5
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH (NHW)
Local Crime.
There was a burglary in Springfield Close
(13/14 Jan) and the Barber’s shop was broken
into (16/17Jan). Number plates were also taken
from a car parked in Church St - these have
now become attractive items for thieves since
they cannot be obtained commercially without
registration documents. The police are anxious
for any information on these crimes which may
help them in their investigations.
In general, the main targets for burglars are
small technology items, cash and jewellery
(especially gold) in homes, valuable items in
sheds and garages and heating oil - the latter
are usually poorly protected. As noted before,
criminals are increasingly innovative and ex-
ploiting technology to maximize their haul and
minimize their risks. Be on the lookout for any
change in activity in your road particularly
teams of fly-droppers whose prime purpose is
surveillance and ‘marking’ property for attention
later.
The wider picture.
Your coordinators regularly receive a compre-
hensive breakdown of crime in Huntingdonshire
in addition to reports covering the St Neot’s
sector but we only forward these to those mem-
bers who are ‘signed in’ to our alert system
when they are deemed to be relevant to the
village.
The police also identify their priorities on a
weekly basis. Recently, they have concentrated
their efforts on suspected groups of prolific bur-
glars and areas suffering from high levels of
crime such as the major towns or the A1 corri-
dor. Again, we pass this information on when
appropriate.
Contact telephone numbers.
If you wish to report an incident or suspicious
behaviour, please dial the new single non-
emergency number 101. Call 999 if a crime is
in progress or threatened.
Your village NHW Coordinators are:
Clive Williams 811828
Richard West 811467
FROM YOUR COUNTY COUNCILLOR
Please be advised that residents can come
along to the Buckden village hall on the second
Tuesday of the month at 6.30pm for an hour to
speak to me. I will be in the Aragon room and
no appointment is necessary. My first surgery
will be held on Tuesday 11
th
March 2014 and I
look forward to meeting any resident who would
like to come and speak to me.
On February 20
th
I attended a briefing on the
proposed A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon im-
provement scheme. This article was written be-
fore I attended this briefing. These are some
published findings from the Highways Agency
after the autumn consultation on the proposed
scheme: Nearly 1400 responses were received
from individuals, local authorities, businesses
and interest groups in response to the public
consultation on the proposed A14 scheme, held
over 5 weeks last September. The responses
showed that tolling was universally unpopular
and the government have now dropped the pro-
posal to toll the new road. Around half of re-
spondents considered that the A14 Huntingdon
viaduct should be retained as it was felt that it
would form part of a toll free alternative to the
Huntingdon Southern bypass. Many respond-
ents also expressed concern that some motor-
ists would choose to avoid the tolled section,
introducing additional traffic onto other, less
suitable routes; in particular on the A428 trunk
road, on the main road through St Ives, and in
village settlements throughout the A14 corridor.
Opinion on the choice of route was split be-
tween the proposed scheme and highway op-
tion 5, which retains the existing A14 through
Huntingdon and creates a two lane dual car-
riageway to the south of the town. Concerns
raised on the negative impact of the proposed
scheme on the Ouse Valley will hopefully mean
that a greater focus will be given on effective
environmental mitigation. Further consultation
will follow on the preferred route in Spring 2014
before a Development Consent Order applica-
tion is submitted towards the end of 2014.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.
Cllr Julie Wisson
County Councillor Buckden and the Offords
07725 791459
01767 677837
julie.wisson@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
