Minutes of  MCW  Community  Panel

 on Monday 11th January 2016 at 7.00 p.m.

 Present:

 PCSO Jamie Honywood, PSCO Amy Holland from Shoreham and Helen Manley Police Public Engagement Officer, Brenda Whitmell, David Hansford, Ann Bridges, C.J. Cannings, Mumin Elshahri, Tony Fisher, Anne Goodridge, Colin Goodridge, Liz Haywood, Sidney Hilsum, Fred Lewis, Doris Martin, Steve Martin, Sue Simpson,Katie Waters and Maria Waters.(19 persons)

 Apologies: received from Peter Backus and Michael Fish.

1. Introductions:  Helen Manley, a Sussex Police Public Engagement Officer works with the community in Lancing and Shoreham covering child exploitation, domestic violence etc.  She is on duty Monday to Friday 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and will be out in the community to talk about bicycle safety etc and can come to meetings.

2. Sussex Police update:  The funding for PCSOs will continue, every PCSO will have to re-apply for their jobs as the role of the PCSOs changes in July 2016. There will be a 30% reduction in the number of PCSOs in the next months. By July there will be a new Police Officer.  The crime prevention teams will be called Neighbourhood Prevention Teams and consist of PCSOs and a police sergeant. In future emails or phone calls will go to the teams and not to the PCSOs. In the meantime calls for 101 will go to the Worthing office and after July there will be a new e-mail address.

Doris Martin asked if Community Panels’ meetings would be attended by a PCSO?  We were told that while we have such a good attendance we will have a PCSO at our meetings.

The panel also wanted to know if Lancing Police Station was closing? We were told it was closing and everything was being transferred to Worthing.  Shoreham Police Station is due to close in 2017 or longer but there was a lot of planning to be done by Centenary House before then.  999 calls will go to Durrington (Centenary House) and 101 calls will go to the local community police teams in Worthing.

Sompting panel is not having any meetings at present so it is hoped that they will be part of this panel in future.

Sidney Hilsum asked about the working relationships between the police, Neighbourhood Watch, the council and the residents. David Hansford said he would try to construct an organisational map of the interaction between them.

3.  Crime in Lancing: The police were busy at Christmas with operation “Tinsel” preventing shoplifting and there were more arrests than previously. At the New Year  there was antisocial behaviour around the public houses leading to police charges. Members of the panel were asked to look out for a group of girls between the town and the sea front some of whom were skipping school and committing crimes. One of this group was caught and arrested by the railway police throwing objects onto the railway line.

4. Public Concerns: Large groups of children are gathering and drinking around the station in Shoreham, they are sometimes in the skate park area, or on the late buses along the front, possibly after parties. It is likely that the police activities in Lancing have caused them to go to Shoreham.

Any groups  of 8 to 11 year olds suspected of antisocial behaviour in the Lancing and Sompting areas should be reported to the police. More evidence is needed.

Widewater- from Willowbrook, cars are finding it very difficult to turn into Old Salts Farm Road due to congestion when children are going into or coming out of Seaside School. Some children are opening car doors without looking for other approaching cars. The Head Teacher has been helping by putting notices onto cars that have parked in prohibited areas stating that next week they will be reported to the police.

Culver Road, Lancing Football Club.  Normally the football club put out cones to stop cars parking in the road when they are holding business meetings or the club is playing. Last week no cones were put out and cars were parking on single and double lines on both side of the road. The Parking Shop in Worthing was phoned but no one was sent to issue parking tickets. If more than 50% of a car is parked on the pavement, it should be reported to Operation Crackdown. The football club have requested that double yellow lines be painted on the road but the County Council does not have money at present, it will take about 18 months.

A man has been knocking on doors, calling on the elderly, appertaining to be from ADT security alarms. The public are advised to check his badge, a high vis. Jacket alone is not valid. If still in doubt, phone the police to check. If he is genuine he will wait while the phone call is made.

The Speed Indicating Board on the Eastbound carriageway of the A27 near Boundstone Lane is still not working. David Hansford is to investigate the progress of the repair.

Update on the house fire on the corner of A27 and Grinstead Lane. The house has been empty for some time but the cause of the fire is still under investigation, teenagers have been present or was it children? Planning permission has been refused.

5. Forthcoming Events:    

 6th February 2016, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Glen Owen Centre near Worthing High School, as part of a project to create a big book to go into the Worthing Museum, members of the public are recalling their memories of Worthing Pier and Seaside and nightclub etc in the past. Please contact Shirley Viner at the school if you are interested.

The Farmers’ Market is held in Lancing on the third Saturday each month.

                

6.  A.O.B.

 There is still the problem of cyclists riding on the pavements without lights. The PCSOs used to give out arm bands, but there are no resources now to do this. However the Fire service are doing this as well as checking the bicycles. It was again said that the lack of bells on bikes deprived pedestrians of the warning that cycles were coming from behind.  There is now a Bike Club at Lancing Recreation ground

7. Date of next meeting:

  Please note that this has been changed to Monday 7th March 2016 at 7 p.m. in the Parish Halls. This is because Adur Neighbourhood Watch is having its meeting  in the Parish Hall on The meeting closed at 8.50 p.m.