11:30am Friday 17th April 2009
By Tristan Kirk
STREET cleaners are joining a network of shops, pubs, and cafes who help police fight crime in Harrow town centre.
The Harrow Council workers will be issued with special radios, which they can use to contact police if they spot anything usual while going about their daily business.
100 of the walkie-talkies are already in use in the area, for traders and pub landlords to report trouble to police directly.
The inclusion of the street cleaners was the brainchild of Harrow town centre team chief Sergeant Mike Windeatt, who said he hopes they will be a valuable tool especially early in the morning when they start their shifts.
He said: "Working closely with the Harrow street cleaners has real benefits for us. They start their shifts just after dawn and see things that may be extremely valuable to police.
"We are issuing these radios to the supervisors and asking them to use them to report to us if, for example, they come across any suspicious packages, or any discarded property that might have been stolen, if they come across a crime scene or even if they see someone acting suspiciously."
The radios will also be linked to the CCTV control room, which helps police pick out suspected offenders and direct officers to arrest them.
Councillor Susan Hall, deputy leader of the council, said: "It is not about our cleaners suddenly becoming vigilantes but just using their experience of our streets to act as an early alarm service for town centre officers."
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