West Midlands Police (WMP) have been paying tribute to StreetWatch volunteers as they recognised their hard work and commitment to helping keep our communities safe.
The StreetWatch Awards were help at Tally Ho in Birmingham on Tuesday night (4th June) where WMP recognised members of the public who help to make the schemes such a great success.
Groups who are making a big difference as a visible presence to help deter crime and anti-social behaviour were honoured on the night.
A spokesperson for WMP said: “We’re always indebted to every single one of our 1,600 StreetWatch volunteers who work with us to protect our neighbourhoods with around 180 groups across the region.”
The awards included presentations to those who’ve been a volunteer for at least five years and the dedication they’ve shown. Chief Superintendent Richard Harris attended on the night to help hand out the awards.
StreetWatch Stars Awards were handed out to the following StreetWatch groups who have all shown great dedication and support to their community.
Bartley Green StreetWatch Group including Geraldine and Parveen have shown great dedication and commitment to the group including visiting local schools to give talks to the children about caring for animals.
London Heights StreetWatch group was handed an award for their dedication. Founder members Horace and Paul go out regular as clockwork even though they are both incredibly busy with other volunteering roles, a full time job and caring responsibilities.
They are in constant contact with the community who live on their estate, they talk to everyone they meet, always have a smile and are happy to offer advice or help to anyone who needs it.
Friends of Friary StreetWatch group is a small group that work tirelessly to improve where they live. Their co-ordinator Nina has a hotline to every department within the local authority to deal with any issues the team need to report.
Parking is a big issue where they live and they report dangerous parking and educate drivers who park on the grass verges and pavements.
Aldridge StreetWatch Group have been a constant presence in their neighbourhood. They plan their walks to cover the areas where they are needed due to anti-social behaviour or other events where they can be of help.
While on patrol they have come across and dealt with things such as finding parcels stolen from a delivery van, identifying insecure vehicles and making the owners aware and giving advice on how to report issues to the correct authority.
They have created an account on Facebook which is used to serve the local community by giving crime prevention and safety advice as well as sharing any results on arrests or operations our officers carry out.
Students have embraced Walsall College StreetWatch Group as part of the public services course. They have worked alongside ourselves including going into Walsall town centre to talk to young people in the area and educate them about County Lines.
The students also patrol their college premises engaging with fellow students, tutors and security staff providing a safe place and reassurance to all who attend Walsall College.
The Night Time Economy StreetWatch Group selflessly go out every four weeks to form a safe walking route for people who are out enjoying the nightlife in the city centre. They carry out their patrols no matter what the state of the weather and they have helped countless people in many ways including taxis, directions and somewhere safe to stand.
Shirley StreetWatch Group are dedicated and they work together to ensure there are lots of patrols covering their whole patch. They get involved with anything and everything that is happening in Shirley.
They are out with leaflets and talking to people to prevent them becoming a victim of crime, they patrol the car parks looking for insecure vehicles, litter pick, utilise fix my street to report anything not related to crime and deal with poor parking both residential and around schools.
Sam O’Dell, StreetWatch co-ordinator within the force, said: “We’re grateful to all of our StreetWatch members. They all make a significant contribution to help make our communities better and safer places and work so well alongside our PCSOs who all show great commitment and dedication.
“We’re really proud of every StreetWatch group and we’d love to see even more established across the region.”
Interested? For more information e-mail: streetwatch@westmidlands.police.uk
You can also find out more about our other volunteer roles here: https://jobs.west-midlands.police.uk/volunteers-2/
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