Make sure you provide your name, address and a contact phone number on any email you send. Describe the problem carefully providing details even photographs. i.e. "I observed a male teenager of around school age going from house to house in my street, knocking doors and then going around the back of houses. He was light skinned, about so high wearing a red tee shirt, jeans and had a back pack."

An fairly detailed observation of the individual can be very helpful to police. Remember police have a separate incident database as distinct from their offence database. This data becomes useful intelligence for directing police operations. For example several sightings of a person in a street by a number of people will enable police to conduct more regular patrols in that area particularly if three has been a break in.

We, the community, can become the eyes for the police as long as we keep them open and report incidents!