Neighbourhood Watch anger at police budget cut

Jun 23 2009 By Mark Goode

A neighbourhood watch co-ordinator is battling police budget cuts

A Stanwell neighbourhood watch co-ordinator has started a petition against the Government's decision to cap Surrey Police Authority's budget, claiming it was cause crime to rise.

Vicki Kapoor-Sood, of Hadfield Road, who has been neighbourhood watch co-ordinator for five years, fears the £1.6 million cut will bring crime back to her area.

Her belief comes at the news that 50 jobs will be cut, including the role of Spelthorne crime reduction officer Vic Smith, who liaises with Spelthorne's 170 neighbourhood watche schemes.

Surrey Police Authority has a petition on its website, and Mrs Kapoor-Sood wants to reinforce the message with her own petition from a residents' perspective.

The married mother of two said: "When I moved here five years ago I thought it was nice, but after a while we had bricks and stones being thrown at our door, gangs of 50 youths drinking and taking drugs until four in the morning, and lots of car fires.

"I got all the residents of the road together and we started a neighbourhood watch. It would have been impossible without Vic Smith as we talk to him on a daily basis and liaise with him on how to deal with the problems. "

The £1.6 million cut means that 50 staff will be made redundant, including 35 front line officers, along with staff in forensic people, major crime investigators, and crime reduction officers.

Mrs Kapoor-Sood believes neighbourhood watch as a whole could fail in Spelthorne if there is no professional bobby to turn to for advice, and people will lose confidence and stop informing the police of crimes.

She said: "Public confidence will fall and people will stop reporting crimes, so crime will increase. We have put in so much work to stop the anti-social behaviour in our road, and Vic Smith has helped us by pointing us in the right direction. Without him all our work will be forgotten and fear of crime will rise.

"Everyone hears about it from the police authority's view, or the MP's view, but no one has heard from a resident yet, so I want to bring this to light."

To pledge your support email vicki.v.kapoor@btinternet.com