All posts by Secretary of the SRRA

General, Police

North Hillingdon Local Policing: APRIL circular‏

UPDATE FROM INSPECTOR ROB BRYAN:
Dear reader,
 
Thank you for the positive messages received in response to last months circular. Always nice for my officers to get praise, which has been passed on to them.
 
 
Changes to Local Policing
 
We all remember the old Safer Neighbourhoods model of 1-2-3 which meant a local bobby was often seen. That changed when we moved to the Local Policing Model a few years ago, which for a variety of reasons reduced the visibility of local officers on the beat.
 
I am pleased to say the Local Policing Model has been reviewed and a number of changes made. It is not an increase in resources but rather a more focused way of deploying those resources so they remain visible:
 
Local officers used to have to cover the Appointment Cars. These are four cars across the Borough, working a day shift and a late shift. The car attended incidents where the caller was happy for an appointment. That meant 8 local officers a day not being visible locally. That has now changed and the Appointment Car is covered by officers on the 24/7 Emergency Response Teams.
 
Local officers used to have to cover a variety of tasks which took them away from their beat (hospital guards, constant watches in custody, crime scene guards). Again, these tasks now fall to the Emergency Response Teams.
 
Dedicated Ward Officers are ring-fenced and that comes from the very top of the Organisation. They will remain on their beats.
 
The shift roster has been reviewed and local officers will now work more hours where they are visible to the majority of the community. 
 
 
What does that mean in reality?
 
For the North, it means you now have the following resources for every two wards:
 
One sergeant
 
Four PCs, two of whom are the Dedicated Ward Officers and cannot be abstracted.
 
Two PCSOs, both of whom are Dedicated Ward Officers and cannot be abstracted.  
 
The two non-dedicated PCs can be abstracted for aid, but not for those tasks listed above. You should see more cops on the beat.
 
Additional to these officers is the North High Visibility Team, a dedicated team of one sergeant and five PCs who are tasked to disrupt offenders in our area. They are very proactive – in one week in March they made the following arrests: six people were arrested for possession with intent to supply drugs, one person was arrested for disqualified driving, one person was arrested for stealing a car and one of our well known criminals was arrested and remanded in custody for two counts of theft. 
 
 
Bobby’s on the beat are not a thing of the past and I hope you notice the difference.
 
Yours,
 
Inspector Rob Bryan
North Cluster
Hillingdon Borough
( 020 8246 1816 | ( 07500097182 | 8 robert.bryan@met.pnn.police.uk
+ Ruislip Police Station, The Oaks, HA4 7LE
NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED
 
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General

Judge Rejects Sainsbury’s Call for Judicial Review

Hot off the press!  Information from the Judge at the ARLA request for a Judicial Review.  The judge rejected Sainsbury’s claims on all three grounds.  Sainsbury’s have seven days to appeal but we hope they don’t given, what we understand to be, the strength and language of the judgement against Sainsbury’s appeal.   I am sure there will be more on this soon but thought you would like to know! Will update when we know more.

Local Clubs and Associations

Bessingby Bowls Club are looking for new members – Why not try this great pastime?

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From Bessingby Bowls Club:

Bessingby is a bowls club founded in 1991 and which has a proud tradition of being a welcoming and friendly club for men and women of all ages. Having occupied a dilapidated hut we we have just taken possession of a brand new pavilion from the Council who, along with supplying the premises, has constructed a patio area and landscaped the grounds. We share this with Deane Park Bowls Club.

The pavilion was handed over to the members on the 26th February at 10.30am. The Council Leader, cabinet members, the Mayoress and other council officers attended the opening ceremony at which a plaque was unveiled and members of each club chatted with them over some food and a nice cup of tea!

We are looking forward to starting the bowls season at the end of April and would like you to join us. We have an Open Day on 9th May starting at 10 am. Roll up days are Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 2pm and Wednesday evenings at 7pm. So even if you work you can enjoy the game of bowls and even play in the matches!

In addition we will be running social functions during the year.

Interested? E-mail the Chairman at ianandanne@blueyonder.co.uk Or ring 0208 582 1801

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General

General Election Hustings for Uxbridge and South Ruislip

We have had notice of an election hustings from the North Uxbridge Residents Association.   This is not a ticketed event – first come first served.

General Election Hustings for Uxbridge and South Ruislip

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 MEET THE CANDIDATES

MIKE COX (LibDem)

JACK DUFFIN (UKIP)

BORIS JOHNSON (Con)

GRAHAM LEE (Green)

CHRIS SUMMERS (Lab)

 in St Michaels Church, Windsor Street, Uxbridge

on Friday, 10th April at 7.30pm

_____________________

 The occasion is organized by the North Uxbridge Residents Association in association with St Margarets Church and the Hillingdon Inter Faith Network

But  EVERYBODY RESIDENT IN THE CONSTITUENCY IS WELCOME

 _________________________________________

 The object of the meeting is to give residents the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates listed above so we can understand better the differences between the approach and policies of each candidate and the party they represent.

The meeting will be chaired by NURA Chairman, Paul Johnson. Residents wishing to ask questions must table them in advance, either by email (on nurahustings@btinternet.com) or on paper using a delivery box located in Uxbridge Central Library. No anonymous questions will be accepted and only those submitted in advance will be tabled.

 ___________________________________________

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Planning

SRRA Member Question: What Next for the Land of Leather and Focus Site?

Good Morning,

I have lived in South Ruislip for the past 15 years where we appear to have more and more unused property which is getting to be a little concerning to say the least.
I am aware of the city grove development and the challenges faced by Sainsbury which is not ideal as was looking forward to the development which has so much potential for the area, however I guess I got a bit lost when I heard that the old Focus and Land of Leather site is not part of the old dairy development.

When making enquires I was informed that any of the following could be moving into the site, A Smyth's Toy Store, A night club and a Aldi.
I haven't seen anything come through my door with regards to this and surely as a resident we should be informed of what is being attracted to the area specifically if a night club is planned.

Could you please confirm if know what is planned for the old Focus/Land of Leather site as this is concerning that it is not part of the old dairy development and anything could end up in there.

Kind regards,

A Concerned Resident.

Good question.

You are quite right it is a separate site.

However the fate of that site is firmly tied with the ARLA development.  Provided the ARLA site goes ahead the Focus/Land of Leather site becomes more valuable to the owners (AVIVA) because of the expected footfall the ARLA development brings.

Latest planning requests show requests for retail variations on planning rather than activity such as nightclubs, but these are registered from July last year and are still undecided, although have recently been amended (03/03/2015) assuming that the Citygrove development goes ahead.

Hearsay indicates Aldi and a B&M Homestore, but you can appreciate that who goes in there under existing planning classes is not something we can lobby on or will necessarily be aware of.

If we saw a planning request for a nightclub we would be most vocal about it!  I think this unlikely given the owners have put in these retail variations.

Better quality retail units being attracted to this site is another reason for supporting Sainsbury’s restriction of competition in the area by calling for a Judicial Review of the ARLA development.

Police

Report from the Police (Insp Rob Bryan): What have we been getting up to in the North of the Borough

Dear reader,
 
4-months ago I ran a popular topic highlighting the varied and hard work the local police were undertaking in your area, and this month I am returning to that subject. It’s a long one….
 
Good Work
 
Sgt Kerr and the Volunteer Police Cadets undertook a test purchase operation. Eight licensed premises checked, one store failed and was served a section 19 closure notice.
 
Good old fashioned policing – the North High Visibility Team (HVPT) undertook an arrest enquiry when the occupier denied the suspect was present and would not allow officers entry. They smelled a rat so sat up nearby and 20-minutes later caught the suspect leaving the address. He was charged with shoplifting offences in the north.
 
PC Archer and Sgt Moore were on patrol in Harefield when they spotted a prolific offender currently on license from the Thames Valley area. Tried to make off but was detained and searched and arrested in possession of cocaine which he had concealed whilst failing to stop. He has been charged and sent to court.
 
Whilst the North HVPT were on an ANPR operation in Field End Road, an Audi TT failed to stop then crashed before the driver ran off. The car was lifted for forensics and witness statements obtained. Enquiries with the car owner identified other offences. The team identified where the suspect was hiding, gained entry and made an arrest. Subsequently charged with failing to stop, assault and possession with intent to supply drugs.
 
Good work by officers on Eastcote SNT who conducted a joint operation with Surrey Police to identify an offender who was wanted for rape. The team carried out extensive intelligence work to identify and locate the offender. Using local knowledge a potential suspect was identified and arrested. A thorough search of the suspect’s address found key evidence. The suspect was later charged with rape.
 
Sgt Charlston and her team carried out a joint operation with the Department for Work and Pensions at an address in Eastcote. A group of foreign nationals were running a fraudulent documents business from the address. One male was arrested during the operation for three counts of using fraudulent Slovakian passports to try and obtain national insurance numbers and other documents. The male was charged and further investigations continue to identify others involved in this fraudulent activity.
 
Officers from West Ruislip SNT offered support to a particularly vulnerable victim of crime. The victim, an 86 year old with dementia and mobility issues who lives on her own, was burgled while in her own home. The victim suffered quite an ordeal at the hands of the burglars and was left with extensive damage to clear up. PC McCormack and PCSO Brighton identified the need for extra support for this victim, helping her fix her door lock, arranging for victim support to visit her, and liaising with other external agencies to ensure she is getting the long term care she needs. This has given the victim peace of mind and a feeling of being secure and safe again in her own home.
 
PC McNeill ran an operation to catch those speeding in residential areas. The operation resulted in 5 tickets being issued, 2 cars being seized for no insurance and 2 people being arrested for drug possession.
 
Special Constable Spear and PC Hussein from South Ruislip SNT attended Ruislip Gardens Primary School where they talked to the children about ‘Stranger Danger’, and what they should do if they found themselves lost. The children also got to try on various police uniforms and equipment. PCSO Brighton and PCSO Robinson attend Coteford Primary School to give a presentation to over 300 pupils on road safety and stranger danger. This provided an excellent opportunity for the officers to engage with the youngsters and educate them on staying safe on the roads.
 
Excellent work by Sgt Charlston and her team who investigated a complex assault case. The officers sensed that something wasn’t quite right with the allegation made and through extensive CCTV trawls and witness enquiries they were able to prove that the victim was actually the perpetrator of an violent and unprovoked assault. The actual victim was supported by officers to give a statement which resulted in the suspect being arrested and charged with assault. The suspect has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
 
The HVPT had a particularly varied week at in December, including pro-activity and community engagement. They seized cars with no insurance, made arrests for drug possession, executed three search warrants, patrols burglary hotspots in uniform and plain clothes and finally rescued a stray dog in Harefield that had been hit by a car and reunited it with it’s owner.
 
South Ruislip SNT undertook a wide range of community engagement in one week: a drop in surgery at Ruislip Library giving one to one advice to local residents, a crime prevention meeting at a Mother & Baby hostel and Sgt Kerr and PC Webster accompanied the Borough Commander during an interfaith service at the Ruislip Synagogue.
 
West Ruislip SNT supported a “Safe Drive Stay Alive” event to witness first hand the impact that the event has on young drivers and the positive effect this will have on road deaths amongst young people in the Borough. The team used this opportunity to engage with youths from different schools across the borough and gain feedback from their experiences and listen to their concerns.
 
PCSO Sandhu received a call from a local resident who knew that he was searching for one of our local villains. She informed PCSO Sandhu that he was loitering in Eastcote High Street. PCSO Sandhu, along with PC Nagle and PC Chauhan, immediately attended the area, spotted him and gave chase. He was quickly captured and arrested, subsequently being charged with four counts of shoplifting and remanded in police custody to court. Good work between the local community and police.
 
We had a Festive Open Day in December at Ruislip Police Station. Over 300 children, along with their parents and grandparents attended to see Santa, get “arrested” and see some vintage police cars.
 
South Ruislip SNT are now undertaking regular joint patrols with the RAF Police, increasing uniform visibility on that ward.
 
Good work from PC Archer who spotted one of our well known offender’s vehicles in Northwood. He stopped the vehicle and recognised that the passenger was giving false details. PC Archer arrested the passenger for No Seatbelt. In custody his real identity was confirmed (a known offender), who was wanted for questioning in Hammersmith for aggravated vehicle taking.
 
The Eastcote SNT organised a “meet your local police team” for the 4th Eastcote Cubs at Ruislip Police Station. Sgt Charlston and her team ran the event which involved nearly 30 cubs engaged in a variety of activities, including being “arrested” and “locked up” and “driving” a police vehicle. The team were put under intense questioning with some very frank and challenging questions but survived to tell the tale.
 
Northwood SNT worked with the council’s housing officers to remove a rough sleeper from the garden of a vulnerable elderly resident. The man had decided to pitch a tent in her garden and she did not feel in a strong enough position to ask him to leave or forcibly remove him from her garden. The officers and council officials removed the man and the local police team continues to provide her with support so that she does not suffer any consequences and so that the male does not return.
 
PC McNeill and PC Butler were on patrol when a car failed to stop for them. The driver attempted to run away and assaulted both officers whilst they arrested him (no lasting injuries). A large quantity of drugs were found in the car and the driver was also disqualified from driving. Great stop.
 
I may have gone overboard and highlighted more of the “exciting” stuff this time which could make the north of the Borough look like a crime hotspot. It is not, and I can assure you there is a ton of community engagement going on as well as villains getting nicked.
 
Yours, 
 
Inspector Rob Bryan
North Cluster
Hillingdon Borough
( 020 8246 1816 | ( 07500097182 | 8 robert.bryan@met.pnn.police.uk
+ Ruislip Police Station, The Oaks, HA4 7LE
NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED
HS2, HS2 Updates

Ruislip Against HS2 – Newsletter 43

From local campaigners against HS2 Ruislip……

Dear Supporters,

2015 is well under way and HAHS2 have already had a busy start to the year. As ever, there is much to update you with;The HS2 Select Committee started hearing petitions from along the route and in January we had our ‘site visit’ from members of the committee. Hillingdon petitioners are preparing for their appearances before them – some will be heard in parliament before the general election in May. Hillingdon Council have produced a ‘Tunnel Report’ to support the calls for further mitigation for Ickenham and across The Colne Valley and following on from the last consultation, new compensation changes have been announced.The next couple of months will see local parliamentary candidates stepping up their own campaigns to win votes at the election and we expect HS2 to feature on their agendas.
HS2 Select Committee visit.
On January 15th some of the MPs who sit on the HS2 Select Committee visited Harefield, Ickenham and Ruislip to see for themselves the areas that are expected to be most directly affected by the construction and running of HS2.
HAHS2 accompanied the visit along with our local MPs, LBH Councillors ,Officers and HS2Ltd .We were able to highlight the realities of the biggest concerns for the area.The visit included significant stops at various roads, homes, HOAC, potential construction sites and spoil dumping land.They heard and saw for themselves how serious and damaging the plans are here, including details of traffic construction routes.
We think that the visit was a success in that we were able to bring the route maps to life and the committee were genuinely interested in what they saw and heard from local residents, who had gathered at each of the stops along the way. We are very grateful to everybody who turned out on a cold, wintry day to greet the committee and those who helped organise the great banners and posters that adorned the route.The committee have the power to make changes to the plans for HS2 within the hybrid bill. Now that they have visited the area, they will have a better insight into the requests being put forward by petitioners and we hope they will be persuaded that our calls for further tunnelling are justified.
You can read more about the visit and see pictures HERE with more on our Facebook Page
We are expecting a return visit from the Select Committee later in the year, when we hope they will take a tour of the rest of Ruislip where the route is tunnelled. We will keep you updated when we are advised of a date but we hope that we can replicate the turnout
from residents that we had for The Colne Valley visit.
Hillingdon Petitions.
HAHS2 helped organise a day of meetings on January 21st to help all of those in Hillingdon who have submitted petitions. The sessions were well attended and advice was given by the Borough Solicitor and Parliamentary Agent on how to present individual petitions to the Select Committee.
If you have submitted a petition and you couldn’t make the meetings or haven’t already been in touch, please contact us so we are aware of your petition ( and number) and we can extend some support, advice, and forward you the slides from presentations.
More workshops are being planned and groups of petitioners have already visited The House of Commons with Nick Hurd MP to get a feel for what to expect from an appearance before the committee.
We now have confirmation that petitioners from Harefield will be called to present their petitions from March 17th,with Hillingdon Council, Ickenham and Ruislip petitioners expected to appear after the election.
The timetable for hearings is published by parliament, a month in advance and all petition appearances can be followed on the parliamentary website, either watching parliamentary T.V live or reading the transcripts.
You can find links to this and more HERE
LBH Tunnel Report.
Hillingdon Council continue to support our campaign against HS2.As ever our priority is to campaign against HS2 in it’s entirety. However, we must engage with the parliamentary process at each stage.So, as part of our ongoing calls for better mitigation, LBH have commissioned a study into the feasibility of extending the Northolt Tunnel beneath The Colne Valley. Not only does this study show that an extended tunnel is possible, it shows that the costs are comparable to the much more damaging overland option.
HS2Ltd have yet to respond to the outcome of this study which has been made public.
LBH have chosen to hold back their appearance and presentation of their petition to the Select Committee whilst waiting for a response from HS2Ltd.
You can read the report HERE
West Ruislip Depot.
You may be aware that as part of construction plans at West Ruislip, HS2Ltd intend to build a temporary rail head to carry away tonnes of excavated spoil across Ickenham. If the Select Committee don’t agree to extending the tunnel then we need a fallback position for lesser mitigation – but for the best outcome.
As such Hillingdon Council have proposed an alternative site for the rail head at West Ruislip Depot as part of their petition.
LBH  recognise that there are potential downsides to this proposal, not least because of the homes (that have already been mitigated by the Ruislip tunnel) now stand to be affected by the new plan,and there are also more traffic implications.
However relocation of the rail head to the West Ruislip Depot is a less disruptive option which would facilitate more spoil being carried away by rail and less need for lorries on the road.
The proposals are currently being discussed with Transport For London in order to ascertain feasibility.
If it’s seen as a viable option then the idea will be developed in more detail and LBH will draw up further plans with TFL and then consult with anyone who might be affected to help with mitigation of any negative
impact it might have.
If the Select Committee don’t grant us a tunnel extension but they consider the West Ruislip Depot proposals as an alternative, they will issue what is called ”an additional provision”
This is a change to the HS2 Hybrid Bill and as such opens up the option for people to submit further petitions on the new proposals in the future.
You can read more from Hillingdon Council on the proposals HERE
Compensation.
Following the last consultation on compensation,the Government have announced their final package of compensation measures. Thank you again to everyone who took time to respond – over 1300 of you in Hillingdon!
There have been some improvements in rural areas but the scheme is largely a rehash of the last proposals with a new name.Sadly the Government have not seen fit to listen to public concerns to make enough of a difference for many people.
Once again those in urban areas,above tunnels or close to construction have been ignored.
However HS2Ltd will now accept applications for the Voluntary Purchase, Cash Offer and Need To Sell scheme. These supplement those launched last year,namely Express Purchase and Rent Back.You can find more information and detail HERE
London MPs along the HS2 route have come together to call for better mitigation and compensation in urban areas. Please help support this message by signing this petition.
PLEASE  SIGN AND THEN SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY!
 
General Election.
The general election will be held on May 7th this year and the candidates from all parties will undoubtedly be out canvassing in earnest for your votes. HAHS2 remain a non politically aligned campaign group and we will leave it up to you to decide
who – if anyone – will have the most influence to help Stop HS2 should they be elected.However we would strongly urge you to raise HS2 as an important election issue with anyone who should come knocking on your door to looking for your vote!
Funding.
We are very grateful for all the donations we have received recently and much of the progress that has been made over the last few years could not have happened without your generosity.
Please do think about make a donation if you can.
If you can contribute in any small way, donations will be gratefully received either via Paypal on our website by clicking the donate button HERE or by sending cheques to Hillingdon Against HS2 to: 8 Almond Close, Ruislip , HA46EB
 
You can also help raise funds really easily – FOR FREE! as you do your everyday shopping online – please register HERE
Once again,Many Thanks for your continued interest and support.