Sutton Neighbourhood Watch – November 2026 Newsletter

Dear Resident,

Welcome to the November edition of the Sutton Neighbourhood Watch (SNHW) newsletter. As the clocks go back and the nights draw in, thank you for your continued support in keeping Sutton a safe, resilient, and connected community. Your reports, your survey responses and your conversations with neighbours all help our local police target their resources where they matter most. Thank you also for your support of SNHW via the Co-op Community Fund, which has raised £1,588 to enable community-focused projects and initiatives across the borough. 

In this edition, we share a summary of our Annual General Meeting, including a briefing on cuckooing, along with the latest updates from Sutton Police, from a swift burglary arrest to drugs and vehicle crime operations. We also bring you the police's Autumn Nights crime prevention advice, an update on local action addressing violence against women and girls, and a free online event for parents and carers on understanding “manosphere”, a term for online communities that promote masculinity, misogyny, and opposition to feminism. 

Our Annual General Meeting 

On Wednesday 16 September, members gathered at Sutton Civic Offices for SNHW's Annual General Meeting. President Ruth Dombey reminded attendees that Sutton remains a very safe borough thanks to strong partnerships between neighbours and police and encouraged everyone to sign up to Met Engage. Chair Anna James explained that rising communication costs and a lack of funding meant moving to the national Neighbourhood Watch platform, which is now our only method of communication with our members. 

Most of the committee were re-elected, and we are pleased to welcome Anne Barnes as Treasurer, Colin Bartram as Technical Support Officer and Zeno Foltin as Technical Support Specialist. We thank Malcolm Booth for five years' service as Treasurer. The roles of Membership Secretary, Secretary, Social Media Officer and Youth Engagement Officer remain unfilled, so please get in touch if you can help. 

Inspector Paolo Resteghini and Sgt James Carvey stressed that policing in Sutton is data-led, urging residents to keep reporting, respond to Met Engage surveys and register home CCTV systems with the police. PC Will Holden then gave a briefing on cuckooing, where criminals take over the homes of vulnerable people to base their activities, and asked residents to report anything suspicious, as even small pieces of information can help. 

The full minutes can be found here.   

More information on cuckooing can be found here. 

Sutton Policing Update 

The Sutton Policing Team recently responded to calls reporting a man breaking into properties and sheds in the Sutton North and The Wrythe wards. Following a resident flagging down officers after their shed was broken into, officers set up a containment area and, supported by Response officers and a dog unit, found the suspect hiding in a nearby garden and arrested him. Police thanked residents whose information made the difference. This emphasises the value of information from members and the public in supporting the investigation and resolution of crimes. 

The Sutton Policing Team also reports a 5% reduction in anti-social behaviour over four weeks, with no reported anti-social behaviour in open spaces in The Wrythe and St Helier East. Highlights include: 

This is a great example of the dedication and commitment of our police in keeping both our communities and the borough safe. 

Please keep sheds, garages and outbuildings secure. If a crime is in progress, always call 999. 

Autumn Nights Crime Prevention 

Sadly, summer has come to an end, and we now face shorter days and what seem to be long winter months ahead.  As the evenings get darker and the risk of household burglary rises, we all need to remain alert and our local Neighbourhood Policing Team has shared some simple steps to keep ourselves, our homes and our vehicles safe: 

The Met's 3 STEP PROTECT strategy also encourages Londoners to rethink their security habits by focusing on three areas: protect your valuables, safeguard your building and secure your outside.  More information can be found here. 

Violence Against Women and Girls Update 

Although violence against women and girls is not always openly discussed, it continues to be a serious and deeply concerning issue in our society. It is therefore encouraging that officers from Sutton's Safer Neighbourhood Teams have carried out extra patrols in parks around Carshalton, Wallington and Beddington as part of a London-wide drive to combat violence against women and girls, while also targeting people wanted for violent offences. Although the police stress the patrols were not based on specific intelligence, it is important that we all remain aware of this serious issue. If you have been a victim of or witnessed a crime, please report it as early as possible.  More information can be found here. 

Advice on keeping one another safe is available here. 

“Understand the Manosphere”: Free Online Event 

Sutton Women's Centre is hosting a free online event for parents and carers on Tuesday 10 November, between 19:00 21:00 hours. The manosphere is a term for online communities that promote masculinity, misogyny and opposition to feminism. This event will teach us the language and ideas to look out for, get practical guidance if your son is exposed to the manosphere, and discover how to have calm conversations about incel culture. We warmly encourage members to join this important event. 

More information can be found here. 

Our Committee & Ward Coordinators 

A full list of our Committee and Ward Coordinators, including current vacancies, can be found here. 

Help Us Grow 

As our effectiveness in making Sutton a better place to live by combatting crime and antisocial behaviour is proportionate to our membership, please encourage your friends and neighbours to join. They can easily register here. 

Yours sincerely, 

Anna James and your SNHW Committee