Figures show Chiswick is a safer neighbourhood

Dedicated Police teams see significant reduction in domestic burglaries

The three local Safer Neighbourhood Teams have been working hard to reduce residential burglaries by increasing high visibility patrols in the Chiswick area.

Each officer carries with them a ' vulnerable premises advice form' produced by the Hounslow Community Safety Partnership. The form gives occupiers crime prevention advice and states whether the patrolling officer saw an accessible window open, tools/ladders were in view, side gates were open or unlocked and whether valuable property was on display through a window.

By using this form and speaking to the occupiers, where possible, Chiswick's officers are trying to increase an awareness of crime prevention issues with the local community which would appear to be having an effect as there were no residential burglaries reported in all of Chiswick between the 26th of June and the 5th of July this year.

DI Tuffin said "This is very good news for the residents of Chiswick but we must not be complacent. We are continuing with our efforts to make London safer and would urge everybody to report any suspicious activity. In this period of warm weather, we should all remain security minded and keep windows and doors securely locked especially those that are accessible".

Safer Neighbourhood Teams are now in place in all twenty wards in the borough.  Ward officers have dealt with over four thousand local issues since the introduction of the SNT's in April ranging from neighbour disputes to cannabis factories and anti-social behaviour reports.

Community officers have met with over seven thousand local people since April to listen to their views and help tackle their concerns. The teams have made over seven hundred arrests and issued over one-hundred fixed penalty notices for disorder.

Superintendent Simon Phipps said "Safer Neighbourhoods are still developing but already we can see the benefits of having local officers provide local solutions to problems. The teams provide extra support in cases of anti-social behaviour, which can sometimes build up over years. In the past three months we have met with over one hundred suspects to warn them to stop their yobbish conduct.

"We are working harder than ever to listen to the views of our community. We have launched an internet chat room together with Hounslow Youth Services at younghounslow.proboards51.com. As well as our traditional public meetings we hold ‘street surgeries’ in which officers hold open-air advice sessions at pre-arranged places like town centres or other meeting places. I will be available at some of these to hear first-hand the problems people are facing."

July 11, 2006