Community Crime Fighters!

Inspector Darville and Lisa Cherry (Borough Watch Manager)

Last night I chaired the AGM for the Redbridge Neighbourhood Watch Association at the Jack Carter Pavillion, Barkingside. There are now 298 watches with a purported 40,000 homes under their vigilence in Redbridge (I have personally initiated 15 in Chadwell/Seven Kings and Mayfield). Redbridge has the fastest rate of growth of NHW's in London. These meetings were notoriously long, as constitutional ammendments have previously been argued meticuously. However for the first time in 3 years, we completed the meeting at around 21:30 instead of 23:00, as it seems all watches are now starting to back the new younger look panel.


I was last night asked to provide a presentation detailing how the group almost debanded but for the hard work of Alex Bailey (secretary) Isla Martin (Joint Treasurer and Green Activist!), Simon Hampshire (Joint Treasurer), Lisa Cherry (Borough Watch Manager), Tippi Maravalla (Area Co-ordinator), Wilson himself and our Honorary President Harmegh Rattan (MBE). Now it seems a new dawn has begun for what once was an ailing group!


Over 60 watches were represented on the night and due to surplus funds in our accounts, we rewarded NH Watches with a box of white paper each, as a gift towards the printing of their regular newsletters.


Co-ordinators were thanked for their efforts and were advised that tangible evidence existed correlating a reduction in crime with the presence of a local NHW. Guest speakers included Phil Walby form the Redbridge ASBO team who advised people of the service and how it could benefit them. Surprisingly few watches new of their existence..? This gave me great pleasure as I invited Phil realising few peopel in the borough barring Chadwell Residents of course new of their existence. We also had Dave Quinton from the MET Police and Redbridge Council endorsed "Buy with Confidence" scheme. He talked about his website

http://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/ that provided Redbridge residents with an opportunity to selected contracor's that have been vetted in a stringent process that involves obtaining references, accreditation checks and Criminal Record Bureau checks. He also talked about the "Consumer Advice" and Trading standards service. Both these speakers stayed to answer questions and were thanked for their contribution by visitors.


Inspector Darville opened the meeting and left straight after the presentation without a question and answer opportunity. The lack of any police presence for the rest of the meeting raised the ire of the attendees and resulted in a clamour for a motion to be passed for better police presence at future meetings and an opportunity to pose questions. Another motion was set that indicated the RNWA apprehension to the Police split of the Borough into 3 areas in juxtaposition to the 7 Area committes set by the council. It was felt that a system in tandem with the Council's 7 Areas would serve better purpose.


After its official launch in August 2007 no real progress has been made with the group. Now it would seem, we finally have the support of all the watches. A funding application to the Home office has been submitted and we hope to hear soon of confirmation that we have secured close to £10,000 for a boroughwide "No to Bogus callers" Campaign and a budget for marketing. If successful we will be the only borough within our neighbours to have success with these Grant scheme. The funding application was produced by Lisa Cherry and myself conjunctively. We still have over 30 boxes of paper to distribute to local NHW's please contact me if you are interested.

From left to right Lisa Cherry Borough Watch Commander, 3 NHW Co-ordinators, Harmegh Rattan MBE (Honorary President), Phil Walby Redbridge ASBO Officer, Dave Quinton (Buy with Confidence), Alex Bailey (secretary RNWA), Isla Martin (Joint Treasurer RNWA), Simon Hampshire (Joint Treasurer RNWA), Wilson Chowdhry Chairman RNWA)

There was some fun and games at the end of the evening!

Councillor Staight and Councillor Maravalla endorse BNP Vice Chiarman!

This mans choice of Vice Chairman is a BNP Councillor!

I have been working hard promoting community cohesion using both Redbridge Carnival and working with the "Hope Not Hate" campaigners. All this work is to be rendered futile when men in senior leadership like Cllr Staight and Cllr Maravalla ,throw this all back in our faces and endorse a vice-chairman for a Council Cycling liaison group (reported in Ilford Recorder). This whole debacle has embarrassed the Council no end is the product of misguided politics. Candidates were available but no-one selected Cllr Maravalla or Cllr Ronald Bardon due to their political allegiances. What was the Chairman Cllr Staight thinking of? Why was this allowed to happen in the same borough in which we learn that Redbridge Council has been using derogatory words for members of the Pakistani Community?


This is the latest in a long list of council blunders and I believe we need some wholesale changes to the existing leadership, if we are to see any real improvement in our borough. Leaders that are in tune with the cultural diversity and the community needs that are so easily traced, but oh so often ignored...!

Please share your views...

Identity Theft

I ahve received a number o complaints from local residents that identity theft is on the increase amongst the Burns Avenue flats. This is rather disconcerting - all residents of the borough needs to become more vigiliant about such crime and I have just finished letter dropping the Burns Avenue warning residenst of the crises.

My Advice:

• Ensure you have safe secure letter boxes in falts with communal boxes
• Ensure your foyer/front door is firmly closed behind you when leaving
• Dispose of letters safely by ripping or shredding and mixing scrps in different bags.
• Check your bank statements monthly for fraudulent activity
• Ensure your computers are virus protected.

Report any suspicious activity to the police using the following numbers:

• Police National non-emergency telephone number: 0300 123 1212
• Ilford Police Station: 020 8478 3020
• Chadwell Safer Neighbourhood Team: 020 8721 2562
• Mayfield Safer Neighbourhood Team: 020 8721 2028
• Loxford Safer Neighbourhood Team: 020 8721 2026
• Clementswood Safer Neighbourhood Team: 020 8721 2027

I can provide other SNT details on request.

Finally just keep vigilant and remember it can happen to you!

For more information on how to stay safe follow this link.

Hol(e)y Moley!

Here are images taken along Park Lane nar St Chads Park entrance (just before the unadopted Park Villas). The road has numerous Pootholes and needs some instant repair as the hole are both dangerous, deep and large. Isla Martin one of your Green Activists and I noticed them whilst delivering a letter regarding the application submitted to Area 5 towrads funding for more secure fencing around the allotments. I have not herad from Jesse Boucher for a while, although he will probably claim he has been reporting this damage too. The funny thing is every time I report a road defect I am being told it is the first report...? Somebody's telling porkies...

The river runs wild!

Here you will notice a puddle forming in a deep pothole at the end of Park Lane near the entrance to St Chads Park. This section of road has been overlooked to often, probably due to its location at the border of our ward and it join with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

I have reported the matter to the reactive maintenance team and will keep you informed with progress. Their are at least 5 large potholes on this adopted section of road which is very disconcerting. However, I know how quickly the reactive maintenance team work and expect this to be rectified soon. I will take better pictures during the daytime so keep watching this post.

In an earlier post I explained that the AA reported stats on the amount of vehicle damage, lower fuel efficiency and accidents caused to pedestrians and vehicles as a result of poor road surfaces. I queried whether or not our borough should be considering an increase in the planned maintenance budget rather than the recent decrease by £500,000. Stats also revealed that the amount of claims lost by the all London Council was the equivalent of the planned maintenance budget. With this in mind, I restart the debate about whether in consideration of such claims, our environment, safety and aesthetic quality of life should our Councillors not opt for a larger budget towards road maintenance. Especially, when you consider our extortionate parking charges that have recently increased and the increased enforcement including a vehicle with a mobile camera? Please share your views....?

To stimulate debate I will add that the Council's marketing budget is the highest it has ever been, much due to the introduction of the Conservative biased Redbridge Life local council newspaper - which is full of unecessary propaganda and is little read. Could we terminate "Redbridge Life" in favour of better roads...?

Graffiti- more of the same I am afraid!

Here is an image of graffiti that is located on the fence opposite number 52 Hickman Road. I noticed this whilst delivering the recent letters promoting a Neighbourhood Watch in the roads in the vicinity. This is one of the traces of graffiti that are left in our ward, much due to the fact that I am diligently walking with my eyes open and reporting all I survey. The alleyway by the side of the flats at 1115 High road accessed via the junction between Mayesford Road and Hickman Road has now been cleaned of graffiti. You will remember I reported this back in August.

We are forcing graffiti artists out of our area and reported incidents are few and far between. Please do report any items I have missed on my rounds as our area now looks much cleaner than ever before! I will write a story tomorrow about being a victim of my own success in defeating this pervading social malaise - that had previously conquered our ward in 2006. This success is much due to Russell Ward and his indomnitable team who have responded with great tenacity whenever a report of graffiti is made.

Adoption of Wimpey One estate (Sherman & Bengeo Gardens) and the Richomond Estate (Hevingham Drive /Glanford Way)

Here is a very positive email received from the Redbridge Roads Adoption Manager describing good progress with the Grove 1 Estate road adoption procedure. News for the Richmond estate is not so good I am afraid:

Dear Wilson,

Further to my email of 8th September and our telephone conversation earlier yesterday afternoon, I write to clarify the position with regard to the two Wimpey developments as follows :-

Polygram Site (Sherman Gardens etc):

LBR are now in possession of the Thames Water vesting certificate, which means that Thames Water officially intend to adopt the public sewers.

Wimpey are now awaiting the completion of EDF works to enable lighting tests to be carried out and certificates issued to LBR. Once this has been completed, the adoption can progress.

Natalie Faulk has confirmed that she is chasing the outstanding matters.

Hopefully we are close to final adoption on this site.

Chadwell Heath Hospital Site (Hevingham Drive etc):

Original notes from the meeting we had on 25/11/08 regarding numerous adoption problems, and a subsequent meeting we had on 3rd August are being looked at by Wimpey’s and their consultant again to propose a way forward.

Wimpey have received an “As-Built” survey for the development and are putting this together with the management company transfer to determine the best way forward and the scope of remedial works.

Wimpey have confirmed that they are meeting their consulting engineers next Wednesday to move this site along. Wimpey are also receiving quotations to carry out the Section 278 works. As soon as this contract has been placed we will be contacted by the contractor with regard to the implementation of these works.

Thames Water have already confirmed (20th November 2008) that both foul and surface water sewers are acceptable for adoption.

I will keep challenging the Land developers for a speedy resolution, however, Natalie Fulk has informed me yesterday that a maximum delay of 2 months is expected.