Lincolnshire village warns criminals: '˜You are being watched!'

'You are being watched' signs were produced by the organisers of the meeting in Alvingham last week (July 18).

This is the strong message being declared by residents in local villages following a constructive meeting at Alvingham Village Hall last Monday (July 18).

The community-led meeting was arranged by a group of local residents and was attended by almost 100 people from Alvingham and North Cockerington - plus the new Community Beat Manager for the Louth Rural area, PC Rich Precious.

One of the organisers, Gordon Cummings, said he became involved because he believes communities working together can achieve ‘fantastic’ results.

Mr Cummings said: “We can all sit and criticise the police, or the government, or the council - but it doesn’t solve anything. The police are not Batman, they don’t have special powers. We can help the police - and help ourselves.

“Our strong message is that Alvingham and North Cockerington are vigilant. You are being watched. If you are innocent then you have nothing to worry about.

“Suspicious behaviour will be reported. We are fed up and we will not tolerate criminal behaviour.”

Mr Cummings added that Victoria Atkins MP had been active in supporting the community’s scheme in the background.

At the meeting, residents learned about initiatives such as the Lincs Alert community messaging system, and the police’s 101 non-emergency number.

The organisers also created signs (pictured) for residents to place in their windows, and these can be downloaded or bought from the ‘LN11 Crime Watch’ Facebook group.

PC Precious told the Leader that he was impressed with the turnout and the spirit of the meeting.

He said: “It went incredibly well. It was a community led meeting; they organised it, and we attended to provide information, to help them to help themselves, and to tell them about our initiatives.

“There are 34 more people on Lincs Alert after that meeting and others may have signed up later on at home.

“They weren’t just there to have a go at the police. They were coming up with ideas of how to help the police, and help themselves.

“I left the meeting feeling that we’d reassured those who attended, and gave them a better understanding of how the police operate.

“I would encourage other communities to organise similar meetings, and would welcome the opportunity for us to have input.”

Call 101 if your community is interested in hosting a similar public meeting.

• To find out more about the Lincs Alert scheme, visit www.lincolnshirealert.co.uk