Area News

Colchester Youth Awards

Colchester Youth Awards Partnership is a collection of organisations keen to promote a positive image of young people in the Borough. The aim of these awards is to highlight and celebrate the success of young people and their continued commitment to the community in and around Colchester.
The Colchester Youth Awards aim to celebrate the achievements of young people aged between 11 - 25. Awards will be presented in the following categories:

• Volunteer • Carer • Enterprise • Educational Achievement • Arts • Sports Development
• Health • Citizenship • Youth Service • Community • Personal Journey.

If you are aware of a young person who is deserving of being nominated please use the link on the home page to put forward your nomination or download a nomination pack here.

Bogus caller-busting initiative.

A new bogus caller-busting initiative will aim to prevent the tragedy of Thelma Avis happening in Colchester ever again.
On August 21 members of the media were invited to the launch of Colchester Borough Neighbourhood Watch’s nominated neighbour scheme in the street where the 90-year-old pensioner lost her life more than four years ago.
Mrs Avis died from a heart attack just hours after cruel crooks conned their way into her home in Barn Hall Avenue on Friday, July 4, 2003.
The nominated neighbour scheme - the first of its kind in Essex – will encourage elderly and vulnerable residents to choose a neighbour to act as a go-between when callers knock on the door.
The notice to callers is intended to be displayed from windows and doors informing them that they will not answer the door to strangers.
It reads: “We do not buy goods or services at the door. If you need to speak to us for any reason please call our nominated neighbour.”
Residents in a street or block of flats will be encouraged to take part in the scheme in a bid to prevent the notices flagging up vulnerable residents to conmen.
Colchester Borough Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator Carole Dennis led the launch of the scheme which took place on August 21, on the Barn Hall estate.
She was joined by senior officers from Colchester police, members of the local Neighbourhood policing team and the mobile police station.
The first wave of 5,000 notices will be distributed to various members of the community and will be available by getting in touch with Colchester Neighbourhood Watch, local police officers or by visiting a borough police station.
Mrs Dennis said: “If the nominated neighbour scheme is able to save just one person from the clutches of these unscrupulous conmen then it will be a success.
“We have been working to set this up ever since the tragic death of Thelma Avis and this scheme has been set up in her memory.”
Colchester Borough Neighbourhood Watch can be contacted on 01206 513333.

Adapted from a press release issued by James Burrows, Eastern Division Media Officer for Colchester and Tendring
Telephone 01206 717 626 e-mail james.burrows@essex.pnn.police.uk
or in his absence, contact Essex Police HQ Press Office Tel 01245 452450

Neighbourhood Action Panels

I am sure you are already aware that Colchester Neighbourhood Action Panels (NAP) are taking place throughout the Borough. These meetings bring together Councillors, police officers, representatives from statutory agencies and local services, community leaders and residents to address local crime and anti-social behaviour. It is very important that residents have an input.

Before each meeting there is a half hour set aside for the public to share any neighbourhood problems so do please feel free to attend any of the open meetings as your input will be invaluable.

Below are the dates and times these meetings are taking place and you are strongly encouraged to attend.

In some cases the venue has to be confirmed later so please look in the local press for more information about where these meeting will take place.

Click here for dates and times of meetings in your area.

Mr Vernon Coaker - Under-secretary of State

At the suggestion of Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester Bob Russell, Vernon Coaker MP the Under-secretary of State for policing, security and community safety visited Colchester and Dedham today. Bob Russell urged the Minister to come and see how Colchester Neighbourhood Watch operates and how the organisation participates with other community safety organisations and the police in the town. Mr Coaker gave participants at the meeting held at Colchester Police station which included community police officers, an opportunity to give him their ideas and experiences of issues faced running community safety in a provincial town.

After the meeting the Minister went on to visit Dedham for a speed watch demonstration and an overview of Dedham Parish Council's Sponsorship of a Community Support Officer.

Pictured above with the minister are Bob Russell and members of the police, Carole Dennis and Pauline Palmer from Colchester Neighbourhood Watch and Peter Carrington the Community Safety Co-ordinator from Colchester Borough Council.

For Services to Neighbourhood Watch
in Colchester

Not before time Carole has been recognised with an MBE in the Queens 80th Birthday Honours.
As Co-ordinator for Colchester Borough Neighbourhood Watch Carole puts in between 80 and 90 hours of voluntary work every week. She said she could not believe the news when she found out.
"I was so shocked. I knew I had been nominated but I had no idea I was going to get it," she said.
"I am absolutely speechless - it is an absolutely great honour and somehow it has not sunk in."
When Carole started out there were only about six co-ordinators in the borough, all working independently. At the end of 2000, she helped to set up the Colchester Borough Neighbourhood Watch and there are now 1,400 groups involved in an operation covering an estimated 55,000 homes.
"I would like to thank the Neighbourhood Watch committee and all the co-ordinators - it is about people working together that make it possible," she said.

Essex Police – Eastern Division (Colchester) have raided 17 properties throughout Colchester recently as part of their ongoing operations against drugs misuse. If you provide, or have clients accessing, support services linked to drug misuse you may wish to consider whether additional support or help will be required given the interruption to the supply of drugs. In order to provide as much support to individuals, families and the wider community the following actions are now needed:

1. Drug User and Community Support Project (DUCS) will need to be triggered as soon as humanly possible. DUCS Guidance, contacts and agency diagram are attached here for information and could those colleagues who are part of DUCS please commence your role as per the guidance.

2. Every person arrested will be offered the opportunity to access the police led ‘Keep Project’ which will provide intensive support and help to those dependent upon drugs. Tele:01206 717685 or 717608 or 07833 662407.

3. Information about ‘Keep’ will be left at every address raided recently.

4. The CDRP/CBC Community Safety Team, with our police colleagues, will provide additional public information, reassurance or leaflets.

Peter Carrington

Community Safety Officer Tel:717816