Richard Hemphill, Parish Councillor and Community Speed Watch volunteer; Bev Woollaston, Parish Clerk and Speed Watch Coordinator; Carol Cotterill, Rural Crime Office for Warwickshire Police; Keith Woodward, Chair of Parish Council; Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe; Arthur Harris, Community Speed Watch volunteer and PCSO Jane Owen from the Coleshill Safer Neighbourhood Team.
Nether Whitacre has become the latest village in Warwickshire to join the ‘Supported Villages Scheme’ funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe.
Working with Carol Cotterill, Rural Crime Officer from Warwickshire Police, who developed the scheme, and the local Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team based at Coleshill, the Parish Council and residents have proactively taken measures with officers to help deter crime and reduce speeding in their village.
Over the last two years a number of different crime prevention engagements and initiatives have been held, including every household being provided with a property marking pack with the local newsletter.
As well as providing advice and crime prevention measures, the local policing team have also worked with residents to set up the villages very successful Community Speed Watch Scheme, also supported by the Commissioner.
PC Ackroyd, PC Bird, PC Ramsall, PCSO Owen and PCSO Beale have all actively been part of setting up the scheme in the village with Carol, as well as working with other groups such as North Warwickshire Neighbourhood Watch.
Nether Whitacre becomes the fifteenth village in the county to be part of the scheme with other villages either working with officers or have expressed an interest in becoming involved.
Mr Seccombe presented the village with a crime prevention box so that residents have access to property markers and information on security, village gateway signs and a holiday box with equipment in that villagers can borrow if they leave their property for a short time, such as to go on holiday or if they have a stay in hospital. These are all now available to use by contacting Bev Woollaston, the Parish Clerk.
Keith Woodward, Chair of Nether Whitacre Parish Council said: “Nether Whitacre Parish Council is grateful to the Police and Crime Commissioner and officers from Warwickshire Police for their support in helping our parish to become a supported village.
“Numerous community engagement events have been held to make our residents more aware of how of how they can mark there property and each property has received a marking kit which then helps to deters criminals.”
Philip Seccombe, Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner added: “It’s great to see the continued engagement of the village and its residents in helping combat crime in the local area. As well as running a successful Community Speed Watch scheme, Nether Whitacre has now also gained its ‘Supported Village’ status and I was pleased to be able to present the village with its crime prevention box so that residents can continue to be security conscious well into the future.”
