New van to help in rural crime fight (From Tewkesbury Admag)

New van to help in rural crime fight

GLOUCESTERSHIRE Constabulary has taken delivery of a new VW van that will be used to support Neighbourhood Watch and Rural Watch in the Cotswold District.

It will be used throughout the Cotswolds area, raising the profile of Neighbourhood Watch and Rural Watch, helping to establish new schemes and promoting crime reduction and community safety initiatives - many in conjunction with the police and the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.

Andy Fogden, Neighbourhood Watch Officer at Stow police station, said, "With such a large rural area to cover, the new van will prove invaluable in helping us to carry out a wide range of tasks, such as visiting existing and potential volunteer co-ordinators, meeting with community groups, distributing crime reduction materials and visiting victims of crime to provide advice and reassurance."

Chief Supt Dean Walker of Cotswolds and Stroud Police said, "This vehicle is a splendid example of what can be achieved through organisations working in partnership. It is the only one of its type in Gloucestershire and I am sure that, through regular daily use and attendance at local fetes and other events, it will soon be as familiar a sight in the Cotswolds as our Mobile Police Stations have become."

The van has been partly funded by the Home Office, the Cotswold Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, the Cotswold Neighbourhood Watch Association, Crimestoppers and the Volkswagen Van Centre (Cheltenham).

It was officially handed over to Chief Supt Walker by John Ledgard, Volkswagen brand manager.