RAMSDEN BELLHOUSE: Out on patrol with village's private security firm

By darnold

WITH his gun, white van and flashing lights you could be forgiven for thinking the Ghostbusters were in town.

But don't worry, there aren't any ghoulish goings-on in the sleepy village of Ramsden Bellhouse, just a routine evening patrol from Terry Green.

And it's not a real gun, but an electronic device to log various checkpoints along his route.

As we exclusively reported in last week's Gazette, Rapier Security has been called in by the parish council to give safety-conscious residents extra security against crime.

The whole operation came about because the parish council felt it was a better option than funding a PCSO. They now have guaranteed night patrols and overall it's cheaper than employing the police at a cost of £4,279 per year, compared to £8,500 to share a PCSO with another village.

Ramsden Bellhouse is one of just two villages in Essex patrolled by private security firms. Alresford near Colchester has employed a similar tactic and has seen crime plummet by 66 per cent.

So the Gazette went to find out what the service was all about.

We started our patrol at about 7pm on Thursday.

"I try and vary it at different times so nobody knows when we're coming," says Terry.

"To be honest I just think it's nice for people to know we're about – sometimes it can be easier than talking to the police."

Leaving from outside the village hall on Glebe Road we check in at our first stop. There's no faffing about, Terry merely used his computerised gun to record his presence at a check point – done in seconds.

"With this, we can prove to people where we have been and at what time, there's no cheating."

Director of Rapier Security, Peter Hayward, explains further: "At all of our jobs we use these check points. Terry has a gun with a computer chip inside to check in. Every point has a unique code and every week it gets downloaded from the gun on to a computer."

The company then issue the parish council with a list of dates and times for the check-ins.

"If any are missed then it comes up with a big cross, it has happened before but not for a long time. During the week the company has thousands of different points to check. I think we can handle about 18,000 but it doesn't come cheap.

"We have an excellent relationship with the police and if we see something we phone them straight away."

Back in the van and Terry checks in at his third point. We are at the church and again no suspicious goings on and we are on our way.

Snaking down silent country lanes flanked by properties worth in excess of £1million it feels like a scene from Midsomer Murders – but there are no bloodcurdling screams here, it's a quiet night as usual.

"Not much happens but there have been a couple of things, if people are going on holiday they might ask me to check their house and once a woman came out in her dressing gown and said people were throwing bottles, but normally it's quiet," says Terry.

In total there are eight check points and the patrol lasts about 45 minutes. With the remaining five points checked off it's time to leave.

Now it's up to the people of the village whether they want to keep the service on when this trial comes to an end in a few weeks.

But one thing's for sure – if there's something amiss in your neighbourhood, Terry is bound to know about it.