• By Sergeant Brett Meale of Howick Police

The old adage that police cannot do it alone and need the help of the community was never better exampled when the following local problem was encountered last month.

I was approached at the Howick Police station by a resident from a local street who was representing a number of residents in the street, some of whom had been victims of burglaries, and others who were quite rightly alarmed and fearful due to a sudden spate of crime in their street.

A check of our own data confirmed there’d been several burglaries in the street during the previous week or so.

Crime prevention advice around security of homes, installing CCTV, and ensuring residents were vigilant to any suspicious persons or vehicles in the area was communicated to the residents through their representative.

Advice around reporting any suspicions via 111 or 105 or directly to myself was also given.

Over the following weeks our Community Patrol focused their patrolling in that area, providing an extra set of eyes and reassurance for residents.

Police patrolling and visibility was also prioritised into the street, to both try and identify the offenders and reassure residents.

On one occasion I was patrolling when I was approached by many appreciative residents, several of whom had recorded suspicious vehicle registrations.

It was obvious they were determined to look out for each other.

One morning a week or so later a resident noticed several people using a crowbar to force open a door and window of his neighbour’s home.

He immediately called 111 providing a description of the alleged offenders.

A short time later police were able to take into custody four people, who are all currently before the court facing a burglary charge.

Enquiries are continuing to establish whether they’re linked to the previous burglaries.

It’s good to see neighbours looking out for each other, and the community working together to deter criminals offending in our area.