Police encourage Dacorum residents to sign up to Community Safety Partnership

Hertfordshire has the largest Neighbourhood Watch network in the UK with 1 in 3 homes registered on OWL
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Police are encouraging residents in Dacorum to sign up to the Community Safety Partnership to keep up to date with the local alerts and crime prevention advice.

In Dacorum, 32 per cent of households have signed up to the Online Watch Link (OWL) scheme, which is the modern arm of Neighbourhood Watch.

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But, Broxbourne residents are kept most informed with police news, the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) now has an impressive 59 per cent of households signed up to the OWL scheme.

Stewart Sykes district co-ordinator in BroxbourneStewart Sykes district co-ordinator in Broxbourne
Stewart Sykes district co-ordinator in Broxbourne

Broxbourne Chief Inspector Frankie Westoby said: “This is especially impressive as eight years ago, in 2013, Broxbourne only had three per cent of households signed up.

“This huge achievement is largely due to Stewart Skyes, the volunteer NHW district co-ordinator who set himself the goal of knocking on every door in the area, working closely with police Watch Liaison Officer Terry Morris.

"His determination, hard work, energy and enthusiasm has paid off and we are very grateful for all his incredible voluntary work.”

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Detective Chief Inspector Pete Frost said: “This is great news for residents in Broxbourne who regularly receive police news and updates about local burglaries, scams and missing people with relevant crime prevention advice.

"I would encourage the rest of the county to sign-up to boast similar results as we know a ‘Prevention First’ approach helps keep our county safer.

"There’s never been a better time to be kept informed about what is happening locally and recipients simply need to read the messages and take on board any crime prevention measures.

"However, if residents would like to volunteer to help as a district co-ordinator or even the chair of Herts Watch, we would love to hear from you.”

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He added: “We are especially keen to get more people signed up in Stevenage, North Herts, Welwyn Hatfield, Dacorum and St Albans.”

The role of chair of HertsWatch is also currently vacant – following the retirement of Sue Thompson, who has been successfully leading Hertfordshire's NHW and Online Watch Link (OWL) for 17 years.

Deputy NHW chair Keith Batchelor is temporarily filling Sue’s shoes until a new recruit can be found.

The voluntary role includes chairing four NHW meetings a year, meeting the Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable, working closely with the police Community Reduction and Community Safety Unit and supporting the district co-ordinators when needed.

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Estimated hours are about 30 to 50 a month and basic expenses will be paid in all roles. For further information, email [email protected]

Neighbourhood Watch is a long-established concept of simply looking out for your neighbours and helping the police by being the ‘ears and eyes’ within your local area. It’s about prevention, reassurance and safety.

Hertfordshire has over 160,000 members signed up to our Online Watch Link (OWL), which is over a third of all households in the county, making it one of the best in the country.