Security
Phoning the Police
In an emergency call 999. For all non-emergencies call 0845 8 505 505 for Thames Valley Police.
Neighbourhood Watch
What is it?
Neighbourhood Watch is the largest voluntary organisation in the UK, covering six million households. It is run by volunteers from the community and provides an effective way for the police and residents to work together to reduce opportunities for crime and build up a community spirit.
A successful partnership and a resulting rapport between Neighbourhood Watch groups and the police can improve the quality of life in the community, help to look after its more vulnerable members and reduce burglary and vandalism.
Groups in Whitchurch
There are several Neighbourhood Watch groups in the village:
- Houses near the junction of Eastfield Lane and the High Street
- Houses on the south side of Hardwick Road in the vicinity of Swanston Field
- Houses on the High Street, middle part
- Houses in Hardwick Road generally (group currently being formed)
Each Neighbourhood Watch group has a coordinator who passes on relevant police messages to group members and acts as a liaison point for sharing information. If you want to mention anything suspicious you’ve noticed in the village or to ask about something you should contact the coordinator of your group. The Neighbourhood Watch coordinator for the village as a whole is Geoff Weir who lives in Eastfield Lane. You are welcome to email Geoff (geoff.weir@btinternet.com) or phone him on 984 4172.
Neighbourhood Watch relies on people keeping an eye open and reporting anything suspicious. Even quite trivial observations can sometimes help either to avoid crime or, if it happens, to solve it.
Sign up to receive messages
Police messages about recent crimes in the area are known as
Ringmaster messages and are sent to
Neighbourhood Watch coordinators. If you would like to receive these directly,
email Geoff Weir with your name
and address and he will arrange to forward them by email as they come in.
Form your own group
Neighbourhood Watch isn’t just about crime prevention – it’s about getting to
know neighbours, helping each other and looking after the more vulnerable
members of the community.
There are parts of the village where no one has yet formed a group. If you would like to set one up with your neighbours, the first step is to obtain an information folder from Clare Stroud who is the Neighbourhood Watch Administrator for the Vale of White Horse District, based at the Police Station in Abingdon. She can be contacted on 01235 556 957 or by email. (clare.stroud@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk)
The next step is to visit your neighbours to ask if they want to be in the group. A group of about twenty houses is suggested and it should be at least six. You then send Clare a list of the houses, nominating yourself or one of your neighbours, with their agreement, as the group coordinator. A deputy coordinator is usually appointed as well.