WALTON Highway and Walpole St Andrew will be the focus of extra police attention during the coming weeks. Terrington Safer Neighbourhood Team will be working closely with both communities to tackle concerns raised by local residents at the latest priority

WALTON Highway and Walpole St Andrew will be the focus of extra police attention during the coming weeks.

Terrington Safer Neighbourhood Team will be working closely with both communities to tackle concerns raised by local residents at the latest priority setting meeting.

During the meeting between the local police team, partner agencies and community members at Walpole St Andrew Village Hall on Wednesday, it was agreed that the team would make the following issues a priority over the next two months:

Walton Highway - To provide increased reassurance and crime prevention advice following an increase in burglaries and theft in the area.

Walpole St Andrew - Work to reduce anti-social behaviour in the vicinity of the village hall, including solvent abuse, vandalism and graffiti.

Terrington St Clement - Continue to tackle anti-social behaviour at hot spots in the village (on-going priority).

PCSO Chris Lorraine gave an update on the work carried out by the team over the past two

In Magdalen, to offer increased reassurance following a series of thefts, the team increased both foot and mobile patrols and made home visits to conduct an anti-social behaviour survey. The team visited the primary school to meet with children and security marked 20 cycles to help guard against cycle theft. Operation Watchdog, the team's on-going campaign to improve reassurance and security to combat rural crime, saw visits to a number of victims of crime in the village to offer additional support and crime prevention advice.

High visibility patrols were increased in Terrington St Clement to help tackle anti-social behaviour on the Alma Estate.

By speaking to local residents and workers from partner agencies, officers were able to identify some key offenders and take enforcement action against them. PCSO Angela Tegerdine has made arrangements for children from the estate to take part in a range of activities at the Discovery Centre in King's Lynn over the half term school holidays. Residents are encouraged to continue reporting any incidents to the team.

Multi-agency roadside operations have continued with the team working alongside partner agencies including VOSA, HM Customs and Revenue and the Environment Agency to target unroadworthy vehicles, those being driven illegally or those being used by criminals on the local road network. The operations, which have so far led to a number of arrests and the confiscation, will continue and help support the county-wide campaign to tackle bogus callers, rogue traders and those involved in crime in rural areas.

Terrington Inspector Paul Durham said: "We continue to target criminals on all fronts. As well as our partnership operations and community work, we have proactively targeted and arrested a number of key criminals who have been impacting in the area - predominantly in terms of theft.

"One individual in particular was arrested and spent their Christmas in prison having let it be known that they were trying to evade arrest until the New Year. He remains in custody at this time.

"We rely heavily upon information from our communities and I would encourage anyone with such information to bring it to the attention of anyone on the SNT."

The next priority setting meeting will be held at Terrington St John Primary School on Wednesday April 4 at 7.30pm.

All residents and community representatives are encouraged to come along to raise any issues they may have with their local police team and help direct police resources locally.