Agenda item

Councillors Roshan Ghei and John Major attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillors in support of the petition. 

Concerns and suggestions raised at the meeting included the following:

• Although there had been a murder in the area on Christmas Eve, residents were aware that this was an isolated incident that had not involved local people;
• Residents were concerned about the significant drug activity that occurred in the area between 8pm and the early hours of the morning, particularly during the summer months;
• Although the Police had, on occasion, been called by residents reporting incidents of drugs being taken/sold, the Police had either not arrived on the scene at all or arrived after the perpetrators had left the area;
• The petition organiser had been liaising closely with Sergeant Hewitt and had passed on the car registration numbers of those cars that were involved in the drug activity;
• Other recent incidents in the area included:
• an attempted robbery from a pizza delivery person;
• cars being scratched; and
• a young female had been loitering behind the houses but had disappeared by the time the Police arrived;.
• Residents were feeling intimidated by the groups of young people that often hung around on the street and on the field behind the houses;
• The petitioners’ preferred solution was the installation of a CCTV camera, even on a temporary basis (6-12 months), so that the impact of its presence could be gauged;
• A number of the homes in the area had been burgled by individuals staying at a property in the area that had been rented to an organisation that housed young offenders on remand – the perpetrators had been arrested;
• Of all the issues, residents were most concerned about drugs, particularly in the parts of the area that were not overlooked such as the bottom of Warley Road;
• As the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT) did not currently have a car, Chief Inspector Dollery had been contacted by the Ward Councillors to establish whether it would be possible to get one;
• The local SNT was praised for providing a visible presence when it had been asked to do so; and
• Residents asked for assurances that action would be taken to alleviate the drug and anti social behaviour that was currently evident in the area.

Councillor Douglas Mills listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised.  It was noted that there were a number of areas in the Borough (as well as countless areas across the country) that suffered similar problems.  Officers were asked to contact the Police to find out whether all possible action had been taken to reduce the drug problem in the area.

As the lamp columns in the area were not tall enough, the installation of CCTV cameras would be more vulnerable to vandalism.  Furthermore, from the Police perspective, the threshold of incidents to warrant the installation of CCTV had not been met.  It was also noted that the installation of CCTV often just displaced the anti-social behaviour to another road. 

Residents were encouraged to set up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (NWS) and the Council’s Investigation’s Team Service Manager would pass on the contact details for Ken McGregor, who coordinated the NWSs, to the petition organiser.  The presence of a NWS in an area acted as a deterrent as potential perpetrators were more aware that residents cared about the area that they lived in and would be watching and reporting incidents. 

RESOLVED:  That the Cabinet Member noted the views of the petitioners, and advises that:

1. the local Police Safer Neighbourhood Team had been asked to patrol the location of Marvell Avenue and the footpath that ran the width of Yeading Brook open space between Marvell Avenue and the Greenway;

2. after consultation with the Barnhill Safer Neighbourhood Team, it was suggested that residents might consider starting a Neighbourhood Watch scheme;

3. residents should continue to report incidents to the Police on 0300 123 1212 or the Council on 0800 694 0240 (for non-crimes) to build up an accurate picture of whether incidents were increasing or decreasing;

4. permanent CCTV at the location was not a practical solution to the problem for reasons outlined in the report; and

5. officers would be instructed to contact the Chief Inspector to ensure that the Police was doing everything it could to reduce the drug problem in the area. 

Reasons for recommendation

To address the concerns of the residents. 

Alternative options considered

The Council discourages the use of dummy cameras as they give an impression of safety without the ability to provide any evidence if an incident were to occur.