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Council and police join up for safer communities

Published: Tuesday, 22 February 2022

Havering Council is working with the Metropolitan Police in the launch of a new neighbourhood watch scheme.

OWL (Online Watch Link) makes it easier for residents and communities across the borough to keep up to speed with incidents in their area.

This includes issues around crimes and anti-social behaviour – and to hear directly about the action being taken.

Residents can subscribe for free by signing up on the OWL website and will receive details via email.

All the information is on a secure platform and the aim is to improve the sharing of this information between Police, Council and safer neighbourhood groups.

Police are running the scheme across Havering as well as in neighbouring boroughs, Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge.

Councillor Ciaran White, Havering’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said:

“We are pleased to be supporting this scheme and working together with our local police teams to help boost what is already being done to keep our communities as safe as possible.

“OWL means residents get to know what is going on where they live and be aware of issues on their doorstep.

"It also means working even closer with our neighbourhood watch and other community groups, who are also our eyes and ears out there.”

Information from signing up to OWL will focus around advice on personal safety, crime and fraud prevention.

It will also have info on local incidents and alerts for residents of any serious crime issues. There will also be messages to help find missing people.

Chief Inspector Chris Nixon, from the Neighbourhood Policing teams for Havering, Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge, said:

“This is an excellent system for our Safer Neighbourhood Teams to communicate with residents directly in the areas where they live.

“It means they will get to hear directly from the police on incidents and events that may concern and matter to them.