Officers in Horley are appealing for witnesses following a collision between a cyclist and a van on the A23 Brighton Road, on Monday, 4 October.
The incident happened opposite the Texaco Service Station.
If you witnessed the event or have any dashcam footage, you are asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident number PR/45210105969.
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Surrey Police says a person being stopped should not have to do anything extra to ensure their own safety.
In a Facebook question and answer session Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said the responsibility to do so is on the police not the person being stopped.
It’s after the Met and its Commissioner Cressida Dick are facing a backlash in the wake of the Sarah Everard case for advice suggesting women concerned when stopped should ‘wave down a bus’.
In the Q&A discussion Mr Stephans said it is very rare for a lone male officer not in uniform to stop lone females but it can and does happen. In those circumstances, he added, it is the police who will take the initiative to reassure the person they are safe.
“One of the key topics that I’ve seen covered in the media is ‘How can women who are on their own, who are stopped by police, be reassured that we’re going to keep them safe’. The first thing is that the onus is not on women to find that safety. The onus is on those in policing to give you that reassurance. We’ve given guidance to our officers here in Surrey about what we expect them to do, but I know that they would be doing that anyway. This has shocked us in policing. It’s rocked us to our core and we will be wanting to do everything we possibly can to reassure you that we’re there to keep you safe.
“It’s very rare for a lone male officer, not in uniform, to be making stops on their own with lone females. It can happen. It does happen. But what you can expect in those circumstances is very quickly for other colleagues to come and assist. I know that male colleagues will be reaching out if they find themselves in that scenario to get their colleagues to come and join them. You shouldn’t have to do anything extra to ensure your own safety. That is on us and we will take those steps. Of course if you find yourself in a situation where that doesn’t happen, you can seek help or can request that the officer who’s dealing with you to ask somebody else to attend, or to make contact with the control room, but we will take the initiative to do that and to give you that reassurance and keep you safe.
“In most circumstances where we stop somebody, we will choose to stop them in an area that helps them be safe, but also helps officers be safe as well. Of course, we don’t know what we’re about to encounter when we stop a vehicle so we will want to do that in conditions that are safe for everybody. You don’t have to get into our police vehicle when we do routine procedures – you can stand outside if you feel more comfortable. Typically, if you are offered to get into a police vehicle, in my experience, it might be because it’s pouring down and we want to give you shelter, or you might be in a dangerous position on a fast road for example and officers are trying to give you protection, but if you want to stand somewhere else in a safe space that’s absolutely fine too.
“In relation to handcuffing, we only handcuff for our safety and your safety – circumstances where we think somebody’s in possession of a knife or a bladed article or drugs for a drug search. Again, in those sort of scenarios officers will be very quickly seeking assistance from their colleagues and are unlikely to do any of that on their own. It’s not part of our practice if we’ve made an arrest and taken somebody into custody to transport that person on our own. We don’t do that, not least for police officers’ safety as well, so if you do find yourself arrested for an offence by a male officer on their own, they will be seeking assistance with transport into custody.
“In light of what’s gone on, I understand that people may be feeling nervous. It’s something that we’re all going to have to work through together because policing relies entirely on the trust and confidence of our communities. Without that trust and confidence, policing is so much more difficult to do, which is why we’ve got to accept the damage that’s been done by Wayne Couzens and it’s our responsibility in policing to regain that confidence.
“In relation to questions around the seriousness of offences such as indecent exposures – we know that they can be a precursor to sexual violence, and we do take them very seriously. Earlier in the year when we did a survey across Surrey which received well over 5000 responses from predominantly women and girls in our communities about where they feel safe. A theme that emerged was that often some of these scary and dangerous acts were not reported to us.
“I would encourage them to be reported because whenever a report like that comes in, we will want to look at the whole circumstances around it. We may have information and intelligence already in our system and you may have the missing piece of the jigsaw. We will look to put themes together where we can and we absolutely want to identify those offenders and intervene in their offending behaviour as you quite rightly identify, these can be pre-curate to much more serious offences.
“Sometimes such offences take place in particular locations that are felt to be dangerous in themselves and we will want to work with our local authority partners to make those areas feel safer too. So, there is a lot that we can do and if this has happened to you and you haven’t reported it then please consider doing so. You can do that anonymously through Crimestoppers if you prefer.
“There’s also now an online tool that anyone can use to report areas where you don’t feel safe. You can find it by searching StreetSafe/Surrey Police. It’s an online tool where you mark on a map areas in Surrey where you don’t feel safe or you’ve got concerns about safety.”
You can read the Q&A session in full here.
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A new pothole repair method in West Sussex could mean the end of lengthy road closures.
The Velocity Road patcher is being trialled in the county with experts saying repairs are ready to drive on in minutes and cost a third of the price.
It consists of pressurised air being used to remove debris before the hole is filled using a high velocity nozzle.
During the 6-month trial it resulted in more than 1,000 potholes being repaired across the county.
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Photo: BBC/Summers Place Auctions
The bridge, which was rebuilt near Penshurst, Kent, was expected to fetch up to £60,000. It was where Milne and his son Christopher Robin created the game Poohsticks.
Buyer Lord De La Warr, who owns Buckhurst Park in East Sussex, said: “It will take pride of place on the estate.”
Previously called Posingford Bridge, the structure has been restored over the years and was reopened and renamed Poohsticks Bridge by Christopher Robin Milne in 1979.
It became worn and unsafe in the late 90s and was dismantled and replaced with a replica bridge, which is still in place in Ashdown Forest.
Former owner Mike Westphal repaired the original bridge after getting permission from the local parish council, replacing damaged parts with oak from the Weald of Kent.
He said the original wood was “just dumped in a pile in the forest, under a sheet”.
Mr Westphal felt that “someone had to do something with it, and unfortunately that fell to me.”
“It’s such an iconic item, it’s so many people’s childhoods.”
The bridge was first mentioned in The House at Pooh Corner, originally published in 1928, when Pooh accidentally drops a pine cone into a river from a bridge and came up with the rules for Poohsticks.
Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, West Sussex, sold the bridge on Wednesday and received bids from across the world.
James Rylands, a specialist in charge of the auction, said: “We were thrilled by the interest the bridge received globally, but are pleased that the bridge will stay in this country.”
The Hundred Acre Wood made famous by A.A. Milne sits on Lord De La Warr’s Buckhurst Park estate in Withyam.
Lord De La Warr said he hoped “many children, and adults, will be able to admire the original bridge” on his estate.
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Surrey police are warning about a ‘potential killer’ new drug is issued after a man remains in critical condition in Woking hospital.
The drug is being sold as cocaine but is believed to contain lethal ingredients.
With the help of drug users, police want to get this potential killer off the streets.
Surrey police said; “We do not condone drug use of any type and would highlight that a risk in taking recreational drugs is that you do not know what these drugs are laced with. Our priority is to safeguard the public so we are urging anyone who may have taken drugs and has concerns to seek urgent medical help.
“We also need the co-operation of drug users, and their friends and family, to get this potential killer off the streets. If you believe you have bought this drug, do not take it. Get rid of it by bringing it to your local police station or contacting Crimestoppers if you would rather remain anonymous.”
Anyone with any further information around the potential supply of this cocaine is encouraged to contact the police, quoting crime reference number PR/ 45210104112 via Webchat on their website surrey.police.uk, Online at https://www.surrey.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/
Or by calling them on 101. If you do not wish to leave your name, please call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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