Neighbourhood Watch

County Co-ordinator of the year award - results

The Essex Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator of the Year has been announced.

The overall winners of the Essex Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator of the Year Award 2011 are Barbara and Tony Oliver.

The couple, who live in Rayleigh, have been part of Neighbourhood Watch for over 20 years, and are recognised as the eyes and ears of their local community - the Louis Drive and Little Wheatley Chase estates.

A Special Award was also given to Chelmsford resident Geoff Ireland, for over 26 years of dedicated work for Neighbourhood Watch.

With over 8,000 volunteer Co-ordinators, Neighbourhood Watch schemes provide support and reassurance to over a third of households across the whole of Essex. It is accepted that crime levels reduce when there is an active scheme in place, and there is less fear of crime when people know what is going on in their area and how to seek help and support. Neighbourhood Watch also provides a means of strengthening communities and encouraging neighbourliness.

To recognise the important part that Co-ordinators play in making Essex one of the safest places to live and work, Essex Police and the Essex Police Authority recently supported the second Essex Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator of the Year Award. The public and others involved in community safety across Essex were invited to nominate Co-ordinators who have demonstrated excellent service in their community.

From the healthy response, each district judged the nominations and selected their candidate for the prestigious Essex Co-ordinator of the Year Award, with all the candidates receiving a certificate of appreciation at a ceremony hosted by Essex Police.

The awards were presented at a ceremony at Essex Police Headquarters in Chelmsford, on January 11, 2012, by Chief Inspector Rachel Nolan and Neil MacDonald of the Essex Police Authority.

Chief Insp Rachel Nolan said: "The winners of the 2011 Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator of Year award, Barbara and Tony Oliver, are a very community spirited couple who work tirelessly as a team to enhance a safer and better local environment – the Louis Drive and Little Wheatley Chase estates of Rayleigh. They have recently been involved in initiatives such as combating rouge traders, drawing attention to speeding vehicles close to the local school, and the introduction of the Nominated Neighbour scheme. Barbara and Tony are an example and an inspiration to us all.”

Neil Macdonald said: "Essex Police is grateful for the hard work that all the Co-ordinators do for their communities, and it is a pleasure to recognise the exceptional efforts that these finalists have made. Neighbourhood Watch is a fine example of dedicated volunteers working with the police service to make Essex a safer place.”

Chief Insp Nolan also praised the exceptional work of Geoff Ireland, the Special Award winner: "Geoff has been involved with the Neighbourhood Watch movement for 26 years. As an early volunteer, he initially arranged recruitment activity on a ward and parish basis, and has continued being a driving force in the expansion resulting in the current situation where one in three households across Essex (nearly 250,000) are covered by a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. Geoff has a strong ethic of serving his community, and it is the strength of this conviction and his driving energy that has enabled him to contribute and achieve such outstanding and sustained results.”

Alan Johnson, Chair of the Essex County Neighbourhood Watch Association welcomed the opportunity the awards provided to recognise the value of Co-ordinators across the whole of Essex, and commented: "We are delighted that our partners in Essex Police and the Police Authority support this award. It is a clear sign that they value the dedication and hard work that these voluntary Co-ordinators give to their communities.”

List of winners by district:

Basildon: Harry Tucker

Braintree: Gill Brown

Brentwood: Bill Reid

Chelmsford: Audrey Bevan

Colchester: Martin Goss

Epping Forest: Epping Forest Committee

Maldon: Linda Priestley

Rochford and overall winners: Barbara and Tony Oliver

Southend: Rita Lowe

Tendring: John Wright

Thurrock: Peter Wells

Uttlesford: Derrick Griffin

Special Award: Geoff Ireland

About Neighbourhood Watch

There are several hundred Neighbourhood Watch groups in Essex with more than 5,000 volunteer co-ordinators covering around 40 per cent of the properties in the county.

Their main aim is to reduce the level of crime and encourage a ‘neighbourly’ spirit whereby people look after themselves and others in their area.

Alan Johnson from Neighbourhood Watch in Essex said: “Neighbourhood Watch’s main aim is to make communities feel safer.

"It provides a great opportunity for people to get involved in their communities and create community spirit.

How can I get involved?

If you would like to help your community, contact your local

Neighbourhood Watch organisation or speak to a member of your neighbourhood policing team.

You can find out who to contact by entering your postcode in the My Neighbourhood section of our site.

For more information, visit the official Neighbourhood and Home Watch website.

Electricity substations

As an Essex resident you probably receive your electricity from UK Power Networks – the owners and operators of the network cables and power lines that bring electricity to your door.

UK Power Networks is working with Neighbourhood Watch groups throughout Essex to help prevent the vandalism and theft of cable from electricity substations.

The substations transform high voltage electricity into more manageable voltage levels for local homes and businesses. They are found in urban and rural areas and are clearly marked with yellow warning signs.

Neighbourhood Watch members are asked to keep an eye on their local substations and report any suspicious activity to Essex Police or UK Power Networks Substation Watch.

If you’re passing your local substation and spot anything suspicious including flytipping or vandalism or you suspect someone unauthorised has entered it illegally, report it to UK Power Networks Substation Watch on 0800 587 3243 or Essex Police on 101 or 0300 333 4444.

 

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