Farm-Watch Members Visit Control Room
By Cleveland Police published 7 August, 2012 No CommentsHartlepool Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Cath Jones has introduced a Farm Watch initiative to aid communication across the 300 or so farms and small holdings in the district.
Farm Watch is a partnership between the farming community and the police to encourage vigilance and communication and to drive down rural crime.
Cleveland Police say there are many benefits to being part of the Farm Watch scheme and these include:
• Being signed up to our Ringmaster system which enables us to communicate local issues to members quickly and efficiently.
• Where there are recurrent problems we can work together to tackle these by setting up operations etc.
• Reduction in crime and the fear of crime impacting on the community.
• Information sharing between the police and Farm Watch members in relation to specific incidents.
• Vigilant members who, in partnership with the police, will create a safer environment.
ABOUT HARTLEPOOL FARM WATCH
The aims of Farm Watch are to:
• Reduce opportunities for crime and vandalism in rural areas.
• Strengthen community spirit so that everyone plays their part in protecting their property.
• Report of suspicious incidents as they occur.
• Improve two-way communication between farmers and the police.
• Introduce early warning systems in farming and rural areas.
• Reduce the fear of crime.
Those concerned farmers asked how the police are able to distinguish one farm from another. To allay any fears, PCSO Jones arranged a visit to the Force Control Room. Besides being shown the general Command and Control facilities and technology available, Rod Gray, who looks at Management Research and Quality within Control Room, explained how he could create information showing the exact location of an incident.
PCSO Jones said “All those that attended were delighted with the presentation and all the work Cleveland Police was doing to protect their farms. It allayed any fears they might have had about the effectiveness of the scheme. They are looking forward to working closely with the police and partner agencies in the future.”
A Ringmaster questionnaire is being circulated to those farms involved in a bid to establish the kind of farming they undertake so that the police have better knowledge of what large equipment is used and stored across the faming community.
Police will also gain intelligence about exotic livestock such as llamas or other animals which may be present on a seasonal basis, such as turkeys.
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