Police meet with Welwyn residents

The Welwyn Hatfield Safer Neighbourhood Team held a successful community engagement stall in Welwyn village this morning (Thursday 26 January).

It took place at the Civic Centre in Prospect Place from 10am to 12pm and was hosted by PCSOs Jack Andrews and Bill McCaskie, PCs Mitch Cartwright and James Holt-Whittall and Sergeant Alex Smedley.

This week marks the national Neighbourhood Policing Week (23 – 29 January) which showcases the work carried out by Safer Neighbourhood Teams. Community engagement events like today’s stall are a core part of their work.

PCSO Andrews said: “This morning’s event was really successful. We had loads of local residents come along to talk to us and ask questions and we were happy to be able to help them and give advice.

“I would like to thank all those who took the time to come along. It’s really useful hearing your views and concerns as it helps us to know what to prioritise.

“We were pleased to be able to hand out some security freebies too. These included purse bells and chains, RFID card blockers*, personal attack alarms, Faraday pouches** and window and door alarms. We hope these security items provide reassurance to those residents.

“If you weren’t able to make the event, there is lots of crime prevention advice on our website at herts.police.uk/crimeprevention which we recommend you take a look at. Welwyn Hatfield is a safe place to live but it’s always wise to take precautions to help protect yourself from crime.”

* Using an RFID scanner, a criminal can quickly gather a victim’s credit card or passport details simply by walking past them. RFID blocker cards help stop this.

**Faraday pouches are used to block a key's signals and help to prevent keyless vehicle thefts.

To receive police messages about a range of topics including burglaries, scams and missing people in your local area, sign up to owl.co.uk/herts or download the ‘OWL crime alerts’ app from your app store.

You can use our community voice platform ‘echo’ to let us know what you think we should be prioritising in your area. Your feedback will help towards shaping our local policing priorities, initiatives and campaigns. Visit the following and tell us your thoughts.

Welwyn Hatfield North (opens in a new window) – Welwyn West, Welwyn East, Haldens, Sherrards, Handside, Peartree and Panshanger

Welwyn Hatfield South (opens in a new window) – Hollybush, Cuffley, Howlands, Northaw, Hatfield East, Hatfield South, Welham Green, Brookmans Park and Little Heath

Welwyn Hatfield West (opens in a new window) – Hatfield Villages, Hatfield Central, Hatfield South West and the University of Hertfordshire