Last week Crown Watch raised the receipt of crime alerts that were, in some case, weeks old. In a letter to Warwickshire Chief Constable, Andy Parker, the editor set out the frustration felt by some Neighbourhood Watch volunteers thata notification of crimes were not coming through on a timely basis. Chief Constable Parker has responded very promptly and openly admitting there have and are some problems and he has requested an investigation be carried out. In the meantime Crown Watch would like to thank the Chief Constable for his prompt action and reply. Further since raising the issue more crime alerts have come through and these have been very much more up to date and consequently more usual and credible.

Here is what Chief Constable Parker said on Monday 25 November in respect of the concerns raised last week:

Thank you for your open letter regarding the timeliness of the ‘Watch’ scheme notifications you have been receiving. This issues you raise are very important, as the timely distribution of information about crimes is essential in preventing further offences taking place, and also in appealing for potential witnesses or other essential information.

A 12 day delay is clearly not acceptable for all the reasons you describe. I very much appreciate all the work that is done by Neighbourhood Watch volunteers in Kenilworth and across the county, and we should be doing everything we can to support you in these efforts.

In order to resolve these problems, I have asked for an immediate review of the processes involved, and for any improvements to be made as soon as possible. This should significantly improve the timeliness of the notifications to all our users, and I will ensure that you are updated with the changes that are made.

Warwickshire Police also use a number of other channels, including Twitter to communicate with our local communities. The twitter account @kenilworth_cops is operated by the Kenilworth and Warwick Rural East Safer Neighbourhood Teams and contains lots of local information and news that you may find helpful.

I would like to thank you again for bring this issue to my attention, and I hope that you will soon start to see improvements in the timeliness of our messages.kind regards

Andy Parker
Chief Constable
Warwickshire Police

Owners of bikes, particularly the more expensive off road type cycles that can cost several hundreds and in some case thousands of pounds are being warned by Warwickshire Police’s Kenilworth Safer Neighbourhood Team to take all possible precautions to keep their bikes secure. This follows a spate of bicycle thefts in the town recently.

It is believed that the bikes are being stolen and then being sold on at marked down prices so this indicates there is a ready market for stolen cycles, a crucial element for thief who needs to obtain goods they can get rid of for cash. Please DO NOT make it easy for thieves by leaving garage doors open and bicycles on show or leaving bicycles insecure either whilst out of them or when they are your home.

Make sure that the bicycle is locked with a suitably robust locking device and that it is kept in a secure building and out of sight. Don’t put off checking your cycle security or else you may be the next victim.