POLICE OUTLINE PLANS TO TACKLE INCREASE IN CRIME IN TEDDINGTON
The police is urging Teddington retailers to report any criminal incident amid fears of a significant escalation in crime in Broad Street and High Street.
Representatives of twenty shops and businesses like cafes and restaurants met with two local police officers Sergeant Tim Yates and PC Chris Baughurst and two Teddington councillors to discuss crime prevention.
Incidents of glass breaking, burglaries and shoplifting had dramatically increased in recent months according to Teddington Together, which represents local businesses and traders.
The two police representatives were quizzed about the possibility of installing CCTV cameras in High Street and Broad Street because of the worrying levels of crime.
The police revealed they had requested ‘extra resources’ which may include varying shift times to make them finish later, requesting support from a central burglary team as well as patrols by plain clothes officers.
One local convenience store has been broken into three times in two months, mostly for the theft of cigarettes; The Loft in Broad Street had £500 worth of items stolen in a month and three restaurants and pubs reported customers doing a ‘runner’ and not paying their bills.
One of the restaurants was The Wharf on the river where a group left without paying a £450 bill and the two others were the Railway Pub and Bar Estilo. The owner of Bar Estilo told the meeting: “They were just brazen, they just walked out and disappeared.”
Disturbingly, most of the retailers and local businesses represented asked not to be named for fear of being targeted.
Charity shops were also suffering unprecedented levels of shoplifting, the group heard. The police told the group that it could take up to NINE HOURS to process a single shoplifter with all the paperwork and interviewing.
Local Teddington councillors Richard Baker and Cllr Phil Giesler attended the meeting, held at the Railway pub in Victoria Road, Teddington.
Businesses represented included coffee shops, convenience stores, chemists from Broad Street, High Street and Church Road.
Sgt Yeats said: “CCTV would be massively helpful as a tool to tackle crime but we desperately need the data of incidents to make a strong case for it and justify its installation.”
PC Baughurst said: “I am not going to sit here and promise you the world. We will do what we can to improve the situation in Teddington.”
Cllr Baker added: “If the police say we need CCTV the we need the weight of evidence to make the case for it.”
Many retailers have their own CCTV systems but are mostly ineffective in leading to directly to arrests and prosecutions. The police warned of the substantial risk of posting or uploading their own images of suspects on social media channels which could lead to misidentification or jeopardise any eventual trial but did encourage them to upload video footage to a link which the police can provide and then investigate.
The meeting was also told that there had been ‘discussions’ with the relevant authorities about late licensing applications from the Hogarth pub in Broad Street, which is due to reopen soon and the Castlebar in High Street where a fight took place in the early hours of Monday morning whIch is now part of police investigation.
One retailer said: “We definitely need CCTV in High Street and Broad Street to tackle this growing issue.”
Others admitted they did not report ‘crimes’ because they were not confident the police would investigate but the police said they need all the data, whether reported through 999, Crimestoppers or 101.
“The more reports you provide even if you don’t think it will go anywhere is vital if we are to make a case for CCTV.“ said the police.
The police revealed they had undertaken a 12-week Proactive Management Plan to try to identify local criminals which will be reviewed at the end of September.
They revealed that two suspects were facing prosecution for ‘multiple crimes’ in the Broad Street and High Street area.
“We know the people we are after and we want to lift them and get them off the streets, “said the police.
“We may have been lacking in part in our communication but we are determined to do better.”
Cllr Phil Giesler, who attended the meeting, told Teddington Town “This was a very open and useful meeting and gave a good opportunity for the Teddington traders to share their experiences of what appears to be a recent uptick in criminal activity associated with their businesses.
“The police are taking this seriously. It was good to hear that at least one suspect has been apprehended.
“However it is vital, as the police pointed out that all incidents are reported. It is only when that happens that the police can make an accurate assessment of the level and type of issues and their potential connections.
“We need to ensure that all the traders know where to report incidents and what information to pass on. The local police team will ensure that all traders have this info and that is clearly vital.”
Cllr Richard Baker told Teddington Town: “I was pleased both with the number of attendees at the meeting, which obviously underlines traders’ concerns, and the approach by the police who have instigated a policing programme to combat this crime spree.
“I think the traders got the message of the importance of reporting each incident allowing the police to gain a better understanding of what is happening and enabling them to build up a profile of those involved.
“Hopefully, the update meeting at the end of September, when the police will have completed their initial programme, will show more arrests than currently, and enables all to assess the success of the programme and consider next steps.”
Teddington Together director Mel Franke said after the meeting:“I thought it was a very positive meeting with many local retailers and traders attending and relating their own personal experiences and concerns and the police being very supportive with advice as well us encouraging everyone to report incidents. It was also very positive to see local councillors supporting us.
“We will be supporting this initiative going forward and look forward to following up with more traders later in the year.”
The police also advised members of the public to report any potential crimes they witness through Crimestoppers, 101 or 999 as it enables them to identify suspected repeat offenders and build up a more reliable picture of the scale of local crime.
https://www.police.uk/pu/contact-the-police/report-a-crime-incident/
