Braintree District

REPORT TO ECNWA 11th FEBRUARY 2025

 Our Steering Group met on Tuesday 21st January 2025 at 14:00hrs at Maurice Rowan Hall and we had 100% attendance ( it was the last meeting before the Annual General Meeting) plus Terry Fowles EWLO and PC James Draper also attended …..

PC James Draper: Once again James was excellent at giving not only an updated report on various Essex Police activities but also answering questions on any local issues which is very much appreciated..

Terry Fowles:  Essex Watch Liaison Officer: We always welcome Terry and also how he ensures I have the weekly crime report (as often as he can ) on a Monday..He always gives us interesting reports at the meetings …

Diane Passfield:  Essex Fire & Rescue Service : Diane attended our meeting and we thanked her for her report on safety and any extra  information too.

I requested that all three can do what they can to attend our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 30th April …

 New Enquiries: Yes I still see new individuals registering with  NWN and I do make contact with them but sadly we do not always have a reply..  It makes one wonder what they think Neighbourhood Watch is all about locally!! YES NWN do tell people the  facts of Neighbourhood Watch and also how to create schemes  ( which need our approval) but people seem to either not see such information as important or never read it..In recent weeks two people created schemes on NWN but after hearing from me I was told by one that they were not aware of the responsibilities of a Co-ordinator ( can you believe it as it clearly states what they are on NWN website and they created a scheme but never asked their neighbours to join.. until  I contacted her ) and then when she did make contact with neighbours they all declined ….amazing!!!! She said to me she was also “unaware”  and that the scheme had to be approved by ourselves ie BDNWSG and so advised me that she was not keen to carry on ( as she had so much to do in her own life ) ..which is fine….But the other person never replied to three emails  from myself and  although I cannot delete the person (says NWN ) I can delete their scheme..General enquiries are good but again when I explain the basics of NW ( which I have published in my weekly newsletter recently ) very few want to be part of Neighbourhood Watch where they live…What do they think Neighbourhood Watch  is all about ???

 Safer Streets Campaigns: Halstead & Witham; Although the campaigns are completed and all funds received ( we must have had or shared over £14,000 to raise the profile of NW with Essex Police ) I still have to give three monthly reports to Braintree District Council on progress of Neighbourhood Watch membership..which is fine….

 Six Monthly Newsletter January to June 2025 : The newsletter had been emailed and  copies were delivered to everyone who was keen to distribute them. This time we had a bigger print run than the previous two issues . One page was dedicated to Essex Trading Standards . I had so many compliments and also I was asked for more copies to be printed to send  to Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators as they wanted to deliver even more!

 Neighbourhood Watch Member of the Year 2024/2025: After discussing the award at the meeting in January we had three agreed  to be given the award..Ian Johnson, Judy Hill and Mike Smith ( who is unable to attend ECNWA AGM being on holiday) .These three have been involved with Neighbourhood Watch for over twenty years in various responsibilities and have never been given an award at any time..so long overdue

Bradwell Parish Council: Our Deputy Chairman Simon Attwood did a talk on Neighbourhood Watch at a Parish Council meeting to an attendance of over twenty five residents however they were there really to listen to PC  James Draper who followed Simon A…..Simon did his best and left information on Neighbourhood Watch.

The Parish Council ( who has been receiving my weekly newsletter for the past , at least , ten years) wanted to resurrect  a Neighbourhood Watch scheme ..and had asked me to arrange of talk on NW…  …

They wrote to me after the meeting saying that they would decide what to do at the next meeting!!!

 BT and Digital Service: NWN agreed with  BT that they would find local NW Co-ordinators  to help promote their new Digital Service (it was managed by Clive Woodward  for ECNWA ). I attended a BT one hour training session ( via Teams)  and then arrived at a local Library to manage a table with a “BT person” who told me to leave the facts on Digital to him and I can talk about Neighbourhood Watch.

 Well ….. I was asked by BT to attend as a customer and can talk about the basics  so I did my best on both “jobs”!! However only three people made the event (at which I arrived at  13:30 hrs  to set up at 14:00hrs   and left at 17:00hrs) ..and I  did manage to give  out Neighbourhood Watch items of three pens/six monthly newsletters and members guides, and left information in the library too. Well as  I was only fifteen minutes away it was so not a big deal..but a day better spent on other things really….

 Annual General Meeting 2025 : Our is AGM for 27th April time 13:00hrs to 16:00hrs  great place as parking and the facilities are excellent. It is the usual venue Maurice Rowan Hall  and our guest speaker is Sarah Wright Commander Essex Police…

 Weekly Newsletter : This is in its 15th year every week ( yes Christmas and Easter ) and is a summary of the Essex Police Crime reports  I never send the crime reports to any Co-ordinator or NW member ( or ask any EWLO to do so ) and never have or will as I believe that it is important that I make contact with all those who are part of NW locally each week and I can say what I feel is important to advise them of local crime incidents.It works as I often have compliments on the newsletters…

 Clive Stewart, Chairman, Braintree District NW, February 11th  2025

 Tel 0750 8057636

Email [email protected]