Police Report from Simon Gordon

Bearing in mind that Lincolnshire is one of the safest counties in the country in which to live, we must be the envy of many.
I talk to many people on my ' patch ' . Many people I meet tell me they have moved to our part of the world for the "quality of life"..
Having said all that, we are all too well-aware of the horrendous problems being caused by seemingly out of control youths around the country. Reports of knife-crime, gun-crime, and murder, are being beamed into our homes on a seemingly daily basis. I'm sure we all find it truly worrying and depressing.
The problem is that many people, particularly the older members of our society, develop a disproportionate fear of what is happening in their own streets. Let me assure you all that Law and Order still prevails in our area, and you are very unlikely to be the victim of a violent crime. To my knowledge, we do not suffer from any sort of 'gang-culture'.
Young people will always gather in certain locations, and may seem intimidating to older members of the public. Nine times out of ten, they are decent teenagers, and will not cause you any problems.
Having said all of the above, there is never any room for complacency. Our villages do suffer, on occasion, from spates of damage. These people do not generally cause damage when the police are around, and these offences are consequently hard to 'detect.' We do rely on our community, who are our eyes and ears. We very rarely have the luxury of CCTV security-cameras to view, as in the city. If you see or hear disorder in the street, or suspect that somebody is causing damage, please pick up the telephone. Do not assume somebody else will have 'phoned.
Your beat-team are committed to your area, and will do our utmost to work with you. We are never " too busy", or "not interested" , but we all have to work together .
We are also working hard to try to channel the energy of some of our youngsters into something productive, and to divert them from causing problems. Your PCSOs have set-up three football-teams on our area. This is proving to be very popular, and they have been playing teams set-up by other beat-teams.
We deliberately organise games for Friday-nights, which seems to be the night we get most of our problems.
We have also been working with Oliver Cullen from Extreme Sports at NKDC. We are now taking some of our youngsters away to a venue at Caythorpe, where they take part in exciting activities like archery, climbing., and other team-building exercises.
Although I should know better than to use the 'Q' - word (any ex-police officers out there will know it is tempting providence); it has been quiet, even though the schools have been on holiday, and I am certain that we are diverting some of our youngsters from 'anti-social behaviour'.

Increase in Fly Tipping in Rural Area
The problem
It has come to our attention that there has been an increase in the amount of rubbish being dumped at the side of the roads, and in lay-bys and ditches in our area.
This seems to be becoming more of a problem, as much of this waste is no longer accepted at the local amenity-sites.
This can include building-rubble, fridges, freezers, tyres/wheels, bin-bags etc.
The waste is a hazard to both road-users and pedestrians alike, as well as the obvious environmental issues.
What can be done?
Fly-tipping is an offence for which offending persons can be prosecuted. We need registration-numbers of the vehicles involved, or evidence of the person’s details.
If you witness fly-tipping, please contact us.
The NKDC environmental department will also prosecute these people if they receive the evidence.
Getting the rubbish removed
If you wish to report rubbish which has been dumped, then you need to report the matter to your local council. In this case, it will be NKDC on 01529 414155 Ext. 2640. They will be able to put the rubbish on their list for removal, when they do their waste-collection.

To remind you: Your beat-team are:
PC 638 Simon Gordon - Community Beat Manager
E-Mail: simon.Gordon@Lincs.pnn.police.uk
PCSO Lisa Duckworth- Police Community Support Officer
E-MAIL: lisa.duckworth@Lincs.pnn.police.uk
PCSO Paul Flannigan - Police Community Support Officer
E-Mail: paul.Flannigan@Lincs.pnn.police.uk
Alternatively, we can be contacted on the following numbers: 01522 805718, or 805703. These are BBH numbers.
These numbers and e-mails SHOULD NOT be used for reporting crimes and incidents where an immediate police-response is needed. Always 'phone the communications-centre on Lincoln 882222, or 999 in an emergency.
Thanks
Simon Gordon. PC 638