The new signs being put up on the roads into Binley Woods. From left, Paul Salisbury, Chair of Binley Woods Parish Council, PCSO Charlie Cawte and Superintendent David Gardner from Warwickshire Police and Steve Roberts, Parish Councillor responsible for Community Alerts and Safety.
Binley Woods has become the first village in the Rugby area to join the ‘Supported Villages Scheme’, with residents and community organisations given crime prevention advice and having property security marked to help combat rural crime.
The scheme, which is funded by Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe, sees Rural Crime Coordinator for North Warwickshire Carol Cotterill and the local police Safer Neighbourhood Team link in with key contacts in the village to offer property marking and crime prevention advice to everyone in the community through a series of engagement events.
The team also works with village organisations such as the school, church, allotments, clubs and societies to help them mark their property and take action to deter offenders. Signage is provided to all properties which have items security marked and warning signs are placed at the village gateways warning offenders that items are marked in the village.
The village is also awarded a crime prevention box of their own to enable them to continue to offer this service to residents.
There are now three villages in the scheme across North Warwickshire with a further three more working with the rural team to become Supported Villages.
Superintendent David Gardner from Warwickshire Police recently visited Binley Woods to present the signage and meet with Paul Salisbury, Chair of Binley Woods Parish Council, Steve Roberts, Parish Councillor responsible for Community Alerts and Safety, and PCSO Charlie Cawte, who was part of the local policing team with PCSO Matt Havelock who helped set up the scheme.
Superintendent Gardner said: “This is a really positive scheme with communities working with their local officers and supported by Carol and the Rural Crime Project to put measures in place in the village to help prevent crime and protect property.”
Paul Salisbury, Chair of Binley Woods Parish Council said: “We are really pleased to be part of the ‘Supported Villages Scheme’ and are going to offer property marking to the residents of our village before each parish council meeting. This will ensure people who buy new items of equipment can have it marked and we are all working together to prevent crime in our village.”
