Cold Weather Road Safety Announcement
With the current cold and icy weather upon us this is a good time for our colleagues from the divisional Roads Policing Department to issue some good road safety advice.....
If the roads are snowy or icy, then the first thing you need to consider is whether your journey really is necessary. If it isn't essential, then don't go - simple as that. If you are taking to the roads when ice and snow are likely, then begin by ensuring your car is up to the job and check:
Your windscreen - make sure it is clear of snow or ice before you go anywhere and remember to clear the wiper blades. Your tyres - make sure both pressure and tread are OK. Remember, the more tread there is on a tyre, the more grip it has. Screenwash bottle - you need some proper de-icer fluid in the bottle, and the bottle should be full. You have a clean, dry cloth in the car - if your screenwash freezes up you may have to pull over to a safe parking place to rub the windscreen clear. Your lights - are they clean, and do they all work? You know where you are going! If you are setting off on an unfamiliar journey, work out your route in advance. Use satellite navigation if available or carry a map. Your car's fuel level. Your planned route may be blocked by snow or by an accident, or you may get lost as roads take on an unfamiliar appearance - either way, you may have to travel a lot further than you expected.
An ice scraper and de-icer should be carried for day-to-day use, whilst other items might include a torch, warm clothes or a blanket, boots, first aid kit, shovel, battery, jump lead, tow rope. Food and a warm drink should be considered on longer journeys. Always drive with extreme care even if roads have been gritted - you never know what lies round the next corner. The same applies to the distance you drive behind another vehicle - drive as if you were on an untreated road and leave a generous space.
During the snowy and icy conditions, policing across the Worth Valley has been pretty much close to normality. Your local NPT Officers have continued to parade for duty at Haworth Police & Community Contact Point and the divisional 4x4 vehicles have provided mobile patrols to all of the villages as usual.
Seasonal Crime Prevention Measures A Christmas Success
An operation to cut down on house burglaries and promote crime prevention across the Worth Valley over the Christmas period has been deemed a success. Throughout November and into December Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team pro-actively attended at a range of community meetings including PACT meetings, Parish Council meetings and village association meetings to promote crime prevention awareness and give out a range of free home security tools. A special emphasis was placed on ensuring that house burglaries remained low across the area and our "light up" campaign, where free energy saving light bulbs were issued to residents, has contributed towards keeping crime down. In the month of December there were only 2 burglaries in the Worth Valley, this is amongst the lowest in the Airedale & North Bradford division.
Commenting on the success of the operation, Sergeant Mark Wheeler of the Worth Valley NPT said, "A lot of work has gone in to meeting with our residents and we continue to make ourselves available to the community. By offering basic yet sound crime prevention advice we have all worked together to keep crime down over the Christmas period. I wish to thank those members of the community who have followed our advice as they have helped to keep the area a safe place to live. I ask all residents to continue to "light up" during the dark nights so that our success of this initiative continues."
Any resident who would like to receive crime prevention information is encouraged to contact one of the team or attend at one of the forthcoming community meetings.
Priority Crime Figures for December 2009
No theft of vehicles or vehicles being taken without the owner's consent.
2 burglary dwellings
14 theft from motor vehicles
Seasonal Crime Prevention Advice
With the darker nights upon us this is an important time to ensure that we all take basic steps to prevent criminals from spoiling your festivities.
During the hours of darkness we encourage residents to keep their homes well lit, especially when your home is going to be unoccupied regardless of how long for. We suggest that you use a timer device or similar to lighten your home when you are not there, or alternatively to power a television or radio to give the impression that there is someone at home. Your local Officers or Haworth Contact Point may be able to provide you with an energy saving light bulb to assist with this, so please contact us if you would like a home crime prevention visit or advice.
Curtains and blinds should be kept closed during the dark nights. We don't want anyone to have their New Year spoiled by being the victim of a burglary...help us to keep crime down by following the basic advice.
Similar advice is given to prevent vehicle crime. Always ensure that any valuables are removed from your vehicle along with any day to day items such as SatNav systems or CDs. We encourage residents to spend a couple of seconds to wipe away any marks that a SatNav may have left on your windscreen.
Finally it is worth remembering that house burglaries and vehicle crime across the Haworth, Crossroads and Stanbury area are low and we thank all residents for following these simple guidelines to prevent crime in our area.
Crimes Detected and Offender Brought To Justice After 7 Years
It's sometimes the case that crimes within our area go undetected due to a variety of reasons, for example no witnesses to the incident or forensic evidence to support a prosecution. But some recent excellent work by a Detective from Keighley Police Station has lead to a 26 year old male from the Keighley area now admitting crimes to the Police that occurred up to 7 years ago.....
The male in question was produced from prison last month to take part in the "Cleanslate" policy, which gives offenders the chance to own up to other offences and bring peace of mind to the victims of crime that their offence has now been detected. The male has been charged with an offence of burglary (none dwelling) dating from October of this year and he has also asked for 10 offences of theft of motor vehicle to be taken into consideration at court. These offences all relate to vehicles being stolen in the Worth Valley between 2003 - 2006.
As this recent case shows, if a crime is filed as "undetected" then this may not always be the end of the matter. We are constantly reviewing closed crimes to see if new evidence has come to light so that an offender can be brought to justice.
Stanbury Day of Action Towards Local Priority
On Thursday 3rd December Officers from the Worth Valley NPT, supported by a colleague from the divisional roads policing department, undertook a mini day of action in Stanbury to deal with speeding motorists through the village.
This was part of our work towards dealing with the local priority for the village as agreed with residents at the Police and Community Together meetings (PACT.)
A total of 12 motorists were issued with a £60 fixed penalty notice and 3 points on their license for travelling at 30mph or above through the dedicated 20mph zone. 1 motorist was also reported on summons for speeding and a further motorist received a fixed penalty ticket and 3 penalty points for failing to stop for an officer when instructed to do so.
Parish Councillor Lesley O’Brien also joined Officers on patrol outside Stanbury Primary School to prevent dangerous and illegal parking throughout the morning.
Officers also paid a visit to the weekly residents meeting held at St Gabriel’s Church, where crime prevention advice and personal safety was discussed, with members being issued with free energy saving light bulbs to help them to light up their homes this winter.
Worth Valley Ward Councillors Glen Miller and Peter Hill also visited the operation to see first hand the work being undertaken by the NPT. Commenting on the day, Cllr Miller said, “This is excellent partnership work between the Worth Valley Neighbourhood Policing Team and both the District and Parish Council. I hope that those motorists who received a fixed penalty ticket for speeding have learned a valuable lesson.”
Inspector Andrew Croasdale of the NPT said, “This is a good example of how seriously we treat the concerns of local residents. It was specifically highlighted to us as the last PACT meeting in the village that rush hour was seen as the most problematic time. As such our operation was tailor made to address these issues and I’m pleased with the results that the operation has brought. Further operations will take place across the area.”
Sergeant Mark Wheeler of the NPT said, “The majority of motorists coming through the village were driving with good care and within the speed limit but the small minority of motorists who fell below the expected standard were dealt with positively. Hopefully by issuing these penalty notices it sends out a clear message that we treat road safety in the village with the upmost importance.”
Anyone who wishes to speak to their local Officers about neighbourhood matters is encouraged to attend at the next PACT meeting.
Horsewatch Alert
Horse owners and riders are being urged to make sure their stables are well secured this winter following break-ins at livery yards.
The Bingley & Worth Valley Neighbourhood Police Horse Watch are advising equestrians to make sure they lock stables securely, mark property and consider installing alarms following recent incidents in West Yorkshire.
While there has not been a notable increase in equestrian related theft in the Worth Valley, officers are keen to make sure stable owners in the area are as well protected as possible.
Anyone who owns a stable is encouraged to make sure kite marked security bolts and locks are fitted and consider installing dusk to dawn lighting to deter thieves.
If practical, they should also consider a professionally installed CCTV system and an alarm with appropriate signs warning they are present.
Police also recommend that equipment is marked with a post code using a UV pen, permanent marker or a DNA type marking solution.
The HorseWatch scheme itself operates across the whole force and was set up in the area in May this year to combat equine crime and help stable owners stay in touch and share information.
PC Cath Gallimore, the area’s own dedicated Horsewatch officer, said: “There have been reports of several break-ins in West Yorkshire recently and we want to do all we can to make sure we do not have incidents in the Worth Valley.
Good quality saddles and bridles are most often the target for criminals and having them stolen can cause the most distress and inconvenience to owners.
Where possible we would advise people to make a record of identifiable equipment and any unusual marks present.”
To speak to PC Gallimore about horse related issues contact her at the Bingley Neighbourhood Police Team, on 01274 475331.
For more details on horsewatch visit the website at www.westyorkshire.police.uk/horsewatch
New Faces Join The Team
The Worth Valley NPT are very pleased to welcome two new additions to the team.....
PCSO 385 Farooq Hussain takes the number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in the area back to three. Farooq is already out and about on patrol getting to know his beat and the local issues that are important to the community, so do feel free to stop and have a chat with him when you see him on patrol.
We also welcome the new manager of the Haworth and Oakworth Police & Community Contact Points, Margaret Smith. Margaret recently moved to Haworth permanently but she has owned a holiday cottage with her husband in Haworth for the last 5 years. Margaret was born and raised in Leeds and lived in Yeadon for the last 30 years. She lives with her husband and little dog and she has 2 sons and 3 grandsons. Commenting on her appointment, Margaret said, "I look forward to the challenges of working at the Contact points and I'm looking forward to meeting more of the locals who drop in. I hope in time to be as much an asset here as Hilary was. I'm looking forward to being a part of the vibrant focal point for the villages."
All of the Worth Valley NPT and indeed West Yorkshire Police wish former contact point manager Hilary Healey well with her move to Cheshire. Hilary will be missed by the NPT, volunteers and community alike and we thank her for all her hard work over the last few years.
Update on Oakworth Primary School parking issues
On Thursday 19th November 2009 a special meeting was held at the Keighley Council Area Coordinator's Office to work towards a permanent improved solution to the parking and congestion problems around Oakworth Primary School. Representatives were present from the Police, both Ward and Town Councillors, Highways, Environment and Oakworth Primary. Several points have been tasked out for further research and a second meeting will be held in January 2010 for all parties to report back.
In the meantime Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Council Civilian Enforcement Officers (CEOs) have continued to patrol the area at the key times. On the afternoon of Tuesday 24th November the Police issued 4 fixed penalty notices for illegal parking at the location and the Council CEOs issued a further 2 tickets.
Letters have now been sent out by both the Police and the school itself to all parents and guardians at the school, explaining our work in the area and the fact that enforcement is being carried out. Those drivers who do continue to park illegally in the area will be issued with a fixed penalty notice or be summonsed to court.
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Worth Valley NPT Officers: Inspector Andy Longden - 07912126660 / 01274 475327
andrew.longden@westyorkshire.pnn.police.ukSergeant Mark Wheeler - 07596519866 / 01274 475327
mark.wheeler@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk Sergeant Diane Collins - 07912126660 / 01274 475327
diane.collins@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk PC2048 Edward Irving - 01274 475331
edward.irving@westyorkshire.police.uk PCSO 523 Debbie Williams - 07596519868 / 01274 475331
debbie.williams@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk PCSO 360 Helen Wynn-Evans - 07596519867 / 01274 475332
wynn-evans@westyorkshire.pnn.police.ukThe Worth Valley Neighbourhood Policing Team can also be contacted on 0845 6060606.
In an emergency where there is danger to life or a crime in progress, always dial 999.
If the team are out on patrol then please leave a message on the answerphone facility and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
The email address for the NPT is
hanpt3@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk Your local NPT Officers can also be contacted through: Worth Valley Police and Community Contact Point, 28 Changegate, Haworth, telephone 01535 644001, email
wvcontactpoint@yahoo.co.uk Opening hours Tuesday 1200-1600pm, Wednesday 1200-1600pm, Thursday 1200-1600pm, Friday 1200-1600pm.
LOCAL POLICE UPDATES: Read local news from your Neighbourhood Policing Team, and sign up for free email updates, on
http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/npt/area.asp?id=250_____________________________________
