Street drinking and cycling successes

Hello again,

I have just returned from our Netley training and support headquarters after doing my annual First Aid refresher - yes on top of all our other work we still have to do that. Why is it that every time you do First Aid, CPR changes - now its 30 compressions and 2 breaths! Anyway, that's me trained for another year.

We had a small celebration this week as we have been informed that our bid to the Community Benefit Fund was successful - this is to take 20 of the Junior PCSOs to Fairthorne Manor activity centre for the day. We took the best 20 attendees last year and they really enjoyed it. Also, one of the developers in the city has offered funds towards a community project. I am aware that the City Reach youth club in Holyrood are after some bikes for a project and the developers have offered to purchase 6 bikes for them. We will work with City Reach to assist with project, and hopefully continue to reduce barriers between the youngsters and the police.

At the Northam Tenants and Residents Association (NTRA) on Monday we discussed the policing pledge and the fact that the safer neighbourhood team should create opportunities for the community to meet them at least monthly to discuss concerns and community priorities. Generally we meet this by having the weekly beat surgery at the Northam Housing office, but this is not a meeting as such. We have the NTRA meeting bi-monthly which has a police spot - so every other month is covered in a meeting and the residents at the NTRA requested that they would like a proper police meeting for the months in between the NTRA meetings. So from next month we will start that, for a trial for few months to see how it goes. That meeting - the first on 6 July at the NTRA office at 6pm - is open to everyone, residents and local businesses.

The PCSOs have been busy the last few weeks in St Mary St and Northam stopping people and asking them to complete a short questionnaire, in another attempt to gain the concerns and worries of the communities. I am pleased to say that the results show we are actually working on the most common concerns anyway. Street drinking is quite high on the agenda, particularly with the good weather, and one of the areas of concern is Kingsland Square where there is also the Kingsland Tavern and the Plume of Feathers. Both these pubs have been putting out tables and chairs for their customers, almost informal beer gardens. I identified from the licensing department that in fact neither pub owns any ground in the square and therefore anyone drinking outside the pubs actually falls foul of the drinking control regulations that cover the city. I visited both licensees and explained this, and both have now kept their customers inside with drink, which will hopefully reduce the complaints.

Just before I finish, I must tell you of an incident that PCSO David Wright has just informed of. Yesterday he was in St Marys when he saw 2 youngsters cycling on the pavement. He advised them of the law and said if he saw them again he would give them a fixed penalty notice (FPN). Well, he did catch them again. One youngster accepted an FPN, the other was a bit rude and declined to accept one, so PCSO Wright told him he would be reported for summons. Well, after a nights sleep, the youngster came to the police station to find PCSO Wright to apologise for his behaviour and actually asked for an FPN, which of course PCSO Wright duly served. That is a pleasant story.

Cheers

Dick