St John Ambulance Fundraising Campaign

This is to advise you of a fundraising campaign for St John Ambulance in the London Borough of Barnet that will commence on Friday 17 June 2011 and will operate in the borough throughout the remain months of 2011. The Police and Trading Standards in Barnet have also been informed.

The campaign, using a team of professional fundraisers who work solely on behalf of St John Ambulance, involves canvassing door to door to talk to residents about the work of St John Ambulance and to encourage their support with a voluntary donation, by Direct Debit only. They DO NOT collect cash and are in fact forbidden to do so.

The fundraisers all wear identification badges and sweatshirts/t-shirts bearing the St John Ambulance logo.

This email is to inform you of the activity should any member of the public question the status of the canvassers. St John Ambulance is the holder of a House to House Order of Exemption (reference CHC/87-7/207-1 ), which enables us to fundraise in this way.

At the beginning of each week, I will be able to send a list of fundraisers names together with their unique EDP (reference) number. I would be grateful if you could advise if it would be useful if I were to forward this information onto others in the Barnet area. We have found from past experience that the more people we can inform in advance, the less problems you may encounter from the public.

Anyone wishing to confirm the identification of a fundraiser should they be approached should ask for their name and identification number and call 0845 222 11 99.

This form of fundraising is extremely important to us because the more long-term supporters we recruit, the more funds we can raise - and the greater the potential St John Ambulance has to continue with its life-saving activities in our local communities. For St John Ambulance this is one of our most successful activities. As you will probably know we have to fundraise as we do not receive Government funding for carrying out our first aid duties. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any further information.

Murat Ismail

Direct Marketing Executive St John Ambulance, 27 St John's Lane, London EC1M 4BU

T 020 7324 4153

Beware Of Gold Burglars

It has come to our attention that across north London gold is now a target for burglars. Asian families appear to be most at risk as criminals perceive that they will have large amounts of 22 carat gold at home.

Paul Hammond
Barnet Boroughwatch

Assault in Oakleigh Park North

My daughter was assaulted last Wednesday night in Oakleigh Park North whilst walking home from Totteridge & Whetstone tube station just after midnight. Her assailant was a male about six feet tall of asian appearance who grabbed and tried to restrain her. Although her screams were not heard by neighbours she fortunately fought herself free and ran home.

The police are DNA testing her jacket that was torn in the incident and are examining CTV footage from the High Road and tube station.

Please be vigilant in case this person strikes again.

Michael Soliatis

0845 669 3669

Help shape the future of policing in London

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has launched a review into the different ways in which the public can contact police and access our services. These range from telephone, online and face-to-face methods, including via police stations and appointments.

As part of the review, we have launched an online survey to find out which of the many channels the public use to contact us and after learning about the variety of ways that exist, the survey poses the question would members of the public choose a different way of accessing police services in future.

The online survey at www.met.police.uk also asks the public for their opinions on how we should consider the overall future of front counters; a proposed minimum ‘core service commitment’, which includes an easily accessible front counter in every London borough open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The survey is not about decisions regarding individual front counters.

Consultation will also take place regarding the proposed criteria for enhanced front counter service provision, which will ensure that local services are tailored to meet demand.

The online survey will be supported by a period of consultation with local partners and stakeholders, such as councils, Independent Advisory Groups (IAGs) and Neighbourhood Watch schemes. The views of our partners and the public are key to any decisions made as to how services should be delivered in the future.

We will use the results of the survey, which runs until 27th May 2011, to develop a strategy to maintain and enhance public access to policing services within a core minimum standard. No decisions have yet been made and any changes will only take place with the approval of the most senior officers and staff who form the MPS Management Board and the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), an independent governing body that holds the MPS to account.

In these challenging financial times, it is essential that the MPS makes best use of available resources. This is one of the key aims of the review that will ensure we can deliver an efficient and cost effective service in the right place at the right time.

To have your say and influence the future of local policing in your area please complete the survey at: www.met.police.uk by 27th May 2011. Your views are important to us and will help us improve our services to better meet your needs. If you have any further questions please contact me.

Chief InspInspector Simon CAUSER
Crime and Disorder Reduction. Barnet Borough

Colindale Police Station
Grahame Park Way
London
NW9 5TW
Telephone: 0208 733 4403

Assault Witnesses Sought

Police are appealing after a man was seriously assaulted on April 25th 2011 at about 7.15am on Osidge lane, London N14. The victim aged 38 had just parked his car in Manor drive, N14 on his way to work as a gardener. He was apparently waiting to cross Osidge Lane and witnesses might recall he was carrying a hammer and a garden fork in his hands. As he waited to cross a white car has stopped and flashed the car lights to allow him to cross. However as he began to cross the road the white car accelerated and struck the victim knocking him to the ground.

As he lay on the ground he was approached by three males who began a sustained attack. The victim was struck with a sprit level, threatened with blinding and received eye injuries, a broken bone in his leg and serious knee injuries that will require further surgery.

Police have arrested three men on suspicion of causing Grievous bodily harm, however the driver of the car is still being sought. DC Nick Harvey of the Community Safety Unit said "This man received serious injuries as a result of a prolonged assault and being struck by a car. Whoever was driving this car carried out an apparently intentional assault with his vehicle, the driver is dangerous and needs to be found. I would appeal to any witness to this incident to contact police with any information they have, no mater how small, this could be the piece of the puzzle that proves vital."

You can contact police by phoning Tel 020 8733 5808 Or if you do not want to give your name please call CrimeStoppers on Tel 0800 555 111 and quote reference number 2410012/11.

M1 Fire Arrests

Officers from Barnet CID, who are investigating a number of suspicious fires across the borough, carried out early morning arrests today across Barnet and Harrow. Two fires in the Moat Mount Open Space, Mill Hill, NW7; one of which occurred between 14 and 15 April and the other between 15 and 16 April, have been linked to the fire that resulted in wide-scale traffic disruption when a blaze broke out at Apex Metal Recycling, Ellesmere Ave, Mill Hill, London on Friday 15 April 2011.

This fire caused the closure of the M1 motorway, which runs on a bridge directly above the scene of the fire, caused serious damage to the recycling yard, the motorway bridge and extensive traffic disruption.

Five people aged between 14 and 17 were arrested this morning and are in custody at a North London Police Station. A number of items were seized during the operation for forensic examination. DCI Roycroft of Barnet CID said, " Although we are pursuing a number of active leads into these fires we would still ask that anyone who has any information about these crimes contact Barnet police. Your information could be invaluable to the investigation and bringing those responsible to justice".

Anyone with information is asked to call Barnet police on 0300 123 1212 or, if you don't want to give your name, call CrimeStoppers on Tel 0800 555 111

BoroughWatch Seeks New Committee Members

The BoroughWatch Council is actively seeking new committee members. Any voluntary organisation needs a committee of people who will organise how the group is run to ensure that decisions are made in a democratic way and so that all committee members take collective responsibility. We meet four times a year. The committee has a responsibility to:

• Meet! This sounds obvious but if the committee doesn't meet regularly then it can't manage the proper running of the organisation.
• Ensure the organisation follows its aims and objectives and carries them out in accordance with the law.
• Ensure the organisation manages its finances properly.
• Ensure that activities carried out and decisions made are in the best interest of the organisation and not any individual member of the committee.
• If necessary the committee can organise sub-committees to address specific tasks such as finance or event organisation.

If you are willing to join please email Paul Hammond at barnetboroughwatch@gmail.com