Crime UP by 24% in North of Peterborough, in ONE month!

The number of reported crimes for April 2022, in the area covering Ravensthorpe, Bretton, Paston, Walton, Werrington, Glinton etc, was 815, the highest for over a year!

One of the most important facts to remember when looking at police statistics, is that they only cover the number of reported incidents.There is no way of measuring crime that goes unreported or, it appears, the number of calls to 101, that tale so long, people simply then give up and put the phone down.

Some of the roads that have seen above normal reports of crime over the last year, include; Waveney Grove, Chadburn, Norwood Lane, Werrington Centre, Watergall, Essendyke and Tansor Garth. 

Equally worrying, is the fact that the police’s own figures show that 62.5% of reported incidents ended up being classified as either “Unable to prosecute suspect” or “Investigation complete; no suspect identified”.

Another aspect to note, is that Violence and sexual offences accounted for nearly 40% of reported crime, over the last year.

So what’s the problem

In the first instance, we can all figure out that contributing factors like the cost of living crisis and that our city is riddled with drugs, will be having an impact on crime figures.

But, as to why our city has such high levels of domestic violence or sexual offences, is less clear. 

Personally, I think the fact we still have unacceptable levels of misogyny in the city, which of course is the misconception women are not equal to men etc doesn’t help things!

But as for the sexual offence, I’d be intersted to hear from others as to why they think these figures sare so high?

Inregards addressing crime, and remembering that the police should ideally be about crime prevention, we cannot also ignore the fact that we still have fewer police staff than we did in 2010.

On top of that, for all the recruitment taking place, new officers are less experienced compared to those of 10-15 years ago.

Looking locally, we have seen police stations like the one in town or Werrington Centre, cease to exist.

And then of course in 2020, we witnessed Cambridgeshire police cutting the number of PCSOs (police community support officers) by 50% and scrapping its community safety team.

The irony of course being, is that we have only ever had Conservative Police and Crime Commissioners, who promise to be tough on crime, but in reality, are soft on solutions!

So what do we do?

• On a personal note, I would always urge people to report crime, either via telephoning 101 or visit the Cambs Police website.
• I would also urge people to contact the Police Crime Commissioner if you are not happy with any crime or policing matters, as at least he will then be aware. I’d suggest doing this via emailing cambs-pcc@cambs.pnn.police.uk or visiting their Facebook page.

See for yourself

To view the latest figures by visiting here!

Time to scrap the Cambs and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner?

Background

In the 2010 general election, the manifestos of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats outlined plans, to replace or reform the existing police authorities. In coalition government the scheme was introduced.

The role of Police and Crime Commissioner, covering Peterborough, was created in November 2012, following an election held on 15 November 2012, and replaced the Cambridgeshire Police Authority.

£150k worth of politicians looking at bicycles!

There have been 3 elections; in 2012, when turnout was just 15.9%, in 2016, when turnout was 30.56% and 2021, when the turnout was 37%.

We’ve had 4 commissioners and all of them have been Conservative.

One of the reasons we have had 4 is because, one of them, Jason Ablewhite, resigned following reports he’d been “sending pictures of his genitals to a woman”.

Take the oath

Successful candidates are also asked to swear an “oath of impartiality” before taking office:

“I do solemnly and sincerely promise that I will serve all the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in the office of police and crime commissioner without fear or favour.

“I will act with integrity and diligence in my role and, to the best of my ability, will execute the duties of my office to ensure that the police are able to cut crime and protect the public. I will give a voice to the public, especially victims of crime and work with other services to ensure the safety of the community and effective criminal justice.

“I will take all steps within my power to ensure transparency of my decisions, so that I may be properly held to account by the public. I will not seek to influence or prevent any lawful and reasonable investigation or arrest, nor encourage any police action save that which is lawful and justified within the bounds of this office.”

What’s the cost?

The commissioner’s salary is presently £71,400 per annum (£36 p/h). While the role of deputy commissioner receives, £28,560 (£27 p/h) and is required to work flexibly, equating to 2.5 days per week.

• For the record, the best paid police officers in this area, get paid £19 an hour.

There are also staffing costs, with some on significant amounts, such as the Chief Executive on £105,000 and the Director of Commissioning on £60,896.

In 2020/21, the office for the Commissioner had a budget of £1.2m.

“….the policing budget in Cambridgeshire is facing significant pressures over the coming four years, with a current financial pressure over the period of £4.3m.” (Latest statement of accounts)

Can it really be scrapped?

Put simply, “Yes!” For example, in 2017, the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner was replaced by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, while the role of West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner was absorbed by the mayor of West Yorkshire in 2021.

It’s also worth noting that previously the Labour Party have publicly called for the position to be scrapped.

In conclusion

I think when the scheme first came about, there was a level of support. As many felt the local policing authorities had become quiet and toothless?

Since it’s inception, the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner role, has seen millions and millions of pounds spent, just on administration of the role …… with none of this money going to pay for actual police officers.

I’d suggest that the people who have benefitted most from the role, are those who’ve been employed within the office of the Commissioner, rather than local citizens?

Equally, the Commissioner role should be someone independent, who enacts increased openness on the service and acts as a link between the everyday people and the force itself. Yet, right now, our present Commissioner is an ex-copper, “one of the boys”, meaning his perception is clouded, to some degree by his experience.

Furthermore, the fact that the role of Deputy Police Crime Commissioner was created, despite it not needing to be, and that now we have another Tory in that role, who got the job without any competition, provides a stench of political nepotism, in my opinion!

We also cannot ignore, the fact that recently, it was reported one area of Peterborough was revealed as the most dangerous place in Cambridgeshire, according to crime figures.

Thus, given the given the level of crime in Peterborough, and daily occurrences, I’d strongly suggest that the role of Police and Crime commissioner is now a dead duck and needs scrapping.

Ideally, the policing responsibility would be handed directly to local councils, but at the very least should be placed under the responsibility of the elected mayor for the county.

Are #Pboro peeps fussed about #PartyGate?

In Peterborough, the majority of people have a Tory councillor for their area. They definitely have a Tory controlled City Council and Tory MP. Plus, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is a Tory, too!

Boris Johnson is facing another three potential fines for lockdown breaches!

Therefore, there’s clearly a few fans of blue rosettes in our city! But, I do wonder if the latest antics by the Prime Minister, have made them think twice about where their cross will go, in the forthcoming local elections?

A bit of background

Our Prime Minister, who’s real name, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, denied there’d been parties, then said he wasn’t aware, then said he’d not been at them, then said he’d not been there long etc

The facts are that he broke the laws, that he and his own Government introduced!

Now, media are reporting Mr Johnson was present “at at least six of the 12 events being investigated by the Metropolitan Police” for breaking Covid rules.

Insiders suggests he’s also likely to get more fines!

What the people think?

Some people think Boris should have resigned already!

🐔 @BorisJohnson has been FINED 🚨 over #Lockdown-breaking 🥳 parties in #DowningStreet‼️
➡️ Q: Should he NOW resign❓❔❓#RishiSunak #CarrieJohnson #BorisJohnson#PartyGate 🎉 #BorisTheLiar#DowningStreetParty #Hypocrisy #ToriesOut 🃏 #ToryLies 🤥 #EndThePlutocracy

— Darren Fower ✊✊🏿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@Darren_Fower) April 12, 2022

What about our City MP?

To be blunt, Mr. Paul Bristow’s silence on the Partygate fiasco, has been deafening!

Paul Bristow and Boris Johnson

Even when he has tweeted about other matters, local residents have been quick to ask him his views!

I make no apology for backing a law that would make setting up an unauthorised traveller encampment like the one at Bretton Park a criminal offence – but Labour tell me I am wrong. https://t.co/tzMLy0tUTT

— Paul Bristow MP (@paulbristow79) April 16, 2022

Worth Noting:

• My “Time for our PM, Boris Johnson, to go!” petition, has so far received 400 signatures – see: https://chng.it/RnyCvd6Hnf

@darrenfower

🐔 #BorisJohnson#PartyGate 🎉 #BorisTheLiar#DowningStreetParty 🥳 #Hypocrisy #ToriesOut 🃏 #ToryLies 🤥 #EndThePlutocracy #CostOfLivingCrisis

♬ original sound – Darren 💪 Fower

Tory Councillor would have faced gross misconduct charge, if he had not retired from the police! #SpyCops

A Conservative City Councillor in Peterborough has made the national news, after a Scotland Yard investigation ruled in favour of a woman after she made a complaint alleging that Cllr Andy Coles had deceived her into a sexual relationship.

Recent media reports

• Tory councillor brother of Reverend Richard Coles ‘DID have sex with 19-year-old animal rights activist’
• Met upholds complaint of woman ‘deceived’ by undercover officer
• ‘My boyfriend was a police spy’

Add YOUR support to the petition calling for Cllr Andy Coles to RESIGN!

Who is Andy Coles?

Conservative Councillor Andy Coles, represents Fletton and Woodston, was first elected in 2015. He has so far received £48,874 as a councillor and is set to receive even more.

From July 2015 to May 2016 he was also the council cabinet member with responsibility for Children Services, but has since stepped down from this role.

3 years ago, Coles also resigned as the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, claiming media coverage had “significantly impacted his ability” to conduct his duties.

Add YOUR support to the petition calling for Cllr Andy Coles to RESIGN!

So what’s the crux?

As reported in the media, the inquiry said Coles would have faced a disciplinary hearing on a charge of gross misconduct if he had not already retired from the Metropolitan police in 2013.

An officer found guilty of gross misconduct is likely to be sacked.

The woman, known only as Jessica, is also taking legal action against the Met, alleging that Coles “groomed and manipulated” her. She said she was “naive, idealistic, unsophisticated and a very young 19” when she started a sexual relationship with him.

Add YOUR support to the petition calling for Cllr Andy Coles to RESIGN!

What about locally?

Over the last couple of years, local residents have protested outside and inside the Town Hall in Peterborough, which even led to the Public Gallery being closed by the then Mayor, Cllr John Fox (an ex-Police Officer), for around a year.

Add YOUR support to the petition calling for Cllr Andy Coles to RESIGN!

Worth noting …

Mr Coles has previous blasted the claims as ‘lurid’ and denied he was intimate with the woman …..

Additional Reading:

• Andy Coles Intimidates Victim, Assaults Campaigner
• Third Woman Sexually Targeted by Andy Coles Speaks Out
• New Campaign to Tell Peterborough About Andy Coles

 

 

 

When did you last spot a police officer?

The Conservative police and crime commissioner for Cambridgeshire, recently announced that he intended to increase the Council Tax bills for people in this area.

He also claimed that the increase would see an additional 62 officers being recruited by March 2021 for the county.

But, so far has not detailed how many Peterborough will get, and more specifically how many for the north area of Peterborough?

Worth Noting

Under the Tories and Lib Dems, we have seen a decade of cuts to police and vital public services that have shown you simply can’t keep people safe on the cheap.

What people told me:

From doing my on-line resident survey last year, I discovered that 60% of respondents could not remember the last time they saw a police officer, 19% had seen an officer in the last few months, 12% in the last 7 days and 9% in the last couple of years.

What does Darren think?

Every time I read about recorded crime in Peterborough declining, the same thought pops into my head: Is the real story that less people are bothering to report crime?

In Peterborough we need to rebuild the police workforce, we need to recruit more police officers, police community support officers and police staff.

I also believe we need to re-establish neighbourhood policing and recruit more front-line officers than have been planned for by the Conservatives.

Effective police work requires the police to serve their communities and work collaboratively with youth workers, mental health services, schools, drug rehabilitation programmes and other public agencies.

We also need to eliminate institutional biases against BAME communities.

We also need to make use of social media and make it easier for residents to report crime and share useful information.

Please Note:

• The 2019 survey was completed by over 230 local residents.
• Any submissions from people outside of the unitary authority were removed.
• To view the FINAL stats please VISIT HERE!

 

Knife Crime in Peterborough is not a problem, right?

Last year it was reported, 150 first-time knife crime offenders were convicted or cautioned in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire in 2018.

At the time, Conservative Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite said:

“….we are not seeing the levels of knife crime which are happening elsewhere. I have spoken about the need to educate young people as to the dangers of carrying knives. It may feel like some sort of badge of honour but the consequences, as we have seen, can be devastating both for potential victims and perpetrators.”

Sadly, since then, Mr Ablewhite has stood down from his post as Police and Crime Commissioner and as a Tory councillor.

Violent crimes like knife crime, which has risen to record high levels, up 80% in the last five years.

In Peterborough …..

According to the website police.uk, in August 2019, there were 17 incidents of crime involving “possession of weapons” in the Peterborough area; in September 2019, it was 34, in October 2019 it was 29 and in November 2019 it was 27.

That’s an average of 26 a month, nearly one a day.

So what does Darren think?

I think that youth services transform the lives of young people by providing a safe place where they can go to develop friendships and engage in meaningful activities.

Sadly, such vital services, have been slashed by the Tories, nationally and locally. This has created the conditions in which crime can thrive, leaving young people more vulnerable to violence.

We need a government that will introduce legislation to guarantee quality youth services for all of our young people and give our councils the funding they need to invest in our public services.

Did YOU know?

It is illegal to:

• sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18 years old.
• carry a knife in public without good reason – unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, e.g. a Swiss Army knife
• carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife
• use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife).

The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is four years in prison and a fine of £5,000.

When can we expect to see more bobbies in Gunthorpe?

Police at Brookside methodist church, in Gunthorpe

You may remember last year, that one of the promises made by the Tories during the General Election, was to introduce 20,000 extra police officers across the country – now whilst we know that they had previously cut the force by 20,000 – I for one would still like to know when we can expect to see them in Gunthorpe and parts of Werrington?

Only last month, the Harrier on Gunthorpe Road, was burgled in the early hours of a Sunday morning.

While, according to the website police.uk reports of burglary in this area, averaged around 4 a month between August 2019 and November 2019.

But as I always remind people, reported crime does not always represent the true level of crime? For example, when it comes to burglary, I’ve heard stories about some residents not even realising they’ve been burgled and thus, do not report it.

So where are the Cops?

Police at Cissbury Ring, in Werrington

That is the question I’d like an answer to. Therefore, I have now formally contacted the Police Crime Commissioner for Peterborough and asked him to furnish me with the information.

I’ve also asked for details as to how much coverage we get and when the last roaming police surgery was, if they are still going at all?

As always, if you have thoughts or opinions on policing in this area, please let me know below.

Spike in vehicle crime in this area and a sophisticated electronic kit …

Not the ACTUAL Nissan Juke stolen!

I was pleased to read the other week about the crook who stole eight cars from driveways using sophisticated electronic kit and that he has now been jailed.

One of the vehicles taken was a Nissan Juke, from Sunnymead in Werrington. The car was never found.

I was reminded ….

That we had seen a spike in vehicle crime in this area, in November last year.

For example, the number of recorded vehicle crime for July 2019 was 5, in August 2019 it was 2, in September 2019 it was 2, in October it was 7, but in November it was 12 …..!

One other thing …

If you have any concerns or information that you think Cambs Police might be interested in, then please contact them!

Uldale Way “firearm” resident in Court

You may have read recently in the PT, about Calvin Jackson of Uldale Way (Gunthorpe) who was charged with:

• possession of a firearm,
• possession of prohibited ammunition,
• possession of an offensive weapon in a public place,
• two counts of possession of a firearm during a five-year period following a suspended sentence
• and producing a Class B drug.

Well he’s due in court this month, so hopefully we will find out more and if found guilty, he’ll be dealt with appropriately!

If you have any information that you think the police might be interested in knowing, to call 101, alternatively you can have a look at the September crime figures for the Gunthorpe ward, by visiting here!

Crime remains a concern for many local residents, especially as on Theresa May’s watch, police numbers have been cut by 20,000 and most experts know that cuts to the police force endanger communities and endanger police officers too.

Therefore, it’s my opinion that we need to face facts and look for a government that will provide officers, police community support officers and civilian staff with the equipment and people they need to provide effective policing services!

FYI – I have now requested an update from the Police Crime Commissioner on what action plans he has in place to address concerns of drugs and firearms locally, once he has responded I will of course share.

As always, please feel free to let me know your thoughts below!

 

Less Trading Standards = More RISK to older people!

According Age UK, trading standards budgets have been cut by some 50% over the last 7 years.

The result? Millions of older people are at a greater risk of becoming victims of fraud.

Did YOU see?

In April 2018, local media reported that Directors of a Peterborough firm which pressure sold beds and chairs to elderly and vulnerable residents were jailed.

Judge Cooper said of Geoffrey and Jaqueline Turner, of Hall Lane (Werrington), “You chose to impoverish customers mentally, intellectually, emotionally and financially.”

What else…?

Age UK also said it believed 2/5’s of older people (nearly 5 million over 65’s), believe they’ve been targeted by scammers.

What do I think?

I think the Tory government must ensure trading standards services are properly resourced, and that they stop giving them additional duties on top of their core role of protecting residents and stopping rogue traders.

What have I done?

I have now requested an update on the present state of play, from Directors at Peterborough City Council, in respect of staff numbers and budget levels, and whether these have changed over the last few years.

Once I have details on this I will of course share it with you.

For more information relating to Peterborough City Council’s Trading Services, please VISIT HERE!