Chief Inspector Jonathan Baldwin is the new District Commander for Epping Forest. Chief Inspector Jonathan Baldwin will be receiving questions from the Committee.
Minutes:
Chief Inspector Jonathan Baldwin was introduced to the Committee, he was the new District Commander for Epping Forest. He thanked the Committee for allowing him to speak, he had taken part in meetings with partnership bodies before but had not met the local council representatives together. Accompanying Chief Inspector J Baldwin was his deputy, Inspector Craig Carrington.
Chief Inspector J Baldwin said that policing was a two way process, between the police and the general public. Local councils played an important part in the policing process as they were knowledgeable about their areas, a pro-active stance was therefore important. He advised that because he had not received questions from members beforehand, he could not answer all of their queries. He was willing to attend future Local Councils’ Liaison Committees and report their particular concerns to the Neighbourhood Action Panels (NAPS).
Mr C Thompson, Town Clerk of Moreton Town Council, commented that although there was little crime in the Moreton area, it was rare for residents to see or know who their local police officers were. Despite advertising a local meeting, where 100 people had participated, no police representatives had attended. Chief Inspector J Baldwin advised that Inspector C Carrington was the officer for the Moreton area and he would supply the Parish Council with photographs of each neighbourhood officer and their contact details, both mobile numbers and email addresses.
Mr C Thompson added that he no longer received regular emails advising on the local crime situation, over the last few weeks there had been 2 or 3 burglaries in his area. Chief Inspector J Baldwin requested Parish Council contact details, he also suggested creating email groups which would facilitate better communication between the police and local councils. He advised that information on local neighbourhood watches can be emailed to residents. Councillor B Murphy of Epping Town Council agreed to provide liaison between the police and local councils. Councillor Mrs P Smith advised that the District Council website had the contact details for the Parish and Town Councils on it. She also advised that there was also a new anti crime initiative – “Not In My Neighbourhood.”
AGREED:
That, the Parish and Town Councils email addresses be sent to Councillor B Murphy for dispatch to the police.
Chief Inspector J Baldwin said that local communities were becoming increasingly less tolerant of anti-social behaviour. There was a variety of local groups and partnerships taking action on crime and littering, for example the Epping Forest Rangers prevented fly tipping and there were groups who also dealt with anti-social parking around Underground Stations. Councillor B Surtees thought that the problem was that initiatives were introduced and then faded away.
Chief Inspector J Baldwin advised that furnishing districts with adequate numbers of police officers was often difficult. Officers did not want to stay in the same place for too long. Some stayed in an area for eighteen months to two years before moving away. Chief Inspector J Baldwin said that there needed to be a clear understanding between the police and local councils, regarding expectations of service. There were nine committed officers for NAPs. The process was still embryonic. The police needed to know what was expected from the public.
Ms S De Luca, Parish Clerk of North Weald Parish Council asked if common crime problems had emerged from the NAPs meetings. Chief Inspector J Baldwin replied that he had copies of the NAPs minutes, he wrote the strategic assessments which provided a picture of the crime situation in the area.
Councillor R Morgan, District Councillor, asked about the hundreds of extra officers who were now in the County force. Chief Inspector J Baldwin said that there were 600 extra officers across the force, Epping was receiving an extra 12 officers making its establishment 100 in total.
Chief Inspector J Baldwin was asked about controlling speeding traffic, he replied that officers by roadsides wearing fluorescent jackets had a positive effect on speed reduction.
The Chairman thanked Chief Inspector J Baldwin for coming to the meeting and advising the members on the current policing situation. Chief Inspector J Baldwin thanked the Committee in return. He also particularly thanked Lambourne Town Council for the exemplary way they had worked through a difficult time when a murder had taken place there.