Agenda item

Councillor Jagjit Singh attended the meeting and spoke as a Ward Councillor.  He stated that he had liaised with the police and residents about the issues raised in the petition and the associated concerns of the residents. 

Concerns and suggestions raised by petitioners included the following:

• Temporary CCTV had been installed in Minterne Waye for approximately 12 weeks about 18-24 months ago and had deterred fly tipping, alcohol/drug abuse and possible prostitution as well as cars parking and playing loud music until 2am in the area of concern.  The camera had been installed on a lamp column on the opposite side of the road so that it focussed directly on the area and a sign had been put up to say that CCTV was active in the area.  Petitioners noted that, once the temporary CCTV had been taken down, the anti social behaviour had resumed;
• In addition, a number of cars had been being left for months at a time and the area had been used by some individuals to fix cars.  In one instance, a car had been reported and clamped but someone had managed to get the clamp off (left it in the road) and drove the vehicle away;
• The area had been used for fly tipping, particularly the alleyway between Minterne Waye and Dorchester Waye, with recent items including a mattress, cooker hood and washing machine;
• There were a number of families with young children and elders living in the area and petitioners were concerned about them coming across broken bottles, used needles, empty cans and other debris as they walked to and from their homes;
• Petitioners believed that a temporary CCTV camera would act as a deterrent, even if it was just for a 12 week period;
• In addition to a CCTV camera, petitioners requested that a street light be erected in this part of Minterne Waye to also act as a deterrent to anti social behaviour.  Without the street lighting, the area was very dark and made residents feel unsafe passing it and intimidated when there were cars parked there playing loud music;
• Residents were apprehensive about reporting instances of anti social behaviour to the police for fear of repercussions from the perpetrators.  However, on the occasions that the police had been called, residents were really grateful for their response;
• Some residents had been threatened by people hanging around in the area, they had had their car windows smashed, possessions stolen from their cars and wing mirrors broken off; and
• Although the anti social behaviour could occur on any night of the week, it was more common at the weekend.

Councillor Douglas Mills listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised.  Although the fly tipping and littering was taking place in the green space and wooded area adjacent to the bypass as well as in the alleyway, the Cabinet Member was advised that the alleyway was well used by residents (and well lit) so it would be detrimental to have it gated off as a deterrent.  It was suggested that the Council look to periodically clear the area of rubbish to deter further fly tipping. 

The Cabinet Member agreed that the installation of a street light would act as a deterrent to much of the anti social behaviour being experienced by residents.  Although he asked officers to allocate the funding and make the arrangements required for the installation of a lamp column, he advised residents that this would not be something that would be completed overnight. 

It was noted that there was significant demand for the temporary CCTV around the Borough.  Although Councillor Mills asked that officers include Minterne Waye on the priority list for CCTV, he advised residents that the timescales for the installation and duration would be subject to the urgency of need elsewhere.  Once the CCTV had been installed, residents would need to contact the Anti Social Behaviour and Investigations Team to report the time and day of any issues of concern so that the recordings could be checked for evidence.  It was anticipated that the Council and residents working together in this way would result in the greatest benefit to the area. 

Councillor Mills asked that officers liaise with the local Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) to ensure that they were aware of the residents' justifiable concerns.  Residents were asked to ensure that they notified the local SNT of any offences that were committed and that this information be reported back to the Cabinet Member in the next couple of months.  The SNT would also be asked, where possible, to include the area on its patrols during the most affected times. 

RESOLVED:  That, having met with the Petitioners, the Cabinet Member:

1.    noted the views and concerns of the petitioners;

2.    asked officers to make arrangements for a lamp column to be installed in the road opposite 68A Minterne Waye, Hayes to illuminate this area to make it less attractive for cars to congregate there;

3.    asked officers to include Minterne Waye on the priority list for the installation of temporary CCTV to detect or deter crime and disorderly behaviour; and

4.    asked officers to liaise with the SNT and report back to the Cabinet Member in due course.

Reasons for recommendation

The Council has a number of mobile CCTV cameras that can be deployed for up to 12 weeks at a time in response to residents' concerns about crime and disorder.  Not only can these cameras collect evidence to support the police and/or the local authority to carry out enforcement and prosecution work, they can provide useful information about levels of crime in an area if any future applications are made for permanent CCTV or other crime prevention measures.

Providing street lighting would deter non residents from congregating at this location.  There is a similar road layout further along Minterne Waye which benefits from lamp columns; however, there is currently no provision for this within the Street Lighting budget.

Alternative options considered

The possibility of fixed permanent CCTV has been considered, but the costs are considerable and, when installing CCTV, the Council has to consider necessity, proportionality and the likelihood of intrusion into the privacy of people not connected with the disorderly behaviour. 

The deployment of temporary CCTV would enable an assessment to be made as to whether the problem is a temporary one, capable of resolution, which would avoid some of the problems associated with a permanent installation.