CommunitySafe.gov.uk

Can you help? Merton Police are appealing for witnesses to five incidents of sexual touching that took place in Morden Hall Park between Thursday 25th June and Tuesday 30th June. The incidents happened between 12:30pm and 3pm. The victims were all female and aged between 16 and 41 years old. The suspect is described as a white man aged between 30 and 50 years old. He is of medium build with thinning/receding grey or blonde hair and between 5ft 6 and 5ft 9 inches tall. He has been described as having an “orange tan” and has a tattoo on his arm. He was seen wearing a navy top and navy tracksuit bottoms or three quarter length trousers. The man has been seen with a black/brown Staffordshire bull terrier dog. DS Ben Davies from Wimbledon CID said “I would like to reassure the residents of Merton that police are doing all they can to identify the perpetrator of these offences. We are not saying keep away from the area but we are encouraging women who are walking alone through Morden Hall Park to be extra vigilant at this time. If anyone is approached by a man fitting the above description, we would urge them to call 999 immediately. If anyone has any information that could help police with their enquiries, please call Wimbledon CID on 020 8649 3147 or in confidence to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. Sergeant Dan Hutchings Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhoods Team 020 8649 3576 or CricketGreen.SNT@met.police.uk

47 year old woman served with an ASBO The police at Merton working in partnership with the London Borough of Merton have successfully served an Anti Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) on 47 year old Ruth Crawford from Mitcham. Between January 2005 and October 2008, Crawford caused distress and alarm to a number of local residents by knocking on their doors asking for money, usually on the pretence that she needed it for her electricity meter. She often targeted vulnerable, elderly residents claiming to be a neighbour. On several occasions Crawford would state that she was the victim’s carer so as to gain entry to their property. She would ask for money stating she would pay it back at a later date but never did. On 11/01/2005 Ruth Crawford went to the house of an 87 year old stating that she was a home help. The victim let her in and Crawford left having stolen the victim’s wallet, £60 and a bus pass. On 12/03/2005 she attended the address of a 77 year old. She told the victim that she needed money because her electricity had run out. She asked the victim for £30.The victim lent her £2 which Crawford never paid back. On 17/02/2006 she attended the address of a 93 year old and asked to borrow money. She then stole two purses from the victim and a total of £42.35. On 09/12/2007 Crawford attended the address of an 84 year old. She told the victim that she was her carer. She gained entry to the victim’s house and left with the victim’s purse and £50. These are just some of the callous and ruthless crimes carried out by Ruth Crawford and as such have warranted the ASBO being served on her. The conditions of the ASBO are as follows: Ruth Crawford is prohibited from attending any residential address in the London Borough of Merton and asking the occupant for money unless the address is that of a friend or family member. If she breaches the prohibitions of her ASBO, she risks arrest and prison. You should report any breach to the police immediately by dialling 999 and telling the operator where you saw Ruth Crawford. You can also contact the Longthornton Safer Neighbourhoods Team on 020 8721 2742 or email the team at Longthornton.snt@met.police.uk PS Susan Hughes said” I strongly believe that a three year Anti Social Behaviour Order is a necessary option in order to protect others from further anti social acts by Ruth Crawford. Crawford preyed on vulnerable members of the community who believed her lies. By prohibiting Crawford to attend any residential premises unless the venue is that of a friend or family member, will offer victims additional protection. May I take this opportunity to remind residents to never allow strangers in to their home without seeing valid identification first and to never give money to people they don’t know.” The ASBO expires on 20/02/2012 See attached Photo Dan Hutchings Sergeant Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhood Team 020 8649 3576 or CricketGreen.SNT@met.police.uk

• Ruth Crawford (67.4 KB) preview

Cricket Green Ward Update 14/06/2009 Junior Wardens Scheme Thirty 10-year-olds from Benedict School in Mitcham are currently making their community a better place to live by becoming ‘junior wardens’. The class are being trained over 12 weeks by the Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhoods team, the local neighbourhood wardens and L&Q staff. They are going on walkabouts of the area and special outings. They will also learn more about the fire brigade and the police and meet with councillors and officers from Merton Council. The Junior warden scheme is encouraging pupils to become more aware of their environment, become more responsible citizens and to dissuade them from crime and anti-social behaviour later in their lives. The scheme is covering the role of neighbourhood wardens, anti-social behaviour, environmental crime, road safety, the use of CCTV, safety in and around the home as well as an awareness of the local neighbourhood.' ‘Junior wardens’ aims to increase children’s sense of community responsibility and promote good citizenship’. It should also improve their awareness of issues that may affect them at school and in their community. At the end of the programme the children will be presented with certificates by either the Mayor or a local councillor at the Civic Centre. National Drugs Awareness week The team have taken part in the National Tackling Drugs Week that started on Monday the 8th of June. Merton Council's Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) works throughout the year helping those who misuse drugs to get the treatment they need while police safer neighbourhood teams make sure residents' concerns about drug dealing are reported and acted on quickly. National Tackling Drugs Week gives all agencies involved in targeting drugs and drug abuse the chance to publicise their work and tell users about the support available. Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhoods Team took the mobile reassurance vehicle down to the Phipps Bridge Estate where in partnership with the Council we were available to provide help and advice for most of the day. Youth Priority Success! – Pedal Cycle Thefts from the Youth Centre Following the priority set by young people from the Phipps Bridge Youth Centre for the team to tackle pedal cycle thefts from the youth centre the team attended on two occasions last month and gave advice on crime prevention and cycle security. We were able to provide the Youth Club with some cycle locks so that children without their own would be able to lock their bikes up when they attended. A follow up visit was conducted on the 2nd of June and since we provided the locks there have been no further reported thefts of pedal cycles from the Youth Centre and it has been agreed to close this as a team priority. As the visits have proved a positive experience for both Police and the youths we will be attending on more occasions in the future to discuss other matters such as stop and search which the children have mentioned they would like to cover. Should they come up with any other issues that they would like us to look at we will set up another priority. Crime Alert Currently the borough is experiencing an increase in the amount of thefts from motor vehicle. These crimes are usually opportunist. Most cars are broken in to as a result of property being left inside the car on display. Bags, laptops and satellite navigation are the main items stolen. We would advise all vehicle owners not to leave any items on display. If you have a Sat Nav then please ensure that you wipe clean the windscreen to remove the tell tale marks left by the cradle as thieves will often break in to see if it has been left in the glovebox. Leaving the glovebox empty and open when you leave your car is another way to deter would be thieves as it only takes seconds for someone to smash your window and look inside. Don’t forget to remove your radio facia and don’t leave items in the boot. Neighbourhood panel meeting. The last panel meeting unfortunately had to be postphoned. The next meeting is now on Wednesday the 24th of June 2009. We will be discussing and deciding on the priorities for the team over the next few months so if you have anything you would like us to look at then please let us know. Your team consists of Sergeant Dan Hutchings, PC Simon Wallace, PC Paul Dodson, PCSO Tracy Whayman, PCSO Lynn Marsch and PCSO Christopher Osmond. We can be contacted on 0208 649 3576 or at CricketGreen.SNT@met.police.uk. We can provide advice on how to deal with anti social behaviour, graffiti problems or any other issues that are affecting your quality of life. To report a crime please call 0300 123 1212 or in an emergency call 999. Sergeant Dan Hutchings

New Start For Mitcham Through our daily contact with our community we knew residents were concerned about crime and disorder in Mitcham Town Centre. On Saturday 26th March 2009 we held a public meeting to bring together all the crime and disorder issues that were effecting the lives of our residents. Over 150 residents attended that meeting. The issues raised by our residents were identified, discussed and have been brought together into a plan that, although not yet fully delivered, continues to be worked on by your police and our partners in the Council. The dispersal zone for Mitcham Town Centre is part of the plan to keep Mitcham Safe. I am pleased that your safer neighbourhood team & Merton Council have completed the; crime analysis, consultation process and now have the authorisation required by law to put into place a dispersal zone in Mitcham Town centre. The dispersal zone will be active from Midnight on the 10th June 2009 and will be supported over the coming weeks with enhanced police activity led by our new Mitcham sector Inspector Jon Phillips. I have included a map of the dispersal zone below. I refuse to accept that our residents should have to put up with crime and disorder in Mitcham and I will work with all of our partners to keep our town centre safe. Mark Payne Chief Inspector Merton Police

• Mitcham Dispersal zone map (261.5 KB)

Cricket Green Ward Update 29/05/2009 Recently the team have been busy dealing with a number of issues on the ward. There has been a recent increase in thefts of mopeds on the Phipps Bridge Estate. If you are a motorcycle owner please ensure that it is secured effectively. When your bike is at home Fit a ground anchor at home and an approved chain; don't think putting your car in front of the garage helps either. Don't leave your keys in an easy to find place in the house either, this is becoming more popular for stealing cars and bikes too. Try not to leave your garage open for more than you have to, more and more thieves are "casing" your property and bikes are being stolen to order. When you’re out and about Disc locks are useless, white van man is just going to pick the bike up; disc locks only stop the opportunist thief from pushing your bike away. Long shackle "U" locks are ok but remember to lock the bike to something. A cable that you can loop around a lamppost of similar is the best bet, high security chains can be heavy to carry constantly and a cable type is much lighter. Consider getting an additional chain for outside work and just leave it outside so you don't have to carry it. Burglaries We are still experiencing a number of burglaries on the ward. I cannot stress enough how important it is to secure your home properly at all times. It would appear that people are leaving their doors on a Yale lock alone and this is simply not good enough. Doors MUST be deadlocked to make them more secure otherwise you are highly at risk of being burgled by someone slipping the lock. In light of the increase in this type of crime, we are looking at improving the alley gates in-between Bank and Glebe Avenue. We are hoping to have the alley cleared soon to make it more difficult for people to climb into back gardens and hope to have anti climb paint added to the gates to stop youths climbing over. Children’s Workshops Carole Isaacs and two workers from the La Petit Fleur crèche have founded a project called ‘Make it happen’. They realised that there were few activities available for 7 – 13 year olds in the area during the school holidays and wanted to address this. The first workshop, held during the May Bank Holiday was designed to teach the children about ‘The Arts’. They learnt about music, costume design and dance. You will be able to see what the children have achieved on their float at The Mitcham Carnival on the 13th of June. Due to the success of the workshop and the subsequent demand, it will be continuing through the summer holidays. Please contact the South Mitcham Community Centre for more details on 020 8648 3740. SMCA, The Phipps Bridge Youth Club, The Polka Theatre, South Connection and the Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhoods Team support the workshops. Ward Panel Meeting The next Cricket Green Ward Panel meeting is to be held on Wednesday the 3rd of June at Mitcham Police Station at 1800hrs. If there are any issues that you would like to raise then please contact us on 020 8649 3576. Regards Dan Hutchings Sergeant Cricket Green SNT

Dear resident Due to an increase in residential burglary within Merton, we urge you to read the following : ARE YOU SECURE? An open house is an open invitation Remove the opportunity-prevent the burglary Don't make it easy for them-follow simple security advice to help keep your property safe: 1) When you leave your home, ensure that all windows and final exit doors are double locked. 2) Ensure that your front and back doors have at least two locks fitted centrally on the door at least 14 inches apart. 3) Check your door locks. Check they have the British standard kite mark. If they don't, change them for ones that do. You may be entitled to a reduction in your insurance premium. Residents over 60 may be entitled to have their locks upgraded free of charge under a scheme run by the London Borough of Merton (MESH). 4) Install timers which switch lights and or radios on and off automatically. 5) If going out after dark, draw the curtains, leave some lights on and a radio playing. 6) Never leave a spare key concealed anywhere near the front door-burglars know all the hiding places. 7) Prevent letter box burglaries (whereby a hook or hanger is used) by storing keys away from the front door. 8) Property mark your valuable items and then register them at www.immobilise.com For crime prevention advice, log on to www.met.police.uk or contact your local Crime Reduction Officer on 020 8649 3245. Your local Safer Neighbourhoods Team is working hard to address the problem of residential burglary and are carrying out reassurance activities including high visibility patrols. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES Apologies if this seems similar to information we have sent out recently but we have been instructed that this message must be sent. Regards Dan Hutchings Sergeant Cricket Green SNT

Cricket Green Ward Update 14th May 2009-05-14 Fighting pedal cycle thefts The team have been busy this month highlighting the problem of pedal cycle thefts around the Cricket Green area. It became apparent that certain people were stealing pedal cycles for parts and were abandoning the remains as rubbish. Unfortunately there was a lack of reporting of the thefts and as such the team have been unable to return numerous recovered bicycles to their owners. We stepped up patrols in the area and conducted a leaflet drop in the affected area highlighting the importance of securing the bicycles and reporting thefts when they happened. As a result of the increased patrols the team witnessed an 18 year old local man stealing a pedal cycle and made an arrest. This resulted in a conviction and fine at court and we were able to return the pedal cycle to its owner immediately. Following this arrest there have been less thefts apparent. We have also visited the local youth centre this month and have given crime prevention advice with regards to bicycles to the youths attending. We provided the youth centre with some bicycle locks with which to chain up the bikes of those attending and as a result a ban on the kids attending with their bikes has been lifted. The ban had been put in place due to the numerous thefts of unsecured bikes that had happened outside and we hope that this action will prevent reoccurrence. Merton Health Fair attended We also attended a successful event at the Wilson Hospital on Cramner Road. The Merton Health Fair was organised by the Primary Care Trust and the Cricket Green team were asked to attend to answer any queries from local residents and provide crime prevention advice and support. The main message that the team wanted to send out to the local community was of the importance of home security and the benefits of property marking. We gave out property marking kits and advised on the benefits of registering on the national mobile property register at www.immobilise.com . Any problems that the local residents had could be answered or advice given there and then. We were able to take details of a number of issues concerning other wards and ensure that these were passed on to the relevant Safer Neighbourhoods Team. Crime Alert – Burglary There has been a recent increase in the number of burglaries on the ward but at this time there are no patterns as to the location of the offences or the way in which they are committed. The team will be patrolling the ward as usual on the lookout for anyone or anything suspicious and would ask everyone to be vigilant and report anything to us that they believe looks out of place. Please see the attachment for some Burglary prevention advice. As always the team can be contacted at Cricketgreen.SNT@met.police.uk or on 0208 649 3576 If something needs Police attention immediately please call 999 and to report a crime call 0300 123 1212. Regards Sergeant Dan Hutchings

• Burglary prevention advice (28.5 KB)

On Wednesday 29th April, local police made a number of arrests as part of a day of action to combat youth violence on the streets of Merton. The activity was in response to concerns expressed by some in the community regarding violence committed by a few individuals who sometimes operate in groups or gangs. Activity included two screen arch operations carried out at Wimbledon and Morden train stations. These were led by the Merton Safer Transport Team and Merton Park Safer Neighbourhoods Team working in partnership with the British Transport Police. At Wimbledon, 19 stop and searches were carried out which resulted in five cannabis warnings and two arrests for fare evasion and being wanted on warrant. 25 stop and searches were carried out at Morden. No arrests were made. Weapon sweeps took place at several schools across the borough. This included a perimeter search for weapons. None were found. Superintendent Graeme Thomson said “Our intention is to prevent harm and enforcement activity will continue in order to target those individuals who are intent on being involved in violent crime. We ensured we consulted with London Borough of Merton Youth Services and have identified opportunities to provide support for parents and diversion activities for young people. The screen arch operations are part of our continued effort to deter and prevent crime on public transport and create a safer environment for young people to move freely. The police in Merton take youth violence seriously and we deal with offenders robustly”. The day of action resulted in nine arrests. Also seized were two crack pipes, three flick knives, an ornamental knife, an air rifle, two machetes, three ornamental swords and hundreds of pounds in cash. NOTES A 17 year old youth from Wimbledon was arrested for possession of class A and class B drugs. He has been bailed pending further enquiries. A 35 year old man and 32 year old woman from Mitcham were arrested for possession of cannabis. No further action taken. An 18 year old man and two16 year old youths from Morden were arrested for burglary. No further action taken. A 52 year old man from Wimbledon was arrested for a racially aggravated assault. He has been bailed pending further enquiries. A 17 year old youth from Mitcham was arrested for a racially aggravated assault. He has been bailed pending further enquiries. A 17 year old youth from Wimbledon was arrested for shoplifting. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.ENDS

Cricket Green Ward Update 31/03/09 As mentioned in a previous update, on Tuesday the 24th of March we staged the production of Ma Kelly’s Front Door at The Vestry Hall in Mitcham to raise awareness of the problem of distraction burglary and the measures that can be taken to prevent this happening. About 60 carers and elderly people attended and were entertained by the Attic Theatre Company. Also in attendance were the London Fire Brigade, Hanover at Home and the local Crime prevention officer to provide advice guidance and free crime prevention goodies. Overall the event was a great success and we received very positive feedback from those attending. We attended the Phipps Bridge Neighbourhood Plan event with the intention of ascertaining if there were any current issues affecting local people that we were unaware of and that we could take to our ward panel to discuss however the event was unfortunately not very well attended. We did however receive a complaint that there were youths hanging around in the stairwells of Cobham Court and surrounding blocks causing a nuisance and we will now be increasing patrols in the area and taking action with anyone we find. If anyone is aware of specific times that this behaviour is occurring then please let us know. Since the warrant was executed at Ewhurst Court there has been no incidents reported to us so the action we are taking can and does make a difference and we intend to do the same for Cobham Court. We are intending to hold another open ward meeting in the Glebe Court Area very soon and will be advertising this soon. We held our latest ward panel meeting on the 18th of March and I am pleased to report that we had two young people from the ward attending to give their views. Issues affecting young people were discussed and it became clear that they were concerned about bicycles being stolen from outside the youth club and around the estate. As a result of this we will be attending the youth club to do some work around crime prevention and property marking to try and reduce the instances of theft the kids are experiencing. Overall the meeting was very positive and it was agreed that we would continue to make efforts to engage with local youths in a positive manner and deal with anti social behaviour in specific areas of the ward. The current ward priorities are now: 1: Youth Engagement 2: Criminal Damage/graffiti/loitering in Cobham Court and Ewhurst Court. 3: Youth Priority - Bicycle thefts from the youth Centre Please contact us on 020 8649 3576 or at CricketGreen.SNT@met.police.uk if you would like to get involved in the ward panel or would like to inform us of any issues you may be experiencing. Dan Hutchings Sergeant – Cricket Green SNT

• Ma Kelly (1.9 MB) preview

Cricket Green SNT Ward Update Friday 6th March 2009 Assault of youth in New Close We have had concerns raised to us at our drop in surgery following the assault of a 9-year-old boy in New Close a week ago when an older male grabbed him. He was not injured and managed to run off. The investigation is still ongoing and Police are making every effort to identify the male involved however there is no reason to believe that there is any ongoing risk to local residents. The incident occurred after a stone was thrown by another boy at the corrugated iron fence that the male was drinking behind and was possibly an angry response to this rather than an intention to abduct or abuse the youth, as has been the concern of some people. There have been no similar reports whatsoever prior to or since the incident and we have stepped up patrols in the area and are continuing to monitor the situation. If anyone can provide any more information on this incident please contact us on 020 8649 3576. Public Meeting – Have your say! We will be holding our next public meeting in partnership with the consultation event for the Cricket Green Neighbourhood Action Plan. This will be on Saturday 14th March from Midday to 3pm at South Mitcham Community Centre. It covers all of the improvements that are being implemented and will be an ideal forum for people to discuss any and all issues that they currently experience not only with the Police but all of our partner agencies as well. Please come and let us know any problems that are affecting you. We will be able as usual to sign people up to CommunitySafe, Immobilise and assist with property marking and other crime prevention advice. See the following link for details. We will still be arranging another meeting in early April for those who live nearer to Glebe Court and have difficulty getting to the Community Centre. http://www.merton.gov.uk/cricket-green-neighbourhood-plan.htm Any issues brought to our attention will be discussed at the next Ward Panel meeting on the 18th of March 2009 where we will decide on our priorities for the future so please tell us what is affecting you, however small or insignificant it may seem. We are hoping that there will be two local youths in attendance to let us know what is affecting them at the moment. Drugs Warrant Executed On Tuesday the 17th of February the Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhood Team executed a search warrant for drugs with the assistance of the Borough Task Force in Ewhurst Court on the Phipps Bridge Estate. This was as part of a drive to reduce the problems of youths hanging around the block causing criminal damage and smoking cannabis. Although no drugs were found on this occasion, we hope that this sends out a message to the local community that we will not tolerate anti social behaviour of any type on the ward, and if there are people involved with drugs they can expect a knock on the door from us. Please get in contact with us directly or contact Crimestoppers (0800 555 111) anonymously if you have any information about drugs or anti social behaviour on the ward, as we are keen to get involved and help to reduce it. School visit to Mitcham Police Station On Tuesday the 24th of February 2009 a group of 8 pupils aged between 12 and 14 years old and three classroom assistants from Cricket Green Special School attended Mitcham Police Station in order to meet the local Safer Neighbourhood Team and be given a tour of the Station. The aim was to familiarise them with the Police officers and Police Community Support Officers and to explain the differences and the ways in which we could help them and to give them confidence in approaching us should they need to. PCSO Steve greeted the pupils on their arrival and was present throughout the visit. During the visit they were shown the different uniforms that Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers wear and were able to try items on. They were shown around a Police Response Car and a Traffic Police Motorbike. They were then shown how we take fingerprints and were able to make their own fingerprint on a certificate that they could take away with them. After this they were encouraged to ask any questions that they had about the Police and what we do which were answered by the team. Finally they were given a goody bag full of puzzles and colouring sheets with a crime prevention and awareness theme to take away along with stickers to say they had met the local team and balloons which they were very pleased with. All of the children seemed to really enjoy themselves. (see attached picture) Good News We have managed to secure the funding for the production of Ma Kelly’s Doorstep, a theatrical presentation to raise awareness of distraction burglaries. The event will be taking place at The Vestry Hall, Mitcham that is next to Cricket Green near the Fire Station. The entire team will be there and we will be able to offer crime prevention advice and property marking plus registration to the numerous websites available to help secure property. The event is aimed at Carers for the elderly and the elderly themselves, however we will welcome anyone who is interested and depending on demand will include as many people as possible as the message is relevant to everybody. It is FREE to attend! Please email us at cricketgreen.snt@met.police.uk if you are interested or call us on 020 8649 3576 so that we can make a note of numbers as spaces are limited. First come first served. The date for the event is Tuesday the 24th of March at 1400hrs See http://www.attictheatrecompany.com/MaKellysDoorstep.htm for details of the show. Our next update will be on or around the 28th of March. Sergeant Dan Hutchings

• The Team with Cricket Green School (244.8 KB) preview

The Cricket Green Ward mobile is thankfully fully functional again and we can again be contacted on the local rate number 020 8649 3576 which comes through to the mobile phone. We are in the process of trying to arrange a production of Ma Kelly’s Doorstep which is a 45 minute show highlighting the issues of distraction burglary. If funding can be arranged we will be going ahead with the show on the 24th of March 2009 at 2pm. As well as the production we plan to give crime prevention advice with the assistance of the local Crime Prevention Officer. We will also be signing people up to communitysafe.gov.uk and marking property for people with UV pens. We will also have the capacity to sign people up for immobilise.com if they have any valuable property they wish to have listed. There may also be presentations from guest speakers. I will update this site as soon as I know if we can go ahead with this idea as it should be a hugely informative and entertaining afternoon. In the meantime please dont hesitate to let me know if you are interested in attending by emailing CricketGreen.SNT@met.police.uk. Even if funds are unavailable now I may look at holding this later in the year. We are also in the process of arranging a number of public meetings where people can come and meet the team and tell us about any problems or issues that they are having. We will again be taking our laptop along to sign people up for the various services mentioned above. We hope to hold the first meeting at the Phipps Bridge Community Centre and will be following on quickly with a second meeting nearer to Glebe Court (venue to be confirmed) to make it easier for people to get to us. We will advertise the dates and times as soon as we have them confirmed but it is likely that they will be during the first week of April. Sergeant Dan Hutchings

We had been hoping to host a visit to the Police Station for the schoolchildren from Cricket Green School today but unfortunately due to the inclement weather this has had to be cancelled. We hope to rearrange the visit in the near future. We were also due to attend the Better Homes exhibitions this week to publicise CommunitySafe and meet the local people but again these events have been cancelled due to the weather. As soon as the dates are confirmed again we will publish where and when we will be attending and we will be glad to speak with anyone who attends. We regularly hold a drop in surgery at the Community Centre on the Phipps Bridge Estate and welcome anyone who would like to speak with us regarding any issues or who simply want to meet some of the team. PCSO’s Tracy Whayman and Chris Osmond usually host the drop in surgeries and look forward to meeting you. The next dates for the surgeries will be Thursday the 20th of February and then Thursday the 5th of March between 4pm and 5pm. We will be holding our next Ward Panel meeting on the 18th of March to decide the priorities of our team. If you have any ideas or problems that you would like the team to look at then please contact us and let us know. If we are not told about the issues affecting you and your quality of life then there is little we can do to help. As mentioned in our last update, we have been experiencing problems with our mobile phone following a switch in service providers. We should be receiving our new phone and contract today and hopefully this will result in both the mobile number and 0208 number being routed directly to the mobile again. The mobile number is 07843065909 which still works and the landline number that should connect from later today is 0208 649 3576. We can still be emailed directly at CricketGreen.SNT@met.police.uk

Due to technical problems the team LAN line telephone number (0208 649 3576) is currently out of use on a temporary basis. If you wish to contact the Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhood team you can either contact us through e-mail on CricketGreen.SNT@met.police.uk or through the mobile number on 07843065909. Alternatively if you only wish to report a crime that has already happened please call the new Metropolitan Police reporting number on 03000 123 1212 . But if it is an emergency please call 999 immediately. Sorry for the inconvenience, we hope to have this problem fixed soon. Thank you Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhood Team

Happy New Year to you all. I have the pleasure of introducing a new team member to you all. PC Paul Dodson started with us on the 5th of January to replace Gerard Williams and thus will soon become a familiar face in the area. Paul is joining us from a local response team so is already familiar with the ward. We are going to be arranging a public meeting in the very near future where anyone can come and meet the team and raise any issues that they are concerned about. This will be fully advertised nearer the time both by leaflet drop and via this website service. We will be aiming to bring a laptop with us so that should people wish to have mobile phones or other valued property registered on the internet site Immobilise.com or sign up to Communitysafe we will be able to do it there and then. Immobilise is the world's largest FREE register of possession ownership details and with its sister site CheckMEND (www.checkmend.com ) the largest database of stolen property and blocked mobile phones. Immobilise can be used by members of the public and businesses to register their valued possessions or company assets. This online checking service is used by all the UK Police forces to trace owners of lost and stolen property. In addition Immobilise is checked daily by a huge range of recovery agencies and lost property offices including the Transport For London Lost Property Office. As a direct result of Immobilise there are over 250 cases a week where property is returned or information collected that assists the Police in investigating criminal activity involving stolen goods. Go to www.immobilise.com should you wish to register anything yourself. We have continued to be involved in the local Automatic Number Plate Recognition Operations mentioned in the last update and a number of illegally driven vehicles have been seized and removed from our roads. This activity is designed to deter criminals from committing crime in our area and to increase the safety of other roadusers and we will continue to be involved in these for the foreseeable future. As always we can be contacted on 020 8649 3576 or at CricketGreen.SNT@met.police.uk but always remember to use 999 in an emergency. Sergeant Dan Hutchings

I hope that you all had a good Christmas. Reassuringly there is very little to report in the past two weeks with regards to Cricket Green War. We have experienced very little crime or disorder and are hoping that this trend will continue into the New Year. We have been assisting across the Borough with ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) Operations in order to deter and detect criminals coming on to the borough and are planning to conduct an operation on the Willow Lane Estate in the near future. It is well known that criminals need transport to get to and from their crimes and they will often not have insurance or tax hence we can locate them using the ANPR equipment to disrupt their criminal activity. PCSO Chris Osmond and PCSO Tracy Whayman attended South Mitcham Community Centre to help out with the nursery children for their First Year Anniversary/Christmas party. Chris dressed up as Santa and gave out presents whilst Tracy assisted as his angel/fairy helper. The team will be out and about on New Years Eve preventing and dealing with disorder along with the other Safer Neighbourhood Teams and hopfully the night will pass without incident and everyone will have a good time. We are as always considering what our ward priorities should be and should anyone have any ideas what they would like us to tackle in 2009 then please contact us. 020 8649 3576. It is with regret that I report that PC 679VW Gerard Williams will be leaving the team in the New Year. He has been working on the ward for over two years and has assisted in making it the pleasant place to work and live that it is now. He will be moving to Figges Marsh Ward for a change of scenery and new challenges. We thank him for all his hard work and wish him all the best on his new Ward. Enjoy New Years Eve and have a great start to the New Year. PS 96VW Hutchings

• Chris and Tracy as Santa and Helper (633.1 KB) preview

Over the Christmas period Merton Council is advising residents to be aware of people falsely claiming to be refuse collectors employed by the council and that they expect a Christmas tip. Merton Council employees should never take advantage of residents' generosity and ask for tips. If someone says that they are a council employee and asks for a Christmas tip residents should not give one and should call 020 8274 4901 to alert the council. Merry Christmas, drink sensibly and have fun! The Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhoods Team

Ward update December 15th The schools are breaking up at the end of this week and as usual we will be around to patrol the area to ensure that high spirits do not get out of control. Should you hear anything from your children about any planned disorder then please contact us and let us know about it as we are looking to prevent anything happening. Either contact Wimbledon or Mitcham Police station or call us on 0208 649 3576. Any information provided can be treated as confidential. Reduce the chance of Christmas crime Please spread the word and ask everyone to keep themselves and their property safe. Here are just a few of the things you could be doing to protect yourself and your valuables this Christmas. Out shopping - When the shops are crowed, the pickpocket has more chance to steal from you. If you can't arrange to shop during less busy times, make sure you stay alert and be extra careful with your wallet or purse. At home - Having bought all those wonderful presents, don't make it easy for someone to steal from your home. Keep them out of sight until last thing on Christmas Eve and if you 'hide' or store larger items such as bicycles in the shed or outbuildings, make sure they are very secure. If you go out for the evening - make it look like someone is at home by turning on lights and the radio. Don't leave curtains open so people can see your presents and decorations as potential thieves can see in. Be extra careful about locking doors and windows. As a fire precaution, don't leave Christmas lights on in the house whilst you are out. If you go away for the holiday period - use an automatic timer for lights and ask a trusted neighbour to watch your home. Don't forget to cancel newspapers and milk if you have them delivered and either redirect your mail through the Post Office or have your neighbour take mail into the house - unopened Christmas cards and mail are a sure sign that a house is empty. Strangers at the door - genuine delivery personnel usually have uniforms and liveried vehicles and should not need to come into your home. Charity collectors will have identification and will not be offended if you ask to see it. If you are not sure but want to make a donation, ask whether these can be made in other ways, perhaps through a bank. Please feel free to contact the Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhoods Team on 020 8649 3576 should you wish to discuss anything. Have a great Christmas. PS 96VW Hutchings

Following our last update I can confirm that Cricket Green SNT will not be sending out any text messages as part of this service so all of our updates will be completely free via email. We held our Ward Panel meeting on the 25th of November and the panel has decided that the current priority for the ward is. 1. Youth engagement We will be continuing to focus our efforts in this area. We have been looking into the possibility of securing funding for opening the youth club on a Friday night and this is currently being discussed with the Housing department. We will also be looking at getting members of the youth club involved in the panel meetings so that they can have their say as to what they think the Police could do to help the area. If anyone has any suggestions as to future priorities then please let me know as at the moment we are unaware of any other ongoing issues on the ward. We will continue to patrol the ward and will decide on other priorities as and when any problems arise. The next meeting will be Tuesday 27th January at 1830hrs. The previous priority regarding the deliberate fires caused to bins on the Phipps Bridge Estate has been discussed with the Fire Brigade and there is no longer a problem in this regard. Two youths were referred to a Firesetters Intervention course with the Fire Brigade and this seems to have solved the problem. Regarding the information we released in the update dated 14th November about cash point crimes within Mitcham Town Centre - we have been closely monitoring the situation and I am pleased to say that there have only been a couple of incidents since and none so far this last week. We have had additional patrols in the area and have been gathering CCTV to see if we can identify any offenders, which I will update on further should we make progress. At the moment this does not seem to be a major problem for the area however please remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to Police. Burglary prevention – The run up to the Christmas period has historically resulted in an increase in burglaries. I would urge everyone to follow the advice below on how to minimize the risk of becoming a victim. 1. Ensure that all windows and doors are locked if you go out. Even if only for a short time. A burglar will usually only take a couple of minutes to commit his crime and will look for the easy option of an open window if possible. 2. Don’t leave valuable items on display in your home. If someone outside can see them they may cause your property to be targeted. 3. Don’t leave car keys or other valuables near to your front door. Many burglaries are committed by ‘fishing’ through a letterbox in order to retrieve keys or wallets. 4. Keep ladders locked up and out of sight so they cant be used to gain access to windows. 5. Royal mail provides a ‘keep safe’ service to keep your post if you go away so that it does not build up to alert people that you are not home. Visit www.postoffice.co.uk for more details. Neighbourhood watches can be instrumental in helping to reassure people in your locality and are an effective tool in reducing crime and anti social behaviour. If you would like to find out whether there is a Neighbourhood watch in your area or are interested in learning how you can become involved in one then please give us a call and one of the team will be happy to talk to you about it. Again I would ask all of our subscribers to pass on the details of this website on to friends, family and colleagues and get them to sign up to the Cricket Green Ward Alerts. The more people who become involved and aware of what is happening in the area the better. As always the Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhoods Team can be contacted on 020 8649 3576 or at CricketGreen.SNT@met.police.uk To report Crime please remember to call 999 if there is a crime happening ‘now’ or the new non-emergency number 0300 123 1212 if it has already happened. PS 96VW Dan Hutchings

Welcome to the first update from your local Safer Neighbourhood Team. We will be producing these around every couple of weeks to keep you informed of what is happening on the ward. The text message service will cost 12p per message but it is unlikely that we will be sending anything out other than emails. It is easy to adjust which notifications you receive on the home page though so don’t panic if you have put your phone number in. Currently the Cricket Green Safer Neighbourhood Team consists of the following Sergeant Dan Hutchings who replaces Trevor Richards as of 11th November 2008 Constable Gerard Williams Constable Simon Wallace PCSO Tracey Whayman PCSO Lynn Marsch PCSO Chris Osmond The priorities for the ward as decided at the last Ward Panel Meeting are ensuring that Police engage and communicate with local youths and the issue of Criminal Damage by fire to the bins on the Phipps Bridge Estate, which we are currently targeting successfully. A visit from the Fire Brigade and Police to the local Youth Centre was recently arranged for a talk on the dangers and consequences of setting fires and since this time there has been only one reported minor incident. The Fire Brigade are currently looking at closing down their action plan on the matter as they no longer consider it a problem. Our officers and PCSO’s regularly attend Youth Centre events in order to build a relationship with the youngsters there. Over the Halloween/Bonfire Night two week period the team have been working later shifts. During this time they worked alongside the six other Mitcham Safer Neighbourhood Teams to provide a high visibility response throughout Mitcham to incidents of anti social behaviour which tend to peak at this time of year. The Mitcham teams responded to a number of calls and conducted numerous stop searches and accounts. Despite things being much quieter this year than previously, ten people were arrested during the operation for a number of offences that included drink-driving, possession of drugs with intent to supply and robbery. If you experienced any problems that we are not aware of yet please contact us and let us know so that we can plan for future events. BE ALERT - It would appear that there are people observing users of the cash machines in and around Mitcham Town Centre whilst they input their pin codes and then distracting them and taking the cards, which are then used immediately elsewhere to withdraw cash. Please be vigilant whilst using the cash machines and be aware of anyone standing nearby or watching you or anything that looks out of place on the machine. If in doubt do not input your pin number and use another machine. Call Police on 999 if you believe that there is suspicious activity around any cash machines. The next Ward Panel meeting is on the 25th of November 2008 at 1830hrs when we will decide the next priorities for the ward. Please contact us on the details below should you have any suggestions as to what the ward priorities should be or if you would like to be involved with the panel in the future. Should you need to contact us for any reason we can be emailed at CricketGreen.SNT@met.police.uk or reached by telephone on the Cricket Green mobile on 020 8649 3576 where a message can be left for us. This number is not for reporting crime but you can call 0300 123 1212 to report for non emergencies and as ever if there is an emergency or a crime happening ‘now’ then call 999 to ensure a prompt Police Response. Sergeant Dan Hutchings