Sgt Monthly Update - November

Dear Residents of Binley/Willenhall, Cheylesmore & Earlsdon

I hope you are all keeping well as we are entering the festive Christmas period, and the days become shorter and colder.

I have now been in post as your local Neighbourhood Sergeant for almost 3 months, and during that time my teams focus has been firmly on addressing key issues that matter most to our communities. We have been working closely with partners, local businesses and residents to make sure concerns are not only heard but acted upon.

ASB by youths continues to be an issue across Binley & Willenhall, in particular there has been an uptick at The Alan Higgs Centre and surrounding fields. A number of incidents occurred on bonfire Night which are being actively investigated. In addition, there has been ongoing shop theft/ business robbery incidents along Remembrance Road, particularly at The Heron Foods, The One Stop, Quorn Way in Binley & The Airport Retail Park in WIllenhall – all are repeat shop theft location. We take ASB and shop thefts seriously and will be increasing our patrols across Binley & Willenhall, in particular at these high-risk locations. This will ensure that would be offenders are deterred by a visible police presence and local businesses are reassured. We are working closely with local shops and have made numerous visits during our Business Impact Week (10th – 16th November). Business Robberies are currently a local force priority.

The main focus we are tackling in Cheylesmore are residential burglaries. There has been a notable increase over the past month as the longer nights have drawn in. Offenders have taken the opportunity to act as the days have become shorter. A prime target is the homes of residents known to have expensive Jewellery. I have directed the team to increase patrols during the late evening time across Cheylesmore. I would advise residents to install doorbell/ CCTV cameras if they can, and to be cautious about advertising if they are going on holiday or leaving the house on social media. Please also keep all jewellery and other expensive goods locked safely away/hidden.

Earlsdon’s issues are shop theft at the stores on Ealsdon High Street. The high-risk stores are patrolled/attended regularly by my officers, and we work closely with their management to deter offenders. Another local problem is speeding which is a concern raised by residents and councillors at the local PACT meeting we had a Earlsdon Library last week. We will be organising speed watches in the near future and are in communication with the council about the possibility of introducing more speed signs in the area.

It has been a pleasure to meet a number of you at our recent Cupper with a Copper and PACT meetings. Below are our upcoming community engagement events. If you do wish to speak with us face to face I would recommend you attend, we are more than happy to meet with you for a cup of tea and a chat.

Biney & Willenhall

Cheylesmore

Earlsdon