Volunteers to patrol Basingstoke Canal in Woking after sexual exposure incidents
Police say it is due to an increase in reports of crime along the towpath
A team of volunteers will be patrolling the Basingstoke Canal in response to an increase in crime in the area - including sexual exposures and suspicious incidents over the past 18 months.
Canal Watch is expected to launch in March, and will also be tasked with reporting things like fly tipping, graffiti and ASB.
The community initiative involves Surrey Police, Woking Borough Council, the Basingstoke Canal Society, and Neighbourhood Watch.
Around 30 members of the public will be given parts of a 32 mile stretch of the towpath to patrol.
They will be wearing affiliated clothing to ensure they are easily recognised.
Temporary Sergeant Ed Lyons said: "This is a community initiative that will involve a team of around 30 local volunteers patrolling the towpath and reporting any suspicious behaviour to the police.
"We'll regularly update Canal Watch volunteers about local crime issues and identify offences or suspects we'd like them to keep a particular eye out for.
"The 32 mile stretch of Basingstoke Canal will be divided into smaller sections for our volunteers to patrol at specific times.
"The safety of our volunteers is an absolute priority and we're encouraging people to patrol in pairs.
"Like any member of the public, if they see a crime in action they would report it to 999 straight away."
Police say the offences have generally taken place either between 7am and 8am or 4pm and 6pm.
However, they do not believe the incidents are linked as the descriptions of the suspects have varied on a number of occasions.
In response there has been a rise in the number of uniformed and plain clothes police patrols and officers have provided personal safety advice to schools and community groups.
Woking Borough Commander Inspector David Bentley, said: "We are urging the public to remain vigilant when using the towpath and to report anything suspicious to us straightaway.
"The quicker you report suspicious behaviour or activity, the quicker we can attend and this increases our chances of successfully locating and catching the offender.
"I would personally like to reassure the public that my team is doing everything they can, including working with our partner agencies, to identify those responsible.
"We are also hopeful that the increased reward for information being offered by Crimestoppers will be helpful in encouraging those who may have some relevant information, to come forward.
"This can even be done anonymously through their helpline on 0800 555111."
Anyone with any information which could help with our investigation is asked to contact us quoting PR/45200127345 via:
Webchat: surrey.police.uk
Online: https://www.surrey.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/
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