Whaddon Safer Community Team

Profile: PS Mark Stephens

I’ve been a police officer in Gloucestershire for 25 years. I am responsible for the Safer Community Team at Whaddon INA. I work alongside three Police Constables and eight Police Community Support Officers. The PC’s are funded directly by Gloucestershire County Council and this means they are additional to the budgeted staffing levels for Gloucestershire Police. Therefore their duty time can be spent dedicated to the Whaddon INA.

We work very closely with other agencies to deliver services to our three communities and we endeavour to ensure that we are as accessible as possible to these residents. I can be contacted on Tel No. 0845 090 1234 or by e-mail at mark.stephens@gloucestershire.police.uk  

Profile: PC Lynn Aston

I have been a police officer in Cheltenham for over eight years. I started my service working in St Pauls at Swindon Road Police Station which has since closed. I became a community beat officer 4 years ago and have had the pleasure of policing Whaddon since then.

As a council funded officer I have the opportunity to walk the area and meet people of all ages. I can listen to what affects their quality of life, and, if I can help I will. If I can't I may know an agency/department who can. This can be anything from a young person struggling at school to fixing a street light! If you don't see me out walking, please contact me on 0845 090 1234, or, call in to the station.

Whaddon is a great place to work, and, I personally think the area has a real community identity. I am very lucky to police an area which I am proud to be part of. I can be emailed at lynn.aston@gloucestershire.police.uk

Profile: PC Kirsty Johnson

I began my career with Gloucestershire Constabulary in 2003.  For the first two years I worked as a Police Community Support Officer in Cheltenham Town Centre INA.  However for the last four years I have been working at Whaddon INA as a front line Police Officer.  
I have enjoyed this role very much however I have missed being able to deliver a more personal service to the local community. As a response officer, I tend to rush from job to job and there is precious little time to fully engage with residents and make a difference to their lives. Thankfully my goal of joining the Safer Community Team here at Whaddon INA has been realised and I can become part of what is a very effective team.
I am the council funded officer responsible for the Prestbury community.
I am really looking forward to getting established in this role where I can dedicate my time to meeting and serving the community.  Whaddon INA is a great place to work and I believe it is a role I am really going to enjoy.  If you see me out and about please come and chat to me.  I can also be contacted by telephone on 0845 0901234. Or my email address is kirsty.johnson@gloucestershire.police.uk

Profile: PC Tim Meadows

I have been a Police Officer in Gloucestershire for approximately 9 years and currently serve the Parish of St Pauls, working as part of Whaddon Safer Community team. I take pride in being approachable and accessible to my Community and thoroughly enjoy working in this role. I am well supported by PCSO's James King, Yusuf Patel and Rob Wilkes. As a team we work hard to deliver a good policing service to our community. I was one of the last officers to be based from Swindon Road Police Station, before it closed over seven years ago, working extensively within St Pauls and surrounding parishes, giving me a close knowledge and understanding of the Community I work with and I look forward to meeting you. I can be emailed at timothy.meadows@gloucestershire.police.uk  

Team Members

Click officer's name to view their personal profile.

PS Mark Stephens
PC 1616 Lynn Aston - County Council Funded Officer
PC 408  Tim Meadows - County Council Funded Officer
PC 1972 Kirsty Johnson - County Council Funded Officer

Sonia Vaughan (Inspector Neighbourhood Support Officer)

PCSO Yusuf Patel - (St Pauls and Pittville)
PCSO Christine White (Whaddon, Lynworth and Oakley)
PCSO Hayden Selwyn (Prestbury)
PCSO Steve Yetton
PCSO James King
PCSO Louise Riley
PCSO Rob Wilks
PCSO Liz Baldwin

Whaddon SCT - A day in the life of PCSO James KING

Today I started work at 8 am. The first thing I do on every shift is check our computer systems to see what incidents have occurred during the night.

I notice that there have been two burglaries in the same street occurring at about the same time. My objective is to liaise with the PC who will be investigating these offences. The reason is so that I know the times they were committed and any other information that relates to the incident. Armed with this, I am now ready to go out on foot patrol with the aim of conducting house to house enquires in the streets where the burglaries took place. We do this not only to follow up on any lines of enquiry but also to assist the victim in any way we can.

While in the streets, I knock on doors and offer crime prevention advice and hand out ‘Be Safe Be Secure’ booklets to any residents that want them. These are produced by The Home Office and give advice in all aspects of home security.  

Once I have finished with the task at hand I take a stroll towards St Pauls to see a resident with whom I have an appointment. As I walk through Pittville Park I notice a group of youths loitering near to the boating house. We have previously had some criminal damage there. On further inspection I can see two of the youths are concealing something from me which appears to look like alcohol containers. I stopped them and make conversation. I speak to all the youths and issue them with stop and account forms. This is a Home Office requirement for anyone who the police/PCSO’s ask to account for their presence in an area or anything in their possession. I also confiscate the alcohol. I do this for two reasons; (1) there is a ‘No alcohol drinking zone’ in the park and (2) the youths are under 18 years of age. I arrange for the alcohol to be disposed of. Once I had moved the youths on I am back on my way to make my appointment in St Pauls.

I arrive at the address and sit down with my caller. Her concerns are related to anti social behaviour outside her house during the evening. She tells me that it is affecting her quality of life. I know that this is a concern of many residents in the area so I take the opportunity to reassure her that the safer community team will monitor the situation over the next few weeks with regular patrols being conducted to deter the problem. In addition, I will speak to my sergeant and arrange Police Officer patrols to identify and deal with any offences committed.

It’s now approximately 2:30pm so I start heading back to the station for something to eat and complete a bit of form filling.

My next patrol leads me through Pittville Park area and back into the St Pauls community. I spend my time chatting to residents and people out in the street.

I get back to the police station at about 5.45pm and it has been quite an eventful day one way and another.

I finished my house to house enquiries and whilst this did not throw up any new lines of enquiry, it did allow me to survey people’s home security arrangements and offer advice where necessary.

At 6.00pm my shift ends so I can go home to spend a little bit of time with my new baby daughter before her bedtime.

Whaddon SCT - February 2010 Update

Whaddon Safer Community Team Update February 2010.

Whaddon Safer Community Team (SCT) is currently involved in setting priorities for the final quarter of 2009/10. At the time of writing we have completed all our community engagement activities associated with this process. We have now held the meetings for the St Pauls, Pittville and Whaddon, Oakley, Lynworth and Priors and Prestbury communities. The purpose of these meetings are to allow the residents to be involved and influence what issues and priorities they want us and partner agencies to adopt for the next quarter.

We employ a wide range of engagement activities to get us to the point of being able to identify what is affecting our residents. The PCSO’s carry out weekly street surgeries. The locations for these are selected by scrutinising what has been reported in the previous week and identifying emerging hotspots. In addition we do letter drops in areas using the same selection process. The Police Information Points (PIPS) are also a good form of communication between us and residents. Finally, just chatting to people when we are out and about is a great way for people to participate in our work. This is particularly important for me as I get to hear how my team are delivering their service to you.

The dates for future meetings are all on the Whaddon SCT website. If you have Internet access, please take a look and get involved.

Our main aim with the time that we spend carrying out this consultation exercises is to encourage residents to work with their local policing team. In 1829 Sir Robert Peel wrote The Nine Principles of Policing when he established the Metropolitan Police. One of these principles was that the police do their job most effectively, if you, the community participate and support us. This is just as relevant now as it was 181 years ago. Whilst Sir Bob may not have had the foresight to consider how the Internet can assist in community policing, he did understand that resident’s participation was and is vital to preventing and detecting crime.

As a sideline did you know that whist the Met were the original cops, Gloucestershire Constabulary was only a few weeks behind Wiltshire in establishing the next professional statutory police service in England?

Burglary is still causing us a problem in Whaddon Inspector Neighbourhood Area (INA). As I said to you in last months update, this is a national problem. We continue to target known and suspected offenders and bring them before the courts. I have also been pleased to see a greater awareness of crime prevention amongst residents. Some of our advice has shown to be working, in that fewer homes can no be identified as unoccupied and basic crime reduction techniques are noticeable. As the days extend, please promote home security to all. If we are working together we can achieve so much more. I am more than happy to arrange home surveys to give advice on security. Get in touch if this is something you want.

Finally, it is unfortunate that shortly PC Tim Meadows will be moving on from St Pauls and Pittville. Due to a change in personal circumstances, Tim will be transferring to Stow on the Wold. As soon as I have identified who is to replace him on the SCT, I will let you know. Tim has done a great job and I am sorry to see him go.

Latest Whaddon Community Newsletter

Our latest Community Policing newsletter has just been printed and will be delivered. It is designed to provide you with details about your Safer Community Team and keep you updated about what we are doing to reduce crime and disorder and promote safety in Gloucestershire.

This edition reinforces the Constabulary’s commitment to the Policing Pledge – our contract with the public that outlines the standard of service you can expect from us.

These newsletters will be available at key locations within your community. If you require a copy please speak to your Safer Community Team who will ensure you receive one or where you can collect one. To view your Communities newsletter online please click here.To view your Communities newsletter online please click here.

Youth Forum hailed a success

On Wednesday 27th January 2010 a Youth Forum was held at Pittville Pump Rooms for young people aged 13-21yrs. Approximately 150 attended the event which had live demonstrations from the Police, Fire and other Public services.

The event, a joint project between the MAD youth group, Gloucestershire Constabulary and the Police Authority was staged in order that young people could interact with the services which served their community.

Two local rock bands took the stage and received an encore from the young people.

Pc Lynn Aston said 'The event was a huge success. It was the first time the Whaddon Safer Community Team(SCT) had worked together with other SCT's from the town and it will something we will want to repeat very soon. The intention is to take the event to Gloucester and then on to Stroud.

Go online and give your opinions of living within the Whaddon INA

At Whaddon Safer Community Team we are constantly seeking to improve the way we engage with residents. We believe that it is right to put residents at the heart of decision making and to take account of their views and opinions.

We conduct regular street surgeries at pre-selected locations, we attend community meetings, we staff police information points (PIPS), we use the mobile police station (Bobby Bus) to run engagement activities and we letter drop people asking them to detail and issues or concerns they have.

We now have a facility for you to give us your views of life within the Whaddon INA by means of an electronic Community Questionnaire.

You can access this questionnaire by visiting the Useful Information tab and then click on Whaddon Community Questionnaire.

Be part of what we do at Whaddon Safer Community Team.

Mark Stephens
Sergeant

Internet awareness and safety

Do you know who your child is speaking to when on the internet? 

The internet is used worldwide by persons of every age and walk of life, children are particularly knowledgeable in the use of computers having grown up using them from an early age and having been trained in their use at school.  Not forgetting that mobile phone technology is forever improving which is also enabling people to access the internet whenever and wherever they are.

As you would protect your child in everyday life, you would want them to be protected when using the internet to safeguard their happiness and well-being. Knowledge gained through school lessons and common sense can reduce the risk of your child coming to harm through using the internet and in particular certain chat rooms like Beebo and Facebook. 

If your child understands the risks and can make sensible and informed choices online, they can get the most from the internet and stay safe whilst doing so. Gloucestershire Constabulary would encourage all parents and carers to take time to educate themselves on internet safety by visiting internet safety advice web-sites.

Lisa Jones is Cheltenham Borough Council's Anti-Social Behaviour Coordinator.

I am the Anti Social Behaviour (ASB) coordinator for Cheltenham Borough Council and I have held this position for nearly 5 years.  Anti-social behaviour causes harm to individuals and the community and must be stopped as soon as possible, when the minimum harm has been caused.  

The goal of any action is to protect victims, witnesses and communities, enable the offender to understand the consequences of their behaviour and make sure the perpetrator changes their behaviour. I do this by working in close partnership with the Police, Youth Service, Youth Offending Service, Youth Crime Prevention Team (YCPT) Probation Service and so on.  

Interventions that can be used include ASB warning notices, warning letters, interviews, contracts and agreements, parenting contracts and orders, noise abatement notices, injunctions, dispersal orders and anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs).  

I also have a say in which projects are funded and have recently funded a range of projects in the Whaddon area which include, the Motorbike Project and the Consequences of Crime Residential Course. If anyone would like any further information/advice please contact me on the number below.

Lisa can be contacted at Cheltenham Borough Council on 01242 264345 or by e-mail at lisa.jones@cheltenham.gov.uk

Whaddon SCT Goes Back To School.

Respect is a word that is often used by our kids but what does it mean? Do people want to be respected? Do they respect others? Are they taught respect by their parents and relatives?

For me respect is all encompassing. I would like to be respected, but I know that to attain that, I must earn respect. I know that I give respect and I was certainly taught respect as a child.

Respect is high on our agenda at Whaddon SCT. It is also a key component of the government’s strategy on improving neighbourhoods.

Each PCSO at Whaddon SCT has adopted a school in the community they are responsible for. They will be the school beat officer for their adopted establishment and work with staff and parents to encourage respect and good manners amongst pupils. This will lead to a greater understanding of what respect actually means. This in turn will extend to our communities and families which will benefit all of us.

We want schools to be centres of excellence. Places where our kids can attain their full potential, places that are safe in which to work learn and visit. We will deal with bullying and behaviour that disrupts school discipline. We will be a regular presence in those schools and the pupils, staff and parents will have opportunity to engage with us.

If you would like to know more about the Government’s Respect Agenda, follow the hyperlink.

Sgt Mark Stephens.

Respect Agenda Website

Whaddon SCT Needs You

Whaddon Safer Community Team needs your help in delivering public services that get results in your community.

Police Community Support Officers from the Whaddon SCT are carrying out weekly community engagement activities with residents of Whaddon, St Pauls and Prestbury to agree and determine the quarterly management priorities. Through these consultation processes the police and other service providers are able to identify what issues are affecting residents and work towards resolving them with sustainable and long term strategies.

PCSO Christine White is one of the community support officers for Whaddon, Oakley and Lynworth. “At the start of my cycle of shifts I look to see what incidents have been reported and in what areas. I then determine a suitable area to conduct a community survey and letter drop those residents advising them of when I will be in their neighbourhood and inviting them to come and talk”

Sgt Mark Stephens “This process of consultation was initiated in Leckhampton INA and we are continuing their good practice. By engaging this way we are putting the resident at the heart of community management not only for policing but in the delivery of other services from partner agencies”.

“We use this method to give residents the opportunity to have a say in what they want the priorities to be for each 3 monthly period. By focussing on locally identified issues we can respond effectively to the communities needs”.

Members of the Key Individual Network (KIN) plus Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators are invited to community meetings held in each of the three communities covered by Whaddon SCT. At these meetings, the SCT give updates on the previous quarter’s priorities and the results of their community engagement activities.

If you would like more information on the KIN or are interested in participating in Neighbourhood Watch please contact Sgt Mark Stephens at Whaddon SCT.

Sgt Stephens concluded “by including residents in the decision making, we are re-building confidence and trust. In turn this will bring continued reductions in crime and disorder. Our message is simple – do you care enough to get involved? Come and talk to us”

Do you know where your kids are when they go out?

Officers from Whaddon SCT regularly carry out test purchase operations at stores selling alcohol in the three communities of Whaddon INA. We do this to prevent alcohol being sold to kids. Store managers know that they face severe penalties if they are caught selling alcohol to under 18’s. Thankfully the message has been received loud and clear by our shopkeepers and I am pleased to tell you that very rarely do under 18’s get served alcohol at shops in Whaddon, Prestbury, Pittville and St. Pauls.

However, we know that our kids are getting alcohol from somewhere and more often than not it is purchased for them by adults. This is known as proxy purchasing and it is against the law. Adults who knowingly purchase alcohol for under 18’s are committing offences and the punishments are severe. We will be extending our operations to target alcohol misuse by under 18’s and proxy purchasing by adults.

Research shows that the younger kids are when they drink alcohol, the greater their risk of developing alcohol related problems later in life.

Our experience tells us that kids who are drunk are at risk.

    Do you know where your kids are when they go out?

    If you don’t, why not?

    Do you talk to your kids about the effects of alcohol on their health?

    If you don’t, why not?

We are seeing the empty bottles and cans lying around the areas where local kids hang out. We are finding kids in the street who are intoxicated. Our colleagues in the NHS are dealing with kids who have abused alcohol.

At Whaddon SCT our message to parents is –

-          Think about where your kids are and what they are doing.

Our message to adults who proxy purchase is –

-          When we catch you we will prosecute you.

And our message to kids who are abusing alcohol is –

-          Think of your health, your safety and the long term effects both on you and those around you.

If you or anyone in your family is suffering with alcohol related problems, come and talk to us. We may be able to help you.

Whaddon, St Pauls and Prestbury get Lead Officer for Community Engagement

Daisy Sedgeley - Green

As the Area Lead Officer for Community Engagement for Whaddon, St Paul’s & Prestbury I am the main contact for any issues involving the county council that are agreed as priorities by our communities.  This can include issues such as flooding, parking, street lighting, road condition, footpaths, recycling, schools, Trading Standards, road safety and more.  It is my job to ensure the right county council services are engaging with our local communities, working to help meet the priorities agreed by them at the quarterly Neighbourhood Coordination Meetings.  Through working together with the Whaddon Police Safer Community Team and Cheltenham Borough Council and other partners I hope we can really make a difference to people where they live, making their neighbourhood a safe and pleasant place to be.  As part of this role I will attend community meetings or identify relevant County Council officers who need to attend to help discuss community concerns.

Daisy can be contacted at Gloucestershire County Council on 01452 426847 or by e-mail at daisy.sedgleygreen@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Advice On Shed Security After Burglaries At Allotments In Cheltenham

Officers are advising allotment owners to review their current security after a series of break-ins at shed on allotments in the town.

Crime Reduction Officer PC Damon Blandford said; “Sheds are inherently unsafe and not somewhere we would recommend people keep expensive items.

”We would urge people to use the following advice…

• Do not keep items of high value such as power tools in your shed.
• Easy access to hand tools such as spades provides the criminal with the equipment necessary to force entry into more secure areas therefore:
• Fit good quality British Standard locks using bolts rather than screws where possible
• Fit metal grills over the windows
• Shed alarms are worth considering when your shed is located in close proximity to your home”

Officers from the Whaddon Safer Community Teams are increasing patrols in the Allottment areas and are urging those who live close to allotments to report anything suspicious.

PC Blandford said; “Whilst there are still those who think it is acceptable to steal other people’s property then we have a responsibility to ensure everyone is being as vigilant as possible.

“Anything that makes it more difficult and time consuming for thieves means that you are hopefully less likely to become a victim.”

For further crime reduction please visit the Crime Reduction pages on this site or you can call 0845 090 1234 and ask to speak with a Crime Reduction Officer.

Become a Key Individual

Whaddon Safer Community Team is committed to improving the influence local people have on our response to local problems.
 
We're looking for people to join our Key Individual Network (KIN). We want to know your thoughts and opinions on a range of issues that affect your neighbourhood. You don't have to belong to any other organisations or be involved any more than you want to. As a KIN member we will ask you to give us occasional local feedback, which in turn helps us to gain a more informed understanding of our community.

Main roles of the KIN

• Widen the consultation between the police and the local community.
    
• Give prompt information about significant changes in local tension and provide information of local issues.
    
• Enable community members to influence local policing and for the police to get increase information about issues affecting our neighbourhoods. 

Benefits of the KIN

• Improves the quality of life for you and your neighbourhood.
    
• Provides a medium for the resolution of issues that arise within your neighbourhood.
    
• Provides an opportunity for the community to influence how their area is policed.  

Once you become part of the KIN

Your personal details will not be used for any other purpose, or passed on to anyone else. You will be invited to meetings concerning setting priorities within your neighbourhood, and these take place on average every quarter. Outside these meetings we will carry out the majority of communication by phone, post or email.

You can resign from the KIN at any time. If you wish at any time to amend your KIN details, for example if you change telephone numbers, please contact Sergeant Mark Stephens at Whaddon Safer Community Team or PC Lynn Aston (Whaddon & Lynworth), PC Adam Bundock (Prestbury) or PC Tim Meadows (St. Pauls & Pittville).

If you are interested please call 0845 090 1234 and ask for Whaddon SCT alternatively please e-mail Whaddon SCT Click Here>>>

Youth Outreach Workers Visit Prestbury

Prestbury Playing fields are being attended by Cheltenhams Outreach Workers

Ryan Martin, leader of the team said “We will be in the park most evenings to meet up with the young people. We want your ideas as to what you, as young people, want in your area. We have been out and about for a few weeks now and the kids have been fantastic. Come along and say hello!!”

Pittville and Prestbury Youth group will also be visiting the park to engage with the young people. on Wednesdays and Thursdays between 5-6.30pm.

Andy McCauley, leader of the youth group said “There are exciting times ahead for the young people of Prestbury. We are working closely with Gloucestershire Youth Services to provide activities for them. Prestbury Parish Council have been instrumental in providing a MUGA for the community which is well used. We are currently working on other projects, which will be happening over the next few months and look forward to meeting new friends.”

Calendar of Events 2010

Calendar of Events 2010

(In some instances there may be non attendance due to operational requirements).

Whaddon SCT will be going to events throughout the INA to speak to members of the public and get involved in the local community. (To see events already on the INA Click on the link above)

If you believe it would be beneficial for your local community that the Safer Community Team be present at an event or location so that we can meet you, the residents. The team are always interested in new ways to meet and engage with the Communities within the Inspector Neighbourhood Area of Whaddon. 

Please give us your ideas, invite us to your event we will be happy to attend almost anything.

To give us an idea of a new way to meet the community. Click here

To invite us to your event Click here

Whaddon SCT Police Information Points (PIPs)

  Police Information Points (PIP’s) were originally introduced to Gloucestershire in 1997 to encourage greater communication between the public and the police.
They are situated at selected locations throughout the Whaddon INA and provide contact points. PIP’s are multi-functional providing the public with a range of advice on crime reduction and community safety as well as other police and community related information. PIP’s also provide an opportunity for interaction between the police and the community as well as providing opportunities to exchange community-based information

The new PIP’s situated as follows:

Whaddon, Lynworth & Oakley 

• Cheltenham Borough Homes main foyer, Oakley Resource Centre, Clyde Crescent.

For opening times CLICK HERE>>>

St Pauls & Pittville

• Pittville School Library, Albert Road.

For opening times CLICK HERE>>>

• St Pauls Medical Centre main foyer, Swindon Road

For opening times CLICK HERE>>>

Prestbury

• Prestbury Library, The Burgage, Prestbury.

For opening times CLICK HERE>>>

If anyone is unable to find anything that they need or the PIP needs restocking or there are certain times you would like to see your local PCSO at the PIP, please contact us either by using the form on the Contact us tab or our  e-mail address.

Community Engagement

Please take the time to send an e-mail using the 'Contact us' section at the bottom of the page telling us your concerns you have about the area that you live in. Please be as specific as possible regarding locations / activities and times. Remember they do not have to be crime related.

Alternatively, please feel free to stop any of the members of the SCT for a quick chat to tell them your concerns. All the PCSO's are out and about throughout the INA and will be happy to stop at any time, and will be at the PIP posts at specific times and dates. 

Parking Enforcement