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:
- 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;
- after
consultation with the Barnhill Safer Neighbourhood Team, it was
suggested that residents might consider starting a Neighbourhood
Watch scheme;
- 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;
- permanent
CCTV at the location was not a practical solution to the problem
for reasons outlined in the report; and
- 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.