Website to beat crime praised by Chief Constable

A WEBSITE set up for an East Reading road packed with advice for guarding against thieves has won praise from the area’s MP and Thames Valley Police’s Chief Constable.

The site was set up by Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator Stephen Cox for  his local group Elmhurst Road and Marlborough Avenue Neighbourhood Watch.

It has information on how to arrange a free crime survey of your house, warnings about the latest internet scams, and details of current police operations all over Reading

Just two weeks after creating the site Mr Cox, 57, of Elmhurst Road, has already had positive feedback from all over Reading and Wokingham.

Mr Cox said: “The site has just spread through word of mouth.

“I guess people must have found it useful. It puts all the information from the police and the Neighbourhood Watch into a local context.

“There is an immense gap in getting this information to ordinary members of the public and I hope the site will solve this problem.”

There is also information on how to set up a Neighbourhood Watch group and Mr Cox has had several calls from people who plan to do so.

Mr Cox said: “The scope for criminals is reduced because Neighbourhood Watch schemes mean there are more police out there and more communication with the public.

“Neighbourhood Watch gives criminals the constant feeling that someone is breathing down their necks.”

Mr Wilson added: “There are a lot of people who are very conscious of having to protect their properties as we have had a lot of crime in Reading.

This site fulfils an important role and I would like to see it rolled out more widely.”

Visit http://elmhurst-nhw.tripod.com to see for yourself.

First printed in: Reading Evening Post