Photo: (Left to right) Inspector James Wyatt - Runnymede Borough Commander, Ellie Vesey-Thompson - Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Cllr Alex Balkan - Chair, Cllr Marisa Heath - Cabinet Member for the Environment at Surrey County Council
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Ellie Vesey-Thompson, recently joined residents from Egham Hythe and Pooley Green for a community meeting about crime and policing.
The event took place on Wednesday 15th March at The Hythe Centre and was organised by Cllr Alex Balkan who chaired the meeting. Also present were Runnymede Borough Commander – Inspector James Wyatt – and Cllr Marisa Heath – Cabinet Member for the Environment at Surrey County Council.
Outlining recent crime figures at the start of the meeting, Inspector Wyatt explained that there has been a 3.5% decreased in crimes across the Borough, meaning 199 fewer crimes compared to the previous year. He also explained that Runnymede has the highest solved outcome rate across the county.
Inspector Wyatt went on to say that there has been a 39% reduction in burglary, with 90 fewer burglaries having occurred across the borough. He stated that there were 27 burglaries in Egham Hythe by this time last year and there have been 18 so far this year.
Equally, catalytic converter theft is decreasing, with 84 thefts having occurred last year, including 14 in Egham Hythe. Following targeted work by Surrey Police to crack down on these thieves, there have only been 2 instances reported across Runnymede since September.
However, anti-social behaviour is under-reported across the borough and both Inspector Wyatt and the Deputy Commissioner urged residents to always report instances they witness. There are vehicles ready to respond to these reports, although they may have to be redirected to higher harm incidents, and all reports are used to help build a picture of the issue. This data can be used by Surrey Police to take a problem-solving approach to particular locations or individuals identified.
Amongst the many topics raised by residents was the issue of dangerous moped riders, often delivery drivers with ‘L’ plates. The Deputy Commissioner agreed with residents that more needs to be done by government and employers to ensure delivery drivers are safe on the roads. Inspector Wyatt is feeding concerns back to his local policing team for additional patrols in areas of most concern.
Also raised by residents was the issue of streetlights being off late at night and in the early hours of the morning. The Deputy Commissioner agreed that where residents ask for lighting to be turned on, it should be, and that residents shouldn’t have to wait for a crime to happen for measures to be implemented to help them feel safe. She also highlighted a new joint campaign by the Commissioner and Dominic Raab MP on this matter.
Concern was also raised about dogs being off lead in parks and intimidating other park users. Inspector Wyatt explained that where this is reported Community Protection Warnings can be issued for repeat loose dogs who cause alarm. Conditions can be added to these warnings to prevent continued behaviour, and generally these prove to be effective.
Residents also expressed concern about the impact of the ULEZ expansion. The Deputy Commissioner agreed with attendees that it would have a detrimental impact on residents and small businesses. She explained that she and the Commissioner, alongside other Conservative colleagues across Surrey, London and the South East, are doing everything they can to stop the expansion going ahead.
Speaking after the meeting, Ellie said “Thank you so much to Cllr Balkan for organising this evening, and to all the residents who took the time to join, ask questions, and share their views.
“It was brilliant to have such a wide variety of questions, and to hear from residents first-hand about what matters to them.
“I know that road safety is a real concern for residents, from the lack of streetlighting to irresponsible and dangerous moped riders.
“The Commissioner and I are committed to making Surrey a place where residents both are safe and feel safe, and we will be looking at all of the concerns raised this evening to see how we can help the community.”
