Neighbourhood Watch

This page contains general information about crime and crime prevention, and specific information regarding the London Borough of Bromley.

Bromley Borough Police (Metropolitan Police)

Bromley Borough covers an area of 58.5 square miles. It is divided into twenty-two wards and is the largest borough in London. Of the London boroughs it has the second-highest resident population, (303,437 mid-year 2000 estimate source DETR). The Office for National Statistics has also indicated that approximately 34% of the borough households are occupied by persons of pensionable age.

Bromley Police Headquarters is situated in a new purpose built state-of-the-art building in Bromley High Street next to Bromley South Railway Station.

Bromley Police Headquarters Contact

Bromley Police Station offers a 24/7 front counter for face to face enquiries. Their website www.met.police.uk offers the facility to report crime, collisions and other incidents, as well as providing access to statistics and advice. And if neither of those options appeals people can still call 101.

Back to the top

Bromley Council Contact

The Customer Services help desk contact points are:

LBB Environmental Health and Trading Standards

This deals with noise problems, bonfires etc. – contact details:

Graffiti Removal / Environmental Crime

Dumped cars, dumped rubbish, and graffiti – there are rewards of up to £500 for information which could lead to a successful prosecution. All personal details will be treated as confidential and will not be used without your consent.

Back to the top

Bromley Neighbourhood Watch

Meercats

Neighbourhood Watch is a partnership where people come together to make their communities safer. It involves the Police, Community Safety departments of local authorities, other voluntary organisations and, above all, individuals and families who want to make their neighbourhoods better places to live. It aims to help people protect themselves and their properties and to reduce the fear of crime by means of improved home security, greater vigilance, accurate reporting of suspicious incidents to the police and by fostering a community spirit. It relies on unpaid volunteers at all levels of the organisation and is always looking for more volunteers to fill the many gaps, particularly at local level.

Bromley Neighbourhood Watch Association Contact:

London Neighbourhood Watch Association

London Neighbourhood Watch Association (LNWA) aims to make London a safer, more enjoyable place to live,work and play by promoting issues such as security and safety and working closely with community groups, Metropolitan Police, City of London Police, Home Office and the Boroughs. More than a quarter of London's homes are members of a Neighbourhood Watch reflecting the high level of community spirit and support. LNWA represents the Boroughs and City of London at Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network (NHWN), the national Neighbourhood Watch organisation recognised by ACPO and the Home Office.

London Neighbourhood Watch Association Contact:

Back to the top

Chelsfield and Pratts Bottom Safer Neighbourhood Team

Our Police team was formed at the beginning of April 2006, and was formally launched at a public meeting (called by the Police) on Wednesday 12th April 2006. Our Safer Neighbourhood Team is in place for Community Policing – it is not an emergency response or a crime reporting service. Residents want to see them out on the beat – not at desks doing admin!

The Chelsfield and Pratts Bottom Safer Neighbourhood Team consists of:

  • Inspector Gary Byfield
  • Sergeant Paul Blewer
  • PC Phillip Bradley
  • PCSO David Lillywhite

Contact points for the Team:

Residents can see what is happening on the ward by visiting: Met Police - Chelsfield and Pratts Bottom or following them on Twitter @MPSChelsfield.

Back to the top

Crime Prevention

Motor crime is increasing due to the theft of: a) Satellite Navigation Systems (Sat Navs); and b) car stereos which connect to iPods and MP3 players – some people have even left their iPods or MP3 players on display in their cars. Orpington Police are producing a security guide for Sat Navs, these will be handed out at stations. Railway station and golf club car parks are the main targets for motor crime – the thieves have been stealing so many clubs that they won't fit into their vans, so they have actually started to leave cheaper sets of clubs when they steal a more expensive set!

Property marking technology has progressed significantly, and a local firm called SelectaMARK selectamark.co.uk offers an excellent range of products and services. SelectaMARK, although local, operate throughout the UK and Europe – they have fitted a tracking system to every new caravan built in the last 20 years! SelectaDNA is their "Rolls-Royce" marking kit - Click here for details. SelectaMARK also offer a Bicycle Log Book and Marking System for a one-off fee of £16.99 – see their Bike Register website bikeregister.com for more details.

Regarding shed security... the Police recommend a "Shed Bar" by County Shutters & Doors countyshutters.co.uk or phone 01268 520 554 which retails at about £45, it seems like an excellent investment for anyone who keeps valuables in their shed. Some household insurance policies only pay out between 1 and 5% of the value of property stolen from outbuildings.

PACRI Bolts can be used for garage doors. They bolt on to the inside of the door, one each side, and shoot a 70mm hardened steel bolt in to or through the door frame. They are very effective, and will keep the door closed. As they are on the inside, they are not vulnerable to attack, they are security keyed so can't be picked jiggled etc., and have the advantage of allowing access from inside or outside the door which ordinary bolts mounted to the outside don't.

There have been reports recently regarding the security of euro profile cylinder locks, most commonly found in uPVC doors, they have a flat key similar to a Yale type. A document has been published on the web which details how to "bump" these locks, which basically means filing down a key with the correct profile and making if fit the lock (easier than it sounds). The Police have found that, due to the unique profile and key cutting method used by Banham banham.co.uk, it is not possible to do this to their locks – they are also registered so no one but the registered owner can get new keys cut. A Banham euro cylinder and two keys cost about £90, quite expensive for the lock, but secure.

Finally, the Home Office have produced a booklet "A Guide to Home Security" containing lots of useful advice

Back to the top

Graffiti Removal

London Borough of Bromley work Monday to Saturday to remove graffiti and fly-posting from your streets. Please report graffiti to them, and they will send out their crews to remove it. Please note that in most cases they cannot remove graffiti from privately-owned street furniture, such as post boxes. Please contact the relevant organisation directly to get the graffiti removed.

For graffiti in visible places in a street or park including Cemeteries, Green Virgin Media junction boxes (not BT junction boxes), Houses (not Housing Association properties), Parks and open spaces illuminated bollards, Recreation grounds, Schools railings and exterior school walls, Shop fronts, Street light columns (please provide the lamp column number), Traffic signs, Street nameplates, please contact London Borough of Bromley. Also contact if graffiti is on exterior walls and railings of schools. If it is within the school grounds, it is the school's responsibility to clear.

London Borough of Bromley Graffiti Removal Contact

For graffiti in parks, recreation grounds, open spaces, woodlands and cemeteries, contact Parks and Community Services:

Other Organisation Contacts

For graffiti on:

  • Bus Stops - contact Surface Transport Call Centre on 08453 007 000
  • Bus Shelters - routinely cleaned every two to three weeks, contact Clear Channel on 08007 313 699
  • BT junction boxes - contact British Telecom on 0800 661 610 providing the telephone number of the box or the road and nearest junction
  • Electricity sub-stations - contact UK Power Network on 08000 284 587, providing the sub-station number, your name and postcode
  • Housing Association properties - contact the relevant housing association
  • Post Boxes - contact Royal Mail on 08457 740 740 with the post box number
  • Railway bridges - contact Network Rail on 08457 114 141

Back to the top

Halloween

Halloween Crime Prevention Advice from the Metropolitan Police

While Halloween can undoubtedly be a great deal of fun, it can also be a particularly distressing time of year for some of the more vulnerable members of our communities – especially the elderly. With this in mind, the Metropolitan Police Service is urging trick or treaters to think carefully about which doors they knock on this Halloween. Better still, why not just stay at home and have a Halloween themed party with your friends and neighbours! If you do decide to go trick or treating, please respect the wishes of any household displaying a "No Trick or Treat" poster.

When trick or treating you should also stay as safe as possible by following the "Halloween Code":

  • Always go trick or treating with an adult
  • Only go to houses where you or your friends know the residents
  • Don't knock on doors where there is a "No Trick or Treat" sign
  • Stay in areas that are well lit with street lights – take a torch with you just in case
  • Stay with your friends – don't split into smaller groups unless an adult goes with you
  • Don't talk to strangers on the street
  • Don't enter any house – stay on the doorstep
  • Be careful not to frighten vulnerable people, especially the elderly
  • Be visible
  • Look carefully before crossing the road, even if you're part of a group
  • Don't vandalise anything or throw things like eggs and flour. This can cause a great deal of damage and misery. What's more it can be classed as criminal damage, or even assault, and a night of "fun" could end up with you in trouble with the police

"Sorry NO Trick or Treat!" Poster

The Met Police have produced a "Sorry NO Trick or Treat!" poster and also a window sticker size version.

Back to the top

WhatsApp Groups

One of the most effective methods of keeping a neighbourhood safe is regular communication between neighbours. Luckily technology can really help here. These days almost everyone carries a smartphone around with them. A very simple idea is to discuss setting up a quick group chat on your favourite messaging program with your immediate neighbours / street (or section of street). Then, if anyone notices anything suspicious / dangerous they can alert their neighbours quickly.

Messenger Program Options

Depending upon your neighbours' preferences, the choice of software options is vast, but some of the most popular are listed below:

  • WhatsApp (Android / iOS / Windows) - Facebook's messaging client (insecure)
  • Signal (all platforms) - Open source, privacy focused version of WhatsApp (secure)
  • Slack (all platforms) - A team messenger (popular in business contexts) (insecure)
  • Hangouts (Android / iOS / Chrome) - Google's group messenger (insecure)
  • Messenger (Android / iOS) - Facebook's group messenger (insecure)
  • SMS (Android / iOS) - Every phone supports SMS, but group messages are manual (insecure)
  • E-mail (all platforms) - Most phones support e-mails, but not everyone has alerts on their phones (insecure)

Back to the top

Reporting Crimes

Emergency (crime in progress or criminals still at the scene)

Non-Emergency

Back to the top

Chelsfield Park Residents Association

Welcome to The website of Chelsfield Park Residents Association and Chelsfield Park Neighbourhood Watch