BY INSPECTOR JAMES WYATT
I would like to begin by wishing Inspector Nick Pinkerton a long and happy retirement, having dedicated the last five years to policing Runnymede.
My name is James Wyatt and I took over as the Borough Commander for Runnymede in May. I’ve spent the majority of my career in operational policing, initially in response across Surrey. This was followed by working in Specialist Neighbourhood Teams across the Boroughs of Woking and Guildford.
Neighbourhood policing is something I’m really passionate about, focusing on long term issues and making a real difference alongside communities and partner agencies. I’ll be bringing this experience to Runnymede and focusing on the issues that matter to you. I grew up locally, attended school in Runnymede, and therefore keeping the Borough safe is personal to me.
I will be focusing initially on two main issues, the first being Anti-Social Behaviour. Anti-Social Behaviour can take many forms but all have the same thing in common, they can significantly impact your quality of life. We will tackle anti-social behaviour through a mix of visible policing and problem solving. Coming from an operational background I believe that visible policing is very important, and is key to disrupting this kind of behaviour. You’ll therefore see me on patrol alongside the team, tackling the issues that are important to you.
It’s also important that we look to achieve longer term solutions to problems such as anti-social behaviour. We will work with problem solving analysts to identify the root cause of these behaviours and take steps to address these. We aim to achieve long term solutions which compliment visible policing.
I will also be focusing on burglary offences across Runnymede, an incredibly impactive crime type. When burglaries are reported we will relentlessly pursue offenders and ensure there’s a thorough investigation. We’ll also be working with our Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCO’s) to provide advice around how to protect properties against this crime type.
Finally I’d like to encourage reporting of anti-social behaviour, this can be done through our website, on our social media pages or by calling 101. While every report may not result in an immediate deployment depending on competing demands, every report is valuable and helps us to understand behaviours across the Borough. We then use this information to inform our patrols and make sure resources are allocated where we’re needed.
I am really pleased to be leading the Specialist Neighbourhood Team in Runnymede and I very much look forward to not only make Runnymede safe, but make it feel safe.