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At the
end of last month our local Beat Policeman, Simon Claxton,
made himself available in the village to anyone who wanted
a chat.
Simon, who originally hails from Norfolk, joined the Leicestershire
Constabulary in 1984 and has served in a variety of roles
both in the city - being Beat Constable on the Saffron Lane
Estate prepared him for anything he might meet in Lubenham!
- and locally, where he has served for the past six years.
As well as patrolling and manning the Instant Response Vehicle,
he was part of the team that investigated the murder of Harborough
taxi driver Damy Marlow.
Now his 'patch' consists of Lubenham, Theddingworth, Husbands
Bosworth, North and South Kilworth, Foxton, Gumley, Laughton
and Mowsley. His main role in this area will be to patrol
and become known to villagers and villains alike: he does
intend to get out of the car and walk through the village
whenever possible. He also wants to meet the children at the
school and become known to them and hopes to be invited to
show his face at the activities of various village clubs and
organisations.
He shares our concerns about motorists speeding through Lubenham
and the other villages. We occasionally see his colleagues
using a radar gun to trap offenders, and recently a trailer
was set up which displays the speed of cars approaching it.
There are other, less obvious, methods of deterring inconsiderate
and dangerous drivers, and they may well soon see it in operation
. . . but not until their speed has been accurately measured
and registered. Once word gets around about this hidden weapon
we may see a reduction in the number of vehicles that career
along Main Street.
Our village bobby won't have a regular day or time each week
in and around Lubenhain. Shift work, rolling days off and
having to attend emergencies and visit witnesses to crimes
and accidents will prevent that. But he would like to become
a regular and recognised part of our village scene and hopes
to get to know us on his strolls. It isn't possible to contact
him direct when he is elsewhere, but he has a voicemail box
on 0116 248 5675. To leave a message for him you will need
to key in his collar number - 371 - at the prompt followed
by the # key. He promises to call you back as soon as possible.
Simon has kindly agreed to write an occasional series of articles
for the Newsletter, where he will give hints on how we can
prevent crime or make it a lot more difficult, suggest ways
to improve security and deal with other related matters.
Bill Johnston
September 2001
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