Policing East Cambridgeshire Archives - Spotted in Ely

Ely police heroes honoured during moving ceremony

Tali — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 17:50:35 +0000

Three heroic Ely cops, praised by the victim of a vicious attack in Cherry Hill Park, have received special awards for their professionalism and dedication during a moving ceremony last night (Thursday).

Detective Sergeant John Yore, Detective Constable Peter Ware and Police Constable Alistair McKenzie received a Judges Commendation during the awards ceremony held at Cambridgeshire Constabulary Headquarters, hosted by Chief Constable Alec Wood.

Detective Sergeant John Yore, right, receiving his Judges Commendation.

The three cops, all based in East Cambridgeshire, received special praise for their handling of the brutal assault and their tireless work to bring those responsible to justice.
Shortly after 10pm on October 15, 2014, Tony Walton was brutally attacked by two drunken men while walking home alone through Cherry Hill Park to his home.
The Ely architect was left for dead after being robbed of his wedding ring, which has never been recovered.
Following a 10 day trial at King’s Lynn, perpetrators Lee Jones and Sebastian Yellowe were both found guilty of robbery and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
On July 21, 2015 Jones was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment with a further two years of extended licence and Yellowe to 12 years imprisonment with a further three years of extended licence.
In his sentencing remarks His Honour Judge Bate commended DS Yore for his professionalism in the way in which he oversaw the investigation, DC Ware for his professionalism and his work as the officer in the case and PC McKenzie for his professionalism and for the swift action taken as the first officer on the scene.
Following the sentence, the victim’s family personally wrote to the then police chief Simon Parr, praising the three officers involved in the case.
“The residing HH Judge, Anthony Bate orally commended the police officers in his closing court statement for their exemplary professionalism during the trial, keeping members of the court and the juror safe throughout the proceedings and acknowledging their diligence and modesty.
“We would like to add without hesitation our gratitude to these three ordinary men who are three extraordinary police officers. As a nurse I understand professional duty and care but I have also witnessed in my 28 years of nursing that some nurses extol the very essence of their profession going beyond duty and providing service of excellence. John Yore, Peter Ware and Alistair McKenzie provided that for us and we are truly grateful.”
In the letter, Tony and his wife Angela said that PC McKenzie had been the first officer at the scene, providing her and their son James with incredible support and providing “crucial attention” to Tony, which they believed help save his life.
“Alistair McKenzie remained with us in A&E continuing to collect DNA evidence and generated with ease respect and professional response from the A&E staff. PC McKenzie stayed beyond his duty time with James and I when Tony was transferred to Neuro-critical care, only leaving when our shock subsided and we remain so grateful.”
PC Ware had assisted their family following the attack and “kept smiles on our faces” throughout the nine months following the incident, the family said.
“He reacted to the needs of the investigation and the court with unflinching promptness, keeping court members safe and providing details and evidence that were both the backbone and pivotal to the investigation. An exceptional diligent and loyal team member in the force.”
Meanwhile DS Yore “ensured no mistakes were made and no detail was left out”.
The Waltons finished their heartfelt letter with the words: “Ely Police force are a team that exemplifies the profession and we are lucky and privileged to have known them. Extraordinary officers.”

The three Ely cops were among 16 people to receive special awards last night.
Chief Constable Alec Wood said: “The awards are a fantastic display of the professionalism, tenacity, bravery and commitment of our officers, staff and volunteers, as well as a wonderful opportunity to recognise the efforts of members of the public who have gone above and beyond to save lives and help officers.
“I am incredibly proud of all of our colleagues across the force and my thanks and congratulations go to each and every one of the recipients for their dedication to protecting the people of Cambridgeshire.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite said: “It is a real honour for me to meet so many outstanding people and highlight the incredible work they do. I would like to extend my congratulations to each and every one of tonight’s recipients. Their achievements are truly humbling and make a huge difference to our communities.”

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Hate crime: show compassion to victim rather than call out offender, say police

Tali — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 14:02:19 +0000

Hate crime is nationally on the rise – but rather than challenge perpetrators, police advise witnesses to focus on the victim instead.

Sergeant Phil Priestly, of Ely Police Station, told Spotted in Ely that the best plan of action was to “empathise and be compassionate towards the victim”, rather than be drawn into an argument with the person responsible.

“By reaching out to the victim, you’re making them feel more secure. You’ll be showing that you don’t have any allegiances to the terrible views and opinions that are being expressed and it helps to calm that victim down and make them feel safer.”
Although witnesses may be tempted to record hate crimes on their phones, they should always put their own safety and the safety of the victim first, Sgt Priestly said.
He advised that victims and witnesses should report offences immediately to police, and that tackling hate crime was a priority for Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

Sgt Phil Priestly and Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Coles

A hate crime is any offence motivated by the perceived identity of the victim.
It could be based on their gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, religious beliefs and affiliations. It could be crime targeted at people with disabilities, especially hidden conditions, Sgt Priestly said.
“You get instances where people can be quite cruel towards children.”
He had dealt with a number of incidents where youngsters with autism or ADHD were verbally abused and called “naughty”, he said, adding that more “empathy and compassion” was needed.
The Ely sergeant was taking part in a special event at Ely Market today to mark National Hate Crime Awareness Week. The event was also attended by local firefighters and staff from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
A Home Office report released today showed that nationally the number of complaints regarding racist or religious abuse recorded by police had jumped by 41% in July – the month after the UK voted to leave the UK.
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Coles said: “Since Brexit there’s been a spike in hate crimes across the country.
“There were about a dozen incidents of cards being put thorough the letterboxes of Eastern European residents in Huntingdon.”
While police had dealt with “occasional reports” of alleged hate crime in East Cambridgeshire, the area was generally one in which people lived in harmony together, he said.
“We live in one of the lowest crime areas in the country. We live in a very cohesive community, particularly in our urban areas.”
A former police officer for 30 years, Mr Coles also wanted to reassure residents shocked by news that a neo-Nazi group had recently held a two-day gathering in Haddenham, expressing sympathy with the unsuspecting landowner who was unaware he had rented out his premises to “racists”.
He said that most of the people attended the gathering were from outside the UK, and that Ely had a reputation for being a tolerant place with little crime.
Meanwhile the newly formed group, Ely Community Against Hate, will be holding a stall at Ely Market this Saturday to reassure anyone worried by hate crime.

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Modified car meet called off, organisers promising a "bigger and better" legal event

Tali — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 09:34:14 +0000

The organisers of a local car enthusiast group has called off their End of Summer Meet at an Ely car park, following warnings from police to stay away.
Last night East Cambs Modified posted on their Facebook page that the controversial event would be changed to a different day at a “legal location”, as police “really do not want this meet to happen and have put out a dispersal order in Ely to stop this”.
East Cambs Modified wrote: “So it pains me very much to say this and let them win but we are going to be delaying our end of summer meet because of this as we do not want to waste your time you turn up and the police shut it down. This meet will be changing date and be changed to a legal location and will be either on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday afternoon as the days are getting shorter.”
The group promised that the new location would be “bigger and better” than the original meet at Angel Drove Car Park, adding: “We still can not understand why the police would want to stop such a great way of gathering together that all enjoy the same thing. And just want to meet up and enjoy each other’s cars. They clearly don’t have anything better to do at the moment.”

Picture: Wikipedia

Yesterday Spotted in Ely reported that East Cambridgeshire District Council had taken the unusual step to close Angel Drove Car Park on Saturday night, following previous complaints of antisocial behaviour from local residents to police.
Police warned those attending the East Cambs Modified End of Summer Meet to stay away, adding that they had received former complaints of antisocial behaviour.
On its Facebook page, Policing East Cambridgeshire said the Angel Drove Car Park would be closed “to prevent a modified car meet taking place there”.
They added that a dispersal order will be in force throughout that period.
The decision has divided the community, with many residents supporting the crack down, while others are arguing that car enthusiasts are better off congregating at a car park rather than on public roads.

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Car park closed to deter boy racers, opinions divided

Tali — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 13:18:40 +0000

An Ely car park will be closed tomorrow night in an unusual step to prevent boy (and girl) racers from congregating there, following complaints from local residents.
Yesterday East Cambridgeshire District Council announced that Angel Drove Car Park would be closed from 7pm on Saturday, September 10, until 7am the following day, apologising for “any inconvenience”.
Police are warning those attending the East Cambs Modified End of Summer Meet to stay away, adding that they had received former complaints of antisocial behaviour.
On its Facebook page, Policing East Cambridgeshire said the Angel Drove Car Park would be closed “to prevent a modified car meet taking place there”.
They added that a dispersal order will be in force throughout that period.
According to East Cambs Modified’s Facebook event, 265 people had said they were going, while 663 had expressed an interest.
East Cambs Modified’s Facebook page has almost 1400 members, some of whom regularly post pictures of their exploits across the region.
Numerous people have commented below the police Facebook post, with many opposing the controversial decision to close the car park on Saturday night, arguing that those taking part in the meet up were doing nothing wrong.
Cameron said: “You do know there is millions of car Parks shutting one won’t help I’m sure a load of cars(peoples pride and joy) would be much safer in a car park then on the roads which is basically where your forcing us onto. Police policy 0 out of 10 for public safety. Good job lads”
Laura said: “Great so now they will just meet in the streets and cause actual anti social behaviour! They don’t harm anyone on that car park normally other than them nobody uses it in the evenings. Theyve now been forced to use car parks that people do use or that are in residential areas! Such a stupid negative approach from police. I dont see how the noise they make is any worse than any car parking in any car parks tescos makes more noise than them!!”
James wrote: “I support the Police and what they do for us, but even I think this one is a little absurd. Better a controlled environment for these enthusiasts than the streets. Police it guys, don’t just close the car park and ignore it. They will meet regardless.”
And Steve said: “I understand it is procedure to follow up on complaints but this is not the right way to go about it, Ely is home to a great deals of car enthusiasts and this should be recognised, in most other towns and cities the police attend and make sure no stupidity takes place but for most of the people there it’s about appreciation of cars not messing about.”

However, Jacky supports the decision, commenting: “It is noisy. People do live nearby and the screeching of brake and aggressive acceleration is very annoying. It is also dangerous. I certainly would not want to be anywhere near these activities. At a loss to understand why the Police are not taking a more proactive approach. A few arrests and/or confiscation of vehicles may focus the minds of these antisocial idiots, but that’s too much to hope for.”

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Ely house raided after reports of Class A drug dealing

Tali — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 13:06:14 +0000

An Ely address was raided by police yesterday after complaints of antisocial behaviour.
Shortly after 8.30am police from Ely Station executed a warrant on an address in Downham Road, following “intelligence that the premises were being used to supply and take class A drugs”.
Sgt Phil Priestley, leading the operation, said: “The address has been linked to anti-social behaviour locally, with nearby vulnerable residents and pre-school in the local area also.
“It was deemed necessary to intervene to prevent criminal behaviours and to safeguard the community.
“We want to reassure people who live and work in the local area that the issues regarding the address have been confronted in an immediate way, and we are working with Sanctuary Housing on a long term solution.”
A man, 45, is due in court, charged with allowing premises to be used for consuming drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Police urge anyone with information regarding the unlawful supply or use of drugs in their community to speak to a police officer by calling 101.
They can also leave a private message for police in East Cambridgeshire via their Facebook page.
If you would like to supply information on a confidential basis, you can call CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.
If you are suffering with drug dependency issues, and you would like help, you can find a local NHS treatment centre by clicking here.

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Week with Ely Police "the best experience of my life", says Ely College student

Tali — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 20:48:13 +0000

An aspiring cop who recently spent a week at Ely Police Station got to help store seized drug equipment, accompany a PCSO on a school visit and show a blind visitor around the station – and almost as importantly, he learned how to make a “perfect cup of tea”!

Picture: Policing East Cambridgeshire

Ely College student William Andrews, 14, has given a fascinating insight into his week’s work experience with police in his recently published blog.
William described this time at Ely Police Station in late June as “the best experience of my life” and has paid tribute to the hardworking staff at the station.
“All of them gave me loads of advice for the future and they were all just genuinely kind and they all care about the community and the people in it.”
His week started with a morning briefing followed by a trip to Police Headquarters in Hinchingbrooke. On his return to Ely Police Station, he sat down with Sergeant Phil Priestly to work on social media for the station, Policing East Cambridgeshire.
Inspector Marcia Pringle and Detective Constable Pete Ware (both “very nice”) took time out to tell William about their roles. The work experience student then conducted service checks on police cars, including checking the oil, tyre tread and washing the screens.
“When I had finished this, Sergeant Ryan Carter took me home in his police car.”
On Tuesday, William got to meet, Donny, “the wisest man in the building”. That’s station enquiry officer Donny Taylor, one of the first people you meet when you enter the station.
He also met Louise Titmarsh, the person in charge of the CCTV room in Ely.
“I saw all the CCTV cameras around Ely and was told how it all worked.
“When I got back from the CCTV room PC Mark Howe took me outside into the yard and showed me all of their equipment such as the device they use to break doors down (this is super heavy!) and he also showed me devices for breaking locks and the devices for forcing entry into a building if a person is stuck or they need to gain entry in a hurry.
“After he had shown me all of this gear he showed me his police support unit (PSU) gear which includes flame-proof trousers and jacket.
“When we went back inside, I asked how handcuffs worked, so of course he showed me. He also showed me his belt with all sorts of equipment on it such as pava spray.”

Picture: Policing East Cambridgeshire

As if this wasn’t exciting enough, the following day, William was taken to where “all of the seized drug equipment” is stored and helped to put it into large plastic bags to be transported to Parkside Police Station in Cambridge.
“Some of the equipment included lights for heating the drugs while they are growing, and fans to cool and dry out the drugs when they have been cut.”
William was delighted to see a man reunited with his missing wallet, which had been handed into Ely Police Station.
“When we said we had got it, the smile on his face was cheek to cheek, he was very appreciative of the people that helped him get his wallet back, and got the name and phone number of the person who handed it in so he could contact them and say thank you.”
On Thursday William accompanied PCSO Maria Robinson on a school safety briefing covering topics such as stranger danger and seeking help from adults.
“She is lovely with kids and was very good at getting them to engage with her and listen to what she was saying to them. On the way home she talked to me about what she does in the community. I think that she is awesome. She’s very kind and the time that I spent with her was lovely, she loves a joke and a laugh and likes to engage in conversation with you.”
On a less happy note, by midday two shoppers had reported having their purses stolen at Ely Market.
“Luckily both of the people cancelled all of their cards so no money could have been taken out of their accounts. Another person came in and said they lost a wallet again today.”
On his final day at the station, William brought in a cake that his mother had baked for the team.
The highlight of his work experience happened 20 minutes before the end – when a blind man and his carer came into the station.
“They told us that he had never felt a police car and would really love to so Sgt Carter and I took them out to the yard where all of the police cars were. The man got to try on the body armour and he even got put in handcuffs, he also got to sit in the police car and even put the lights on.”
William, who hopes to join the force one day, has gained even more respect for the work police do after his week in Ely.
“Everyone I met at the station were very kind and friendly, all of the officers love to have a joke and a laugh with you, if you ever need to report a crime or even if you have just lost or found an item, Donny and Jessica will deal with it, they are very nice and they love to have a chat with the people that walk in, and most of the time the members of the public that have had to report something always leave with a smile on their face; Donny and Jessica do really make peoples’ day and they help them feel safe and secure being the first people in the station they see.”
To read William’s blog click here.

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Mane man PC Spencer harnesses his horse whispering skills

Tali — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 19:59:12 +0000

You’ve heard the old cliche about firefighters rescuing cats up tree – but a local cop took on the role of horse whisperer in Mepal yesterday.

At 4am on Sunday police were called by their ambulance colleagues who had witnessed ponies wandering across the highway.
PC Guy Spencer helped to return a horse which had strayed from nearby common land, where everyone is allowed to graze their animals.
According to Policing East Cambridgeshire’s Facebook page, “Luckily for us PC Spencer is a horse whisper. Well – he did have a sore throat last week.”

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Aspiring cop spends week with Ely Police

Tali — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 19:12:16 +0000

Ely Police Station welcomed its youngest addition to the team today – work experience student William Andrews.
The 14-year-old Ely College student will be spending the week at the station, gaining an insight into policing across East Cambridgeshire.

William, who hopes to join the police when he leaves school, started his first day attending a briefing before getting a tour of Police Headquarters in Hinchingbrooke.
He then helped an officer conduct essential vehicle checks on police cars before getting a one-to-one with District Inspector Marcia Pringle.
According to Policing East Cambridgeshire’s Facebook page, William threats to publish an “explosive tell all account of his time on duty” on his blog on Friday.
Watch this space…

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