Author: Editor SPRA

Recent talks between our local politicians, local headteachers and the Borough’s police have yielded good results in reducing the amount of crime affecting young people travelling through central Croydon on their way to and from school.  Theft of mobile phones has been a particular problem.  Police have recently intensified their activity against this crime type, tracking down and targeting perpetrators. This resulted in 11 arrests being made and a substantial decline in offending afterwards. Police Officers analysed crime patterns which enabled them to target hot-spots where the perpetrators were likely to be.  They concentrated on several known suspects and cleared the area of further robberies through persistent high-vis patrolling.

In addition, Schools officers attended school assemblies to provide crime prevention advice, while uniformed officers spoke to students on how to keep themselves and their possessions safe.

We have lifted this article about a new “tool” available to our Police, from an MP’s website. SPRA is a non-(party) political body and has no association with the MP in question

I am delighted to report that multiple arrests were made in Croydon town centre [in late January] following the experimental deployment of Live Facial Recognition (LFR).  This is something I am pushing for nationally in my role as Policing Minister, and I am glad that the Met accepted my suggestion to further trial LFR in Croydon

LFR starts with a “watchlist” of images of people who are wanted for serious offences or who are wanted by the Court for failing to attend a criminal hearing.  A camera is then set up by Police in a location with high footfall, and advanced facial recognition software is used to see if anyone walking past matches one of the images on the watchlist.  Is there is a match, the officers running the system are alerted and they intervene to see if the person is indeed the one wanted.  The matching software is now incredibly accurate and advanced.

This has been deployed in Croydon town centre several times recently, on London Road and North End, and on the junction with Church Street. Arrests for the following offences were made in a matter of just a few hours:

• Possession of firearm
• GBH
• Failure to appear in court for theft
• Failure to appear in court for GBH
• Failure to appear in court for assault on an emergency worker
• Possession of a weapon with point or blade, drugs and burglary
• Breach of non-molestation order
• Failure to appear in court for ABH on police and drugs offences
• Failure to appear in court for ABH
• Fraud by misrepresentation
• Failure to appear in court for theft
• Failure to appear in court for GBH
• Failure to appear in court for assault on an emergency worker
• Possession of a weapon with point or blade, drugs and burglary
• Breach of non-molestation order
• Failure to appear in court for ABH on police and drugs offences
• Failure to appear in court for ABH
• Fraud by misrepresentation
• Failure to appear in court for theft
• Failure to appear in court for assault on an emergency worker
• Failure to appear in court for drunk and disorderly behaviour
• Breach of tag conditions by a convicted drug supplier

This deployment took 14 potentially dangerous people off the streets (SPRA note – as there are more than 14 offences listed, it is clear that at least one of the 14 persons had committed more than one of these offences).  The identity of the people stopped was verified separately from the facial recognition system, and no false alerts were generated.
 
There are safeguards around privacy and accuracy.  Any passer-by who is scanned and who is not on the watchlist is immediately and automatically deleted. The system is governed by detailed rules set out by the College of Policing, and there is case law setting out the legal requirements of the system.  This includes accuracy and no bias. The system has been tested by the National Physical Laboratory and at the setting used meets the legal requirements (it delivers no bias and a 1/6000 accuracy rate). There are also signs displayed that LFR is being used.
 
I am delighted that these potentially dangerous people have been taken off the street.  There are further LFR deployments planned in Croydon in the near future and I am pushing for this technology to be rolled out nationally, within the rules and guidelines to safeguard privacy. This technology has the potential to ensure that huge numbers of wanted criminals are caught.

If you want to check your dates, here is the link on the Council’s website, to the new refuse/recycling dates from the start of December, to download and print off. Just enter the address, or postcode on this link;

https://service.croydon.gov.uk/wasteservices/w/webpage/bin-day-enter-address

This is the link to the revised Christmas/New Year refuse and recycling days;

https://www.croydon.gov.uk/rubbish-and-recycling/christmas-and-new-year-waste-and-recycling-collections

As you may know, the Council no longer delivery the leaflets to households.

Members may know that Terracycle is a company which has a way of splitting the plastic and foil elements of blister packs so that each can be recycled separately. Not only does this create new raw material for use, it cuts down the landfill into which these packs would otherwise go.

You may also know that Superdrug has been acting as a “clearing house” through which residents can send their packs to Terracycle, who organise the recycling of them. This has not always worked as well as it might – both Superdrug and Terracycle have been surprised at the supply generated by the public – but Superdrug do still take them.

We have been advised that the rumour, that both Boots and Lakewood Pharmacy, in West Wickham, also take them IS WRONG. Both stores will take them but only for the purpose of putting them in their own bin – a landfill bin – which isn’t the idea. Terracycle supply dedicated bins to Superdrug stores, and regularly collect their contents for splitting and recycling.

We have been asked to “spread the message” that neither Boots nor Lakewood have Terracycle boxes and to request members not to take packs there.

Please spread around your social media the FACT THAT ONLY SUPERDRUG SUBSCRIBE TO THE TERRACYCLE SCHEME AND NOT TO TAKE BLISTER PACKS TO ANY OTHER PHARMACY.

Many thanks

News has reached us as follows …

Excellent-ish news for recreational tennis players in Shirley. The courts at the Rec in Shirley, along with many others are about to be refurbished. Follow the link below for more details:
Croydon’s tennis courts to get makeover – Newsroom

Dates of the work (resulting in the closure of the courts)are 16 October – 27 November, depending on weather holdups. However we are told the line marking cannot take place until the spring, owing to the drying needed.

We are led to believe, however, that it will be neccesary to book the courts and to pay a fee for the privilege of using them; details to follow when we know them

We are grateful to “Inside Croydon” for bringing to our attention the opportunity being offered at Croydon Libraries.

See their article at https://insidecroydon.com/2023/08/09/libraries-to-offer-computer-training-to-tackle-digital-exclusion/

We have been asked by a resident to help with accommodation in today’s unusual circumstances.

Do you have two rooms (or possibly one large one) that you would consider renting out?

Sasha and her daughter Liza (6) are from Ukraine and looking for accommodation in Shirley / West Wickham, ideally walking distance or a bus ride from Oak Lodge primary school.

Sasha does not drink or smoke and speaks very good English. Liza’s spoken English is improving daily.

The room(s) could either be through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which offers £350 a month support payment and ongoing assistance, or a private lodging agreement, paid for by housing assistance until Sasha has found a job.  She is a trained counsellor / therapist.

All the immigration paperwork and documentation has been sorted already – the girls just need their next UK home while Sasha sorts out a job in order for them to become fully independent and safe all the time Vladimir Putin continues to destroy their homeland.

If you might be able to help, please call or message Julian Roberts on 07802 463 817

Thank you very much!

We have been asked to publicise the following opportunity …

The Shrublands Trust is a registered charity and operates out of its premises at 7 Broom Road, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 8NG.

We are currently in urgent need of a volunteer to help with IT for the running of our weekly Food Bank

What we are looking for:

Skills: Some  IT knowledge required 

Role: to upload opening times and list of food needs each week onto our web site

Time: 10-20 minutes per week

What we can offer you: 

Resources: use of the Shrublands’ laptop

Experience: being part of the Shrublands’ team working for the local community.

Can you help?  For further information please telephone the Trust Manager Mrs. Beverly Warner on 0208 405 9989.