Community involvement
Many parts make up the whole
While the Safer Communities Partnership projects the public face of crime reduction in Barnet, there are many other agencies and community groups who work behind the scenes to make the partnership’s work possible.
There is a range of ways in which you can get involved to help make your borough safer – why not join a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, or find out more about Barnet Voluntary Service Council?
Barnet Borough Watch
Barnet Borough Watch is a voluntary organisation set up to help Neighbourhood Watch street co-ordinators run their groups effectively. Neighbourhood Watch groups can vary in size from just five or six houses to all the households on an estate.
A scheme is generally led by a volunteer co-ordinator whose job is to get people working together and make sure things get done. As well as the co-ordinator there is usually a committee who meet regularly to plan which problems to target and what action to take. Schemes keep in close contact with the local police to share information and advice.
If you are interested in becoming part of Barnet Borough Watch contact:
- telephone: 020 8733 4409,
- e-mail: paul.hammond2@met.police.uk
or write to:
- The Administrator,
- Room 205,
- Colindale Police Station,
- Grahame Park Way,
- London, NW9 5TW.
Barnet Primary Care Trust
One of the key members and supporters of the Safer Communities Partnership is Barnet Primary Care Trust (PCT), the agency which co-ordinates health services in the borough.
The PCT focuses mostly on issues surrounding the misuse of alcohol and drugs – working in schools and conducting publicity campaigns about the dangers of drinking and taking drugs, and offering treatment and prevention advice. It also offers opportunities for residents to get involved with shaping policy and having their views heard by the people who can make a difference. If you want that chance, why not sign up to Barnet’s Local People in Health Network (LPHN?. The network will allow you to be part of discussion groups talking about issues of importance to the NHS in Barnet, as well as taking part in audits, surveys and the monitoring of healthcare services in Barnet.
To find out more about how to get involved, call 020 8201 4867, e-mail ppi@barnet-pct.nhs.uk or visit the PCT’s website at www.barnet-pct.nhs.uk
Barnet Victim Support
Have you been a victim of crime? There is help at hand.
Many people feel isolated, alone and helpless after becoming a victim of crime and do not know where to turn. That is where Barnet Victim Support can make a difference.
The organisation is able to offer emotional and practical support to anyone living in Barnet who has been a victim of crime. In addition, the Witness Service can give similar help to anyone attending Hendon or Barnet Magistrates Courts as witnesses.
To get in touch with the service, you can visit the borough headquarters at: The Flat, Avenue House, East End Road, Finchley. Alternatively, call 020 8343 4435 or visit the national organisation’s website at www.victimsupport.org
CommUNITY Barnet
Support is readily available for volunteers and voluntary groups.
CommUNITY Barnet helps to promote and co-ordinate voluntary and community activity, and offers support to groups based in the borough.
Information and advice is available for groups, including a small groups service, funding and financial advice, training, an information service, help with health and social care issues, and representation and partnerships. CommUNITY Barnet also publishes a quarterly news magazine.
For further information call 020 8364 8400, e-mail sarah@barnetvsc.org.uk or visit the website at www.barnetvsc.org.uk. You can also write to CommUNITY Barnet, 52 Moxon Street, Barnet, Herts, EN5 5TS.
Police related groups
Although the most familiar image of the Metropolitan Police is the uniformed officer on the beat, the force is involved in many other groups, and has various ways in which you can get involved.
Special Constables
These volunteer community servants help patrol the streets of Barnet, police community events, and are also involved in front-line policing. Working a minimum of four hours per week, they wear a similar uniform to police officers and even have powers of search and arrest.
Volunteers can gain a massive sense of personal achievement from becoming a Special Constable, as well as making friends and learning new skills.
For more information, call 020 8200 1212 or visit www.specialconstables.gov.uk
Police Cadets
The Barnet Police Cadet Corps provides an opportunity for some of our younger residents to play their part in keeping the borough safe. The corps aims to develop better citizenship through involvement with the local community, such as co-ordinate small events.
Aged between 14-and-a-half and 18, most of the activities in which the cadets take part count towards the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
They spend at least two-and-a-half hours per week on police duties, including the distribution of leaflets and other materials.
For further information on getting involved, visit www.metpolicecareers.co.uk
Community Safety Engagement Group
This is your chance to have a direct input into the work the police is doing in your borough. Meetings take place at Hendon Town Hall four times a year, and the group consists of members of community groups from across the borough as well as police officers.
A range of issues are usually up for discussion regarding the policing of the borough, and members of the public are welcome to attend, to listen and ask questions at various stages.
If you represent a community group in Barnet and would like to be included on the consultative group, contact Anaheid Hatamian at CommUNITY Barnet on 020 8364 8400. To find out more about the group as a whole, visit www.met.police.uk/barnet/cpcg.htm
Email this pageLast modified by: Zeena Rahiman on 17/02/2010