Anti-social behaviour, crime and security

The core reason, or reasons, for anti-social behaviour and crime in an urban environment are impossible to explore in this report. The community welcomes all programs for rehabilitation to address crime, anti-social behaviour and social-exclusion. However, the request for a program of regeneration to improve the appearance and function of this small neighbourhood environment is to treat the symptoms and in doing so it is very likely that anti-social behaviour will decrease. A program of regeneration which improves the appearance of the parade will make it less inviting to bad intent.

The perception of people living and working in the community is that anti-social behaviour and crime in the neighbourhood are steadily increasing. There are beggars who menace people in the street and the staff of the business outlets. At least ten employers and staff on the parade have contributed numerous accounts to this report. Drug use and drug dealing is observed daily, not only in the lanes, alley ways and derelict areas, but immediately in front of their premises. Aggressive begging and harassment of elderly people coming out of the post office are common occurrences.

Some of the shop keepers say they feel threatened when they are closing up at night and it is often the same individuals who repeatedly cause trouble. One young lady proprietor had a particularly frightening experience:

‘He’s often round here, begging and harassing us. One night when I was going home he tried to get into my car. I was terrified. I pushed him away and drove off. I reported it to the police but no one contacted me for a week.’

‘I’ve been working up here for over two years and never seen a policeman on the beat’

local employee.

There was one suggestion: ‘A plain clothes policeman would only have to observe certain places on the parade for awhile to see who these people are.’

It would appear that businesses on the parade have experienced an upsurge in break-ins and burglaries. Employees of one commercial outlet who have been broken into three times in recent months had this to say: ‘We know the police are stretched but that doesn’t help us. It took them two or three days to arrive.’

The bus shelters are often vandalised and covered in graffiti (and appear to be left like that for months on end). The flower baskets have been vandalised. Unsavoury characters have monopolised the seat on ‘the green’.

So far, the only apparent intervention by the council and the police has been to remove the seat and take away the flower baskets.

It would be a seriously backward step if the relatively recent new-comers on the parade became threatened with closure because they lacked support from the authorities which, in this instance, is vital to the future of the parade.

The parade is prone to having numbers of boarded up shops. At one point more than 50% of them were empty. The estate agents concerned said that it was difficult to let one empty shop when there were other boarded up shops around because the general run-down appearance of a neighbourhood discourages interest. The parade is small and at present there are two empty units. The proprietors of the shops and the community rely upon the landlord, Mr Zucher of City Estates, to negotiate realistic rent for the units. There is nothing to be gained for anyone if the rent is so high that the units are left vacant and become derelict again.

The community also expects Mr Zucher, as the owner of the buildings, to keep them properly maintained. Parts of the exterior of the buildings look derelict. In these circumstances, because the buildings are an important part of the public amenity of the neighbourhood, he has a civic responsibility to fulfill this obligation. The community appeals to the planning authority to engage with Mr Zucher.

Trouble spots are obvious. The large empty ex-pub site which has only been closed up recently is already rapidly becoming derelict and attracting vandalism, drug dealing, and drug use. It’s a big site, and its deterioration is bound to have a big impact on the neighbourhood. In these circumstances it doesn’t take long for a culture of anti-social behaviour to develop and, if left for too long, it will set in. There are residents on three sides of the site.

The community are disappointed to see that vandalised bus-stops covered in graffiti appear to be ignored by the council for long periods. Voluntary action by the businesses on the parade to remove graffiti promptly from shutters would be welcomed as part of a program for regeneration in the neighbourhood.

‘They’ll only do it again.’ – is a common misconception. All the indications are that if graffiti is removed promptly and a neighbourhood has a well-kept appearance, the incidences of anti-social behaviour and crime become less frequent.

‘I’ve taken photographs of vandalised parts of the neighbourhood and submitted them the council to try to get some action. I’ve talked to some very helpful sounding people in authority at the council, but then nothing happens.’ – A local resident.

There is a profound sense of hopelessness felt by some of the more pro-active and long-standing members of the community. Some have introduced neighbourhood watch schemes, organised action groups to improve the parade or organised meetings with our local MP and councillors.

None of the problems highlighted in this section or indeed in this report could be regarded as unsolvable.

All that is required is action.