Dog walkers to be used as police informants (From This Is Local London)

Dog walkers in Shenley to be used as police informants

3:30pm Thursday 12th July 2012 in Where I Live By Chris Hewett

Dog walkers are being used by police as informants to report suspicious and anti-social behaviour.

The Dog Watch scheme, introduced in Shenley, South Mimms and Potters Bar, invites dog owners to be the “eyes and ears” of the police in the community.

Similar to Neighbourhood Watch, the scheme has already attracted 20 volunteers with keen eyes for crime.

PCSO Chris Ramdeem set up the appeal and hopes to encourage more people to sign up.

He said: “A dog walker can be out and about at all times of the day so they often see or hear suspicious behaviour and notice things out of the ordinary. It’s really easy and won’t take up large amounts of time.”

Members are given regular updates on how their information is used by the police in their areas.

Furzefield Councillor Peter Knell believes the scheme is a good idea and hopes it will encourage more people to report issues to the police.

He said: “Some people are worried about reporting things to police in their own community because they don’t want to be victimised by their neighbours as a result.

“The PCSOs can’t be everywhere at once so hopefully this will encourage people to be good citizens and report things to the authorities.”