Witham South

Update

Since our last update, we have received a number of reports of dwelling burglaries in and around the Powers Hall End and Highfields Road/Armond Road areas. We have stepped up our patrols in these areas to tackle this crime and as a result have made some arrests. If you have any information that might help in our investigations or you see people in the area who may be acting suspiciously, then please get in touch with us. Please also ensure that when you leave your homes that all windows and doors are secure. For more information on preventing yourselves being a victim of crime, take a look at our “Be Safe” section.

As the summer months have now arrived, the youth of Witham is looking forward to the school holidays. Every school holiday, Witham police and surrounding areas in central division run Operation Marple. This is aimed at combating anti-social behaviour and underage drinking. This year will be no different. We have started to get calls from residents and businesses from around the Spa Road Skate Park reporting an increase in nuisance noise and underage drinking, mainly over the weekends. Although we don’t expect anyone to keep clear of the park and field areas, we will be taking a zero-tolerance policy for this sort of behaviour and will confiscate any alcohol from anyone not of the correct age. It is having a direct impact of genuine users of the facilities due to the amount of litter and broken glass that is left lying around. Braintree Council are aware of this and only last weekend they did a good job of clearing this from the area. Let’s keep it that way!!

Mini moto’s have also been a problem for local residents across Witham. This is another of our NAP priorities that the team are dealing with. Offenders in the first instance get a warning notice and their details are recorded. If they caught for a second time the vehicle that has been used to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public can be seized under the Police Reform Act 2002 and ultimately crushed! This has proven to be a useful tool in reducing this type of ASB, and will be used to its full capability in Witham. You have been warned!

Across the county numerous vehicles are being targeted by thieves for their catalytic converters. These are expensive to replace and are being stolen due the scrap value they currently hold.

If you own a car or van with a high clearance which are those with a large gap between the base of the vehicle and the ground, such as a Ford Ranger or an Iveco Daily, you can easily security mark your catalytic converter with a unique tracking number, using technology from Retainagroup. For more information please contact us.

We would also like to say the amount of people turning up at the Neighbourhood Action Panel (NAP) meetings is still poorly represented. Our next NAP meeting is on Thursday 10th June at 2pm at Spring Lodge Community Centre, Chipping Hill.

A NAP is for you, the community, to come and voice their opinions about issues in the area. If there is any reason that people could not come to the meeting (i.e. the timing) then your feedback would be appreciated.