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Community Wardens
Sue Long and Carol McClung Community Wardens for Tangmere and Oving Sue: 07768202356 Carol: 07768210358 e-mail: wardens@ovingwardens.org.uk www.ovingwardens.org.uk/
We are not an emergency service, so there will be times when we are not available to take your call. Please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as we come back on duty. In case of something urgent, please ring the police non-emergency number 0845 60 70 999.
Community Wardens Report March 2008
As I write, the sun is shining, bulbs and blossom are beginning to flower – Spring is nearly here! It is such a joy to be out and about in the Oving area when the weather is like this. It is doubly upsetting, therefore, when we see so much fly tipping in the country lanes. There has been a real upsurge recently in the amount we have found and reported for clearance. Please, if you see anything amiss contact us and let us know. If possible, get a description of the vehicle and a registration number would be great. We have recently had contact with Environmental Health, who were very interested in the fly tipping hotspots and we hope to work with them on this issue. As Community Wardens, we often give talks and information on how to keep people and belongings safe. Even so, I have to admit that I was caught out recently! I was at a conference in Basingstoke, and when I returned to my car I found a letter on my windscreen. My vehicle was identified as having a holdall left on the back seat of my car. As vehicle crime accounts for around a fifth of recorded crime, the letter gave some simple precautions to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim: Always secure your car, even if only leaving it for a minute Theft of personal belongings from cars account for two thirds of vehicle crime. Don’t leave anything in your car – if it’s not there, it can’t be stolen. Don’t think you can fool a thief by leaving handbags in the footwell or even locked in the boot, especially if leaving your car in a rural car park while you go for a walk in the countryside. Take extra precautions – extra security features can save a lot of time and distress. Don’t just park where there’s a space – think about where you are and what you can do to make your car more secure. It certainly made me think, so I thought I’d pass these tips on to you. Sue Long and Carol McClung Community Wardens for Tangmere and Oving
Welcome to Carol, your new Community Warden
Carol McClung As a former traffic warden and mother of five grown up children, Carol is used to dealing with difficult situations! Three months into her job as a Community Warden, she has quickly found her feet and is enjoying working with Sue in Tangmere and Oving. “Sue’s obviously won the respect of the community and I’m proud to be working with her. It’s also a lovely place to work and everyone has made me welcome.” Carol loves being a warden because it is something that comes naturally to her. She enjoys meeting residents, listening to their problems and providing help wherever she can: “It’s all about the way you treat people – with respect.” Carol’s people skills meant that she was the only traffic warden in Worthing never to have received an official complaint from the public, while some of her colleagues received them on a daily basis. Outside of work Carol’s hobbies include spending time with her grandchildren, horse riding, swimming and jewellery making. Sue Long Sue has worked as a Community Warden based at Tangmere and Oving for the past two and a half years. Prior to that Sue taught Geography, French and Tourism at Southbourne Community College having gained a first class honours degree at Chichester University. Sue’s skills as a teacher have proved useful in her work with the Junior Wardens and helped make the scheme so successful. Sue has also gained her NOCN Level 2 in community development and, outside of work, enjoys travelling, horse riding and is a keen football supporter.
Bogus Callers
According to Police statistics, the overall number of burglaries across West Sussex are decreasing but the proportion of ‘distraction burglaries’ is increasing. Often people pose as officials, hard-up students trying to make a few pounds to get through their studies, or young men recently released from prison. They may often have hard luck stories to tell, or speak very little English. But always, they turn up unannounced and try to sell something or con their way into your home. Older and more vulnerable people are particular targets and this type of crime is devastating for the victims.
We have received many calls in the last few months from residents in this area, and only recently visited an elderly lady who had been persuaded to buy a print of a dog from a Polish girl. This lady handed over her purse as she was confused and did not know how much to pay. The girl helped herself and we do not know how much she took.

Neighbourhood Specialist Constable

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Crime Stoppers
Independent charity operating the freephone 0800 555 111 helping to prevent and solve crimes

Anti-Social behaviour
more about a national campaign-TOGETHER

Community Wardens win top awards

Your Community Wardens have won two top awards in recognition of outstanding work in the community.

The first, a Home Office Respect award for ‘taking a stand’ brought national acclaim for the Junior Warden schemes in Tangmere, Chichester and Selsey.
The second, the South East Regional Team of the Year gold award acknowledges the impact Chichester District Council’s five wardens have made in their communities in the last year.
Philip Marten, of Sussex Police, said the wardens deserved recognition for their work with young people, and nominated the team for the respect award. “Each of the wardens has inspired residents of all ages, from senior citizens to mums and dads and youngsters, to work together to tackle anti-social behaviour and local issues,” he said. “They have managed to reduce crime and bring respect to the community.”
The second award was a double celebration for the team who beat off competition from around 50 other schemes in the south east, some with 100 strong wardens – the award panel said the five Chichester wardens were a small team who made a big impact.