What is this number? If you don’t call it in… we won’t know about it!
I am PC Lucy Hartshorn and I have been the DWO (Designated Ward Officer) for Furzedown for almost a year. You may have read this article before, but it is a message I want to reinforce as in recent months I am still coming across people who are not fully aware of the importance in reporting incidents to police, and how much it can benefit your community by looking out for your neighbours and making your local police aware of the issues that are effecting your area.
Please take the time to read the below article I have put together to give you all some information on the purpose of our non emergency number to report crime. I often hear people saying “Police never turn up when I call anyway… there’s no point even calling 101” Sound familiar? If so, you may benefit from reading the below…
http://www.police.uk/contact/101/
The above link will take you to a webpage that will have all the details you need to know about the police non emergency number. This number is nationwide, just like 999, so wherever you are when you call, it will take you through to the local force, or you can select a force you wish to speak with.
The link will tell you information regarding the point of 101 and facts about charges and it’s purpose, but this is a short article tailored to your local area explaining how the use of 101 can help your local policing teams tackle the problems in your area.
In a nutshell the main message I want to get across is if we aren’t called about a problem, we won’t know it is happening! And also to explain how your local team utilise the information we receive via 101 calls. Although we have various ways of ensuring we communicate issues via neighbourhood watch or ward panel and public meetings, sometimes issues require more management than discussion at a meeting, and we need evidence and records of what is happening, at the time it is happening.
Many of you may have used the 101 service and felt it was pointless – as maybe you didn’t get the response you were expecting or it appeared nothing was done. I want to reassure you that the way the system works ensures that all neighbourhood calls to 101 that provide details and reports of local problems will be fed through to your local team, especially if you are clued up and make the call handler aware you want your local SNT to be made aware of your call. That is why calling to report local issues is so important, as we can then give the issue the attention and resources needed to address it. So please do not be despondent and think your call was ignored or sidelined. All calls to police are intelligence for us at the very least, and as the designated ward officer for Furzedown I cannot stress enough how valuable it is to have a community that care enough to pick up the phone and report criminal activity in their area.
Please recognise that we need our local residents to support us in the work we do to combat the problems that you face. If you call for our help – please have in the back of your mind that the information you are providing is key and we may need to speak to you again about this. I understand some people prefer not to have extensive involvement with police and some are often reluctant to take the time to provide statements when required. If you do have information but want to remain anonymous that’s fine too, any information is useful, but I cannot stress enough how vital your cooperation is, and without it we face difficulties in progressing investigations and therefore it becomes more difficult to help you. So please keep in mind if you need our help – we will need yours in order to provide the best service we can.
Before signing off I must emphasise that the number is still only for reporting criminal activity. This does not include noise, litter, fly tipping, or abandoned vehicles, to name a few. These issues are civil and are dealt with by the local authority. Please see the list of the relevant Wandsworth council contact numbers below;
Wandsworth Council Switchboard: 0208 871 6000
Housing Department Anti-Social Behaviour Team: 0208 871 6829
Community Safety Division: 0208 871 6254
Neighbourhood Watch: 0208 871 6567
Noise Team (private and commercial properties): 0208 871 7869
Noise Nuisance (council properties): 0208 871 7490
Graffiti: 0208 871 7049
Parks Police: 0208 871 7532
Animal Welfare Service: 0208 871 7606
Waste Management (public land): 0208 871 8558
Rubbish and fly tipping (private land): 0208 871 6170
On Street Services: 0208 871 6708
Abandoned vehicles: 0208 871 8123
Adama Sulaiman is the Tooting Neighbourhood officer from the Community Safety Division.
Feel free to contact me via the details below anytime, and I will come back to you when I can.
PC Lucy Hartshorn 234WW
Email: lucy.hartshorn@met.police.uk
T: 0208 247 8171