Police Anti-Social Crackdown in Crowborough - Really?

Have you ever got so fed up with youths lurking about causing trouble and being noisy that you called the police?  If you have you'll know that you get through to the switchboard, are asked to leave a message by a civilian automoton and get told that the Officer will call you back, by which time the kids have moved off to give someone else grief.

Well, not any more - finally, we've got a hotline to the Police to let them know of incidents as they happen!  According to this week's Courier, The Op Time Scheme 'gives residents the mobile phone numbers of officers on the beat so they can alert them directly to unruly actions'.  My only grumble about that is, why has it taken so long when it seems like obvious common sense?  Maybe its because the police are often inundated with nonsense time-wasting calls - people having missed their bus or running out of milk, that kind of thing. 

The Courier's report goes on to say 'If you are interested in joining the scheme, forms are available from your nearest police station'.  Aha... Here's the rub.  This would suggest that not all residents will have the mobile numbers.  I reckon there'll be some kind of registration process, and an appointed 'representative' for your neighbourhood.   Will this not lead to a certain loss of anonymity? And will this dilute the immediacy of having a mobile number as the representative will have to be called first who will then then call the beat officer? I may be wrong. 

Are you involved in the scheme? What's your take on the new 'Op Time Team'?