Rushcliffe Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Tim Cuthbert updates the community.
Tim writes:
Firstly, as this will be my last NPI blog before Christmas, on behalf of my Neighbourhood Policing Team here in Rushcliffe, I want to wish you all a very happy Christmas, and a peaceful New Year.
November saw the latest Rushcliffe Farmer’s Forum co-ordinated between Nottinghamshire Police and Rushcliffe Borough Council, hosted at Oddhouse Farm. We were joined at the event by MP James Naish, PCC Gary Godden, as well as Juliet Marshall who is Notts Police Rural Crime co-ordinator, and also Cllr Rob Inglis – and Gabriella Gregory from the NFU. Special thanks too to Jo McQuat for her continuing support around Farm Watch, and for helping arrange the event. It was a fantastically well attended event, with many local farms and businesses represented. We discussed a range of topics impacting the rural community in Rushcliffe, and beyond. From the Neighbourhood Policing side, we discussed the increase in rural beat surgeries, using Farm Watch, as well as the need to report suspicious incidents which could be pre-cursor events leading up to a more serious offence.
The event came just a couple of days after the National Police Chief’s Council outlined plans for an increased focus on rural crime nationally. In Nottinghamshire, whilst we don’t have a specific dedicated rural crime team, our beat managers on the area have been provided with additional wildlife crime training, as well as rural crime training above and beyond the basic levels of understanding. This leads to a greater skill set on the teams, and we have some fantastic experience and bespoke knowledge on the Rushcliffe NPT in particular, with our whole team invested in understanding the pressures and impact of rural crime on local businesses and communities. Only this week, following an appeal around a stolen All-Terrain Vehicle, we received a call reporting a similar vehicle in a suspicious place, and the vehicle has been returned to the rightful owner with the help of local farmers. A classic example of the Police and rural communities working well together.
December will see our NPT out focusing on drink driving and road safety in a variety of spots around the borough. We will also be supported by the Road Crime Team who will be defaulting to the area in December, so please, don’t drink and drive, as we’ll have plenty of resources out and about looking to intervene where we suspect someone may be driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We see all too often the catastrophic impact of drink driving on our roads, and with road driving conditions at their worst in the winter months, this only compounds the problem around the Christmas period. Please, think… and don’t drink and drive.
You may have seen in the news about the guilty pleas entered by Rushcliffe resident Jon Ruben in a recent sexual offences case relating to a summer camp in Leicestershire. I understand the concern this case will have caused in the local community, and want to reassure you all that the relevant agencies & institutions impacted have received contact from the investigation team, and the victims & families are receiving appropriate support. This investigation involved young and vulnerable victims, and I’d like to thank the enquiry team for their dedication and hard work in this complex investigation.
Finally, I’d like to wish a very happy retirement to Sgt Sarah Merrall. Sarah worked on the West Bridgford neighbourhood policing team for several years until around two years ago, when she was seconded to a national project to help shape the future of neighbourhood policing in the UK. Sarah has been a pleasure to work with over the years, and her dedication to her role has left a positive legacy in the West Bridgford NPT.
Again, have a great Christmas and New Year.
Tim Cuthbert
Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Rushcliffe
