Police Liaison

I met Sergeant Darren Fretwell who has taken over from Warren Ayres at Shipston. The prime objective of the meeting was to exchange information on local matters, specifically regarding this Parish.

Darren appears to have been well briefed by his predecessor and is aware of all recently reported incidents. He is, however, concerned that things which could and should be reported to the police are not being reported with enough detail for the Police to take action. The Police are often criticised for being virtually invisible when in fact they can only act on information passed, unless of course they just happen to be passing when something is happening - a very long shot. Any incident which a member of the Parish considers to be suspicious, illegal or anti-social must be reported to the Police directly before they can do anything about it. Unless an individual or the wider community is prepared to report, nothing can be done. Can I say yet again that I am not the person to whom an incident should be reported, although I would be very interested to hear of it subsequently. Sergeant Fretwell can be contacted via the Stratford number: 01789 414111, Extension 4588, Voicemail 11740, or in the case of non-urgency, by email: darren.fretwell@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk.

The 999 option remains the primary option for extreme urgency where a threat to life and limb is thought to exist. Regarding suspicious activity, I have been informed that there are a number of teams active in the south of our County which are in the business of either distraction burglary or surveying properties with a view to a follow-up burglary. These people often pose as officials of a known organisation or as contractors seeking new business. Whatever details can be obtained on these visitors, physical descriptions, mannerisms, car details, time, date, place etc., are useful to record or, in the case of serious suspicion, to report. I am personally quite critical of the Police, and have misgivings about their operational priorities, staffing levels, communication skills and so on, all of which I have expressed to Darren and others. Notwithstanding this, I think that the Police are trying to do a good job round here and deserve, and need, our help and support.

David Hill

This site is maintained by villagers of Oxhill for the benefit of the community and those interested in the history, news and activities that make the village such a pleasant place to live.

Send mail to the editor of the Oxhill News at news-editor @ oxhill.org.uk.

Last modified: June 20, 2006