Hillfield Park Neighbourhood Watch
Hillfield Park Neighbourhood Watch was started in 1998. We decided against a formal constitution and it is run on the basis that Peter Thompson at No 9 (
) is Area Co-ordinator (ie Secretary/Chair), the regular participants are called Street Co-ordinators (their names are listed in our quarterly newsletter) and all residents in the street are “members”, whether they like it or not! The Area Co-ordinator calls 4 meetings a year (held in the Muswell Hill Centre) and distributes newsletters and notices. The police and local Councillors attend these meetings.
So who are these police? They are the six members of the Muswell Hill Safer Neighbourhood Team (email). On the left, from the top, are PCSO Vikki Webster, Sgt Paul Saunders and PCSO Emma Martin. On the right are our 2 beat officers, PC Allan Greig, PC Paul Lancaster and PCSO Cathy Tucker.
Some of the Safer Neighbourhood team attend our quarterly meetings and give us the local news on the incidence of crime in the area and advice on what to look out for; and we tell them about our concerns eg crimes at ATMs, rowdiness on the Broadway late at night, begging, graffiti, gangs of youths misbehaving, parties after dark on the Parkland Walk and so on.
They are flexible about the organisation of their beats and will vary them to address local problems. They are stationed at the Muswell Hill Police Station and can be contacted by ringing 020 8721 2765 for the Beat officers and 07709 521 025 for the PCSOs.
In addition to our own Neighbourhood Watch there is a Safer Neighbourhoods Panel for the whole of Muswell Hill and our representative on it is John Fulford at No 53 (
). If you see a crime being committed you should dial 999 (or, better, 112). If you have something minor to report to the police because it is required by your insurers (such as damage to your car) you can do it very easily on line using www.online.police.uk.
Our lovely Muswell Hill Police Station, in Fortis Green Road, is worth a visit, because it is a fine building and is due to be demolished. The public counter is manned by volunteers and is open at the following times
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30pm - 7:30pm | 9:30am - 2:30pm | 2:30pm - 5:00pm | 9:30pm - 12noon | 9:30am - 2:30pm | closed |
IS THE POLICEMAN’S LOT A HAPPY ONE?
Members of our Safer Neighbourhood Team appear to enjoy their work and are very happy to have a chat if you see them on the Broadway. They make quite a few arrests and their visibility has a deterrent effect. They enjoy community events (see right). Also they have interesting and challenging assignments. PCSO Matt Woolston (bottom right) is currently riding the buses with the Traffic Unit, sorting out anti-social behaviour of all kinds and having a good time doing so.
Anything you think the police should know about?
If so, don’t hesitate to go up and tell them when you see them, or make a phone-call or inform the Area Co-ordinator Peter Thompson at No 9, on or email him.
Don’t forget to register your mobile phone with www.immobilise.com. If stolen it helps recovery and the prosecution of crime.