Mums tame hoodies

News of the World backs brave women who brought peace to streets

By Amanda Evans

GANGS of thugs, drug-dealers and vandals are on the run from a brave band of crime-busting MOTHERS.

The women joined forces to declare war on vile hoodies turning their estate into a no-go zone.

And, after just 18 months of patrolling the streets, the courageous Mums' Army are winning the battle—with prosecutions UP and crime figures DOWN.

"It was like a war zone here before we started Street Watch," said co-ordinator Annette Hoggard, 39, of the Oakley Vale estate in Corby, Northants.

"Residents were being attacked and abused, their homes were being vandalised and burnt-out stolen cars had become the norm on every street corner.

"Crime had reached such frightening levels people didn't go out after dark. If you heard a fight outside the only way to avoid having your windows bricked was to turn out your lights and hope no one saw you through your curtains.

"Ambulance crews were being attacked with stones and bottles and fire engines had to have police escorts."

Annette added: "We wanted our estate back for our kids to be able to go out and play without someone pulling a knife on them or offering them drugs." So she enlisted the support of 27 other mums—and Street Watch was born.

They went out on patrol in threes, armed only with two-way radios and notebooks to take down descriptions and the registration numbers of trouble makers.

Targets

Mum-of-five Karen McGilly, 37, said: "The yobs thought we were a joke until they realised we were giving information to the police." Then Street Watch became targets.

"We've been spat at, threatened with firebombs and baseball bats and one of our members had her car windows smashed. Someone even fired an air rifle at my baby's bedroom window," said Karen.

At first, worried husbands helped with late-night patrols but that inflamed the yobs even more.

"They were far more confrontational," said Karen. Once a man got out of his car and threatened one of the husbands with an axe.

"When we went back to our rotas of three women the abuse and threats continued but there wasn't the same physical confrontation."

The mums saw a wheelie bin thrown through a window, human excrement being smeared on windows and an elderly woman dragged from her home after asking yobs to get off her drive.

But after nine months of dedicated patrolling they had gathered enough evidence to help Northants police secure five prosecutions.

They won a Home Office Taking A Stand award and were regional winners in the Nationwide Award for Voluntary Endeavour.

Simon Peck, Northamptonshire Police's community liaison officer, confirmed the group's success. "There's been a significant decrease in the number of crime calls from the area," he said.

"Before Street Watch we dealt with one arson a night. In the last 18 months there's only been one."