Notes on Shepton Beauchamp Neighbourhood Watch meeting held on Mon 21st January 2008, at Buttle Close.

In spite of heavy rain before the meeting, 10 people attended. We were particularly pleased to our Police Community Support Officer, Michelle Haimes, who has not been able to attend recent meetings. Vicky Saunders was also present, and we are grateful to her and South Somerset Homes for their hospitality. The first topic was the threatened closure of the village Post Office, and we decided to write a letter to outline our objections to this proposal.

Since our last meeting there have been incidents of rowdy behaviour and vandalism in the village. There was vandalism in the churchyard, with a stained glass window damaged, and an ancient stone cross broken. The Police have been informed. Like our local vicar, we are very sad to hear of this damage.

On night of 29/30 Dec 07 there was a lot of rowdy behaviour in the region of Love Lane, Robins Lane, with cars being driven at high speed and empty drinks containers thrown around.

If the Police are to counteract this sort of behaviour, they must be informed, so it is vital that all such occurrences are reported immediately.

It is also possible to call anonymously to report individuals that you suspect may be the perpetrators, report car numbers and other details that can lead to identification. Please call 0845 456 7000 for all non-urgent incidents. The Police are about to launch an anti antisocial behaviour campaign in the next couple of months, so will welcome your calls. It is a good idea to keep a record or details of times, etc for later reference.

It is very easy to mislay details, as I know, unfortunately. Please remember that you must report incidents yourself— we cannot do it for you, only offer advice. Some of the reported incidents have been linked to social events in the Village Hall.

We note that the Village Hall committee is going to put up notices to remind people leaving the Hall to respect local residents, and their property, and hope that this will help. Unfortunately consumption of large quantities of alcohol can often trigger this type of behaviour, so we all need to remember this. Underage drinking seems to be the link with many of these incidents.

Criminal damage can cause financial loss, and generate fear in people, so we must help the Police to maintain the peace in our area. Damage to solar panels has occurred, possibly by stone throwing, and this is very costly to repair. All these are not victimless crimes.

We have been asked to keep a watch on local churches, who may lose lead from roofs, or their contents can be stolen. If you see any building work, or unusual activity, please inform Police, so they can check it out.

Michelle Haimes has proposed putting us forward for an award for 2008 Neighbourhood Watch in the Rural category. We are unusual in having all areas of the village involved in the group. We thanked her for her suggestion, and will be pleased to have our group nominated, and hope it will encourage more groups to expand.

The next meeting is Monday 17th March, at 8pm in Buttle Close. New members are always welcome. Mary H Clarke