign with the simple message ‘Don’t make it easy for them’, which includes the advice to remove all valuable items from vehicles and to make a note of serial numbers because without them stolen items cannot be traced.

Please follow the simple steps below, which will reduce the opportunity for thieves:

· Lock the doors, windows, boot and sunroof every time you leave your vehicle

· Use the vehicle’s security devices

· Don’t leave valuables in your car. Take them with you at all times

· Make a note of serial numbers. Without them, your valuable items are untraceable

· Keep driving documents and personal correspondence at home

· Lock the car and remove your keys from the ignition at petrol stations. Keep the keys with you

· Call the police if you see anyone acting suspiciously.

Enhanced police operational activity during the campaign will target car thieves across the county with arrests, warrants and undercover operations as well as extra patrols in vehicle crime ‘hotspot’ areas, forensic fingerprinting and increased Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) activity.

Superintendent Charlie Doyle, who is heading up the campaign, said: “By combining an advertising campaign with focused operational activity which will target police resources in key areas, we are showing how determined Surrey Police is to tackle vehicle crime hotspots in local communities.

“We also want the public to be aware that, by taking some simple steps, everyone can protect themselves from vehicle crime.”

Chris Schultze, Ashtead's new Police Community Support Officer, has circulated a Police Personal Description form to all shopkeepers in Ashtead. The same form is attached below as a .pdf document for downloading. Chris advises that if this form is used it helps the Police as if witnesses can match as many points as they can on this sheet it helps them get people matched to crimes either in progress or that have happened.

From the 1^st April 2009 all members of Surrey’s public who are stopped by the police will be given a written record detailing the reasons why they were stopped and an option to complain if they feel the stop was unnecessary or racially motivated. This is an important addition to the existing stop and search legislation.

Surrey Police Authority welcomes this change in the law as part of its role to ensure the needs and concerns of Surrey’s public are reflected in the way the county is policed.

Nationally black people are 6.4 times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people. In Surrey black people are 5.7 times more likely to be stopped than white people when compared with the percentage of black residents in Surrey. However, this figure is significantly increased by the numbers of black people travelling through the county, mainly from London, and black residents of Surrey are only 3.5 times more likely to be stopped than white residents. Asian residents are 1.8 times more likely to be searched and twice as likely overall.

There was a 6.7% increase in the numbers of stop and searches carried out in Surrey for 2004/05 compared with 2003/04. Of those stop and searches, 10% were carried out on non-white individuals. The arrest rate for stop and search is currently 14% but Surrey Police aims to increase this to between 15 and 20%, which would place the Force in the top ten performing forces nationally.

The new legislation will help to ensure that police stop and search powers are enforced appropriately and transparently. It will also enable the public to take action if they feel they have been treated unfairly. Any complaints from the public will be fully investigated and the ethnicity of the complainant recorded to ensure that the use of Stops and Stop and Search does not discriminate against any group within the community.

Commenting on the announcement of the change in the legislation Chairman of Surrey Police Authority, Liz Campbell stated: “This is a positive step forward following recommendations in the Stephen Lawrence report that recognised Stop and Search as one of the main causes of conflict between the police and minority communities. This amendment to the law will assist us in monitoring the use of Stops and Stop and Search to prevent discrimination and to ensure that officers use their powers responsibly. It will also provide greater transparency in police operations.”

Chief Constable Bob Quick said: “I welcome this important addition to the Stop and Search legislation and believe it is a positive change to assist us in providing an improved police service for the people of Surrey. While it does mean extra paperwork for officers, this is nevertheless essential for the purposes of collating data to assist with police intelligence and will encourage better reporting of crime and incidents disorder. At Surrey Police we feel it is crucial to carry out Stops and Stop and Search with the utmost integrity and professionalism. Our ongoing training and development programmes on this particular aspect of police work will contribute to greater community confidence on the use of stop and search.”

Nuweed Razaq, Chairman of the Surrey Independent Advisory Group said: “This is a step in the right direction for those communities who feel alienated by stop and search procedures and who feel that they are unfairly treated or discriminated against. We are pleased that this amendment to the law will enable Surrey Police to be more transparent in their work with individuals and communities. The provision of a written record will enable those who feel unfairly treated to take action. It will also be of some reassurance that the additional data collated on stop and search will be scrutinised by the Force, the Police Authority and members of the community to ensure that the police are acting fairly at all times.”

Surrey Police Authority will be distributing Stop and Search information cards to public places (e.g. libraries, sports-centres, places of worship) in all 11 borough and districts. Cards will also be given to local Police Community Partnership Groups (PCPG), neighbourhood specialist officers and police community support officers. Stop and Search information will soon be available on the Surrey Police Authority website www.surreypa.gov.uk.

Surrey Police Authority oversees the work of the Surrey Police Force. Its main aim is to ensure that the needs and concerns of the local community are reflected in the county’s policing priorities. The authority sets the budget for the force, appoints the chief constable and monitors performance against central government targets in addition to consulting with the public and fulfilling other Authority duties. The Authority consists of seventeen members (9 county councillors, 5 independent members and 3 magistrate members) and holds seven public meetings per year. For more information please visit www.surreypa.gov.uk.

More information on the new stop and search legislation from the Home Office can be obtained by visiting www.homeoffice.gov.uk.

If your mobile telephone is stolen, report your number to your network operator and the Police. The handset can now be barred on all networks and will be useless to thieves. You can help protect your mobile telephone if you register your phone with your network operator and record your IMEI number. This is the 15 digit serial number. It can be accessed on most handsets by keying the following *#06# and your phone will then reveal its IMEI number. It is also often recorded within the battery compartment. Keep these details separate from your telephone and advise Police if and when the phone is stolen together with your Mobile Number and any PIN. Alternatively visit the following site which has all Network telephone numbers for Contract and Pre-Pay telephones to advise of their loss or theft.

I would like to draw your attention to the graffiti initiative that has been launched in conjunction with MVDC and the Leatherhead Advertiser. There are two main strands to this:

Shopkeepers are urged to refuse to sell spray paint to persons who are, or appear to be, under 18 years old. The shopkeepers will display a specially designed poster in their window that signals their support for the scheme. The scheme was rolled out in the Bookham area initially and extended to the Leatherhead Town area in August. The intention is to make it a scheme across the whole of Mole Valley.

I would like to advertise a telephone number, which residents can call when they see graffiti in their area. The number is 01306 676858. This is an answer-phone that is monitored by my unit at Leatherhead. We will then pass the information onto MVDC via a specially set up section of their Internet site. MVDC will then endeavour to clean the graffiti as soon as possible. At the moment they will only clean council/public property.

I would also like to remind everyone that they can report abandoned vehicles on a dedicated telephone number, 01306 873546. This number can also be used for reporting fly-tipping incidents.

As a general message, I would point out that the area of East Surrey in general has suffered from burglaries committed by bogus callers. We have brought a significant number of charges against offenders in recent weeks. This is a distressing crime and it is the elderly and otherwise vulnerable members of our community who tend to suffer most. Please don’t forget to check the ID of all tradesmen. This will not offend genuine company representatives and indeed, they expect to be challenged.

If you are concerned about the vulnerability of neighbours or family members and they would like a security advice visit then please call my crime reduction officer, PC Mike Bessent on 01306 676823. He will be happy to call. If an hour of our time prevents a distressing burglary then it is time well spent.

Citizens Advice Bureau	Dorking	01306 876805
	Leatherhead	01372 375522
Community Safety Officer	Clive Smitheram	01306 879305
Crimestoppers		0800 555 111
Domestic Violence Outreach Service		01737 771350
East Surrey Victim Support		01737 766323
Electricity (EDF)	Emergency	0800 783 8866
	General Enquiries	0800 0568 888
Gas	Emergency	0800 111 999
	General Enquiries	0845 009 112
Mole Valley District Council	Incl. Out of Hours Service	01306 885001
Mole Valley Crime Reduction Advisor		01483 637410
Neighbourhood Watch (Mole Valley)	Alan Berridge	01483 637409
Reporting Graffiti, vandalism, abandoned cars and fly tipping		01306 873546
Surrey Fire & Rescue Service	Safety Check	08000 850 767
Surrey Police	Emergency	999
	All Enquiries	01483 571212 or 0845 125 2222
Trading Standards (Surrey)		08454 040 506
Water	Sutton & East Surrey Water	0845 278 0845
	Thames Water	08459 200800
	Southern Water	0845 278 0845

Speed awareness courses launched in Surrey	Drive SMART campaign - view and spread the word.
Potential changes to Policing.	Don’t make it easy for car thieves
Bogus Callers Alert	Police Advice on Unwanted Callers
Number Plates Warning.	New Mobile Speed Cameras Warning
Theft of Number Plates	Protect Your Mobile Phone
"Who are you gonna call?" - Not Ghostbusters	Surrey Police Authority announces new rights for Surrey’s public.
Police Surgery	Graffiti and Abandoned Vehicles
Personal Description Form - Help the Police catch the criminal.