Author: News Team 1

Dear Resident,

Apologies for the late distribution of this newsletter (again), but I try and write it in between all the other things I need to do. Anyway, here is some of what we did in September.

 Burglary
Unfortunately, the last month of summer has not been a good month for burglary statistics and more importantly those residents who have experienced a burglary.

In total the Pinner area had three attempted residential burglaries; in Howards Close; Rickmansworth Road; and Ringwood Close respectively; and twelve burglaries; one in West End Lane, Tewkesbury Avenue, High View, St Michaels Crescent, Eastcote Road, Marsh Road, Glover Road and Whittington Way respectively. Two occurred in Albury Drive and Paines Lane.

The majority of these burglaries occurred during the hours of darkness. Entry to properties is often gained by smashing a rear patio door or window, and access to the rear of these properties is usually gained through unlocked side gates or by climbing over them.

With the dark nights now well and truly upon us, it is important to illuminate your home and give it the ‘lived-in look’, which can often deter the majority of burglars who like the cover of darkness. Whether you are at home watching the latest iteration of the Hallowe’en franchise or out walking the dog, please give the impression your home is occupied.

Obviously, using timer switches or smart technology alone won’t prevent a burglary happening; not even the presence of a burglar alarm can, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put security measures in place. You will never know if your home security has deterred a burglar, but you will know when it hasn’t.

Please take some time to assess your home’s security and proactively address any vulnerabilities you identify. For burglary and all types of crime prevention advice please click on this link: https://www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/.

Neighbourhood Watch / OWL
There is a new neighbourhood watch scheme in town which I encourage you all to sign up to. On 14^th September OWL (Online Watch Link) went live in Harrow. At the time of writing the Pinner and Pinner South wards collectively have almost 500 residents registered to receive crime updates from police. I have attached some literature about what exactly OWL is, so please do sign up, if you’ve not already done so.

Please accept my thanks in advance for your registration.

Arrests / Court Results / Other
It was an unlucky Friday 13^th for one individual who PC Brooks found in possession of cannabis in Pinner Grove. The male recently pleaded guilty to drug possession and received a £100 fine and a £32 victim surcharge.

During our Op Cubo traffic operation, that started in Pinner and gradually moved to Rayners Lane, we stopped a vehicle after its driver was seen using his mobile phone. A subsequent search of the vehicle – which was later seized- resulted in a crowbar and a substantial quantity of cash being discovered in the boot.

The driver was arrested for going equipped and theft offences and a search of the driver’s home address resulted in further cash being found; subsequent to that a cannabis factory was discovered in Barnet!

The driver was later released under investigation.

During patrols in an unmarked vehicle we spotted a transit van slowly being driven around the area. This is a frequent sight in all areas as the occupants of vans of this type are often looking for scrap metal in skips or discarded white goods that have been abandoned in the street.

However, on some occasions the occupants are looking to steal tools from building sites or insecure work vans.

Our enquiries established that the driver of the stopped van was not insured, so we seized possession of it as part of The Met’s ongoing Operation Reclaim. The driver has been sent to court.

Community Engagement
We have provided residents of Pinner with ample opportunity to engage with us and discuss local crime-related matters.

We have held crime prevention stands in Costa and Pinner Library, attended the Pinner Village Show and two MacMillan Coffee Mornings; in Pinner United Services Club and the pavilion in Roxbourne Park respectively.

We also popped up at Barclays Bank and a recent music event at Roxy Café in Roxbourne Park’s pavilion, and held ten ‘Op Carpo’ Community Walks across the Pinner ward, during which we discussed any local concerns with those residents whom attended.

Our public meeting in Pinner Village Hall was attended by approximately 80 residents, who listened to talks from a Detective Constable from the Central Specialist Operations Unit and a Detective inspector from the North West Borough Command Unit’s Burglary Unit. Both officers gave the audience valuable burglary prevention advice and information on what is being done to reduce burglary offences across Barnet, Brent and Harrow boroughs.

We were also lucky to be graced with the presence of Natwest Community Banker Mark Mullally who provided excellent advice on how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of scams and frauds.

We continue to use social media platforms Twitter and Nextdoor to engage with and inform the community about our activities and future events. If you have a Twitter account but don’t yet follow us, please do so @MPSPinner and @MPSPinnerSouth respectively and encourage others to do the same.

If you don’t want to join Twitter, but still want to find out what we’ve been doing, you can do so by clicking on this link: https://www.met.police.uk/a/your-area/met/harrow/pinner/ or https://www.met.police.uk/a/your-area/met/harrow/pinner-south/, depending on where in Pinner you reside.

We have done many other things, but as I don’t want to bore you completely, I have omitted them from this update.

Kind regards,

Lee O’Brien PCSO 7562NW
Pinner / Pinner South SNT

OWL, the Online Watch Link, is launching in Harrow on Saturday 14th September 2019. This is an online facility that allows local police to engage with residents and share information, alerts and solve problems. It also allows local watch areas to be established quickly and easily, allowing residents and coordinators to engage with their neighbours and the police. OWL has been tried and tested across the city and the counties with proven benefits to security and crime reduction. We are keen to share this news with Harrow residents, starting with you as Community Champions. To register for the OWL system please go to www.owl.co.uk