Hello again,

What wonderful weather last week! My BBQ has been getting plenty of use this week although my neighbours find it a bit strange if I have been on nights!

Back to work, and tonight, Monday, July 6, we have the first of the monthly police meetings trial for Northam. This is to meet the policing pledge of monthly meetings. We will meet at the residents' office for 6pm. Everyone that lives or works in Northam is invited to share their concerns, and we will see what we can do about them, and agree the priorities. Every alternate month the priority setting will be part of the residents meetings. It will be interesting to see how many people turn up and if the concerns are still the same. This week I will provide a short update on the priorities, what they are and what we have done and intend to do.

For Northam we have the priorities of juvenile nuisance problem, parking problems on Northam estate and drinkers in the precinct.

Regarding the juvenile nuisance, this has reduced considerably over the past year or so. We started, and continue, the Junior PCSO scheme for Lumpy Lane which has gone really well, and as I have mentioned before has spread to other areas of Hampshire and even Thames Valley Police - so a first for us there. We work really closely with Sally White at the Northam 521 Youth Group and assisted in the funding of CCTV at the Community Centre. PCSO Mark Reynolds has also arranged for some of the children we identified as causing damage and graffiti to go back and clean it off - that’s gone down well. He has also assisted the businesses in Radcliffe Court to get the area fenced and gated, again reducing damage.

For the parking problems, PC Phil Warwick has arranged for some businesses to use the council car park at Bond Street for reduced rates, therefore freeing up space in York Close for residents. There is great concern over the number of taxis parking on the estate, however we have spoken to the council and there is nothing in their licence for taxis that prevents this, as many are privately owned cars that are used for taxis, so we may be as far as we can get on that. Its just a fact that there are too few spaces.

Finally the drinkers on the precinct. We patrol everyday and have moved on several people, (many actually residents of the estate), confiscated alcohol and keep pressing the message. The drinkers that live on the estate received a joint visit from us and housing to remind them of their responsibilities under their tenancy agreement, and that seems to have helped as well, so that is reducing.

For St Marys the priorities we have are anti-social behaviour (ASB) on the footbridge from Chapel to Deanery, cycling on the pavements and drug issues in Holyrood.

The ASB on the footbridge has been identified as students going to and from the City Centre. We have had some operations overnight where we stop check the students and take alcohol on their way into town, and lots of liaison with the Halls of Residences. In fact PCSO Mike Kesslar-Lyne now has surgeries at each hall when the students come back from holidays. There was the clean up day at the bridge with the Junior PCSO schemes and residents and there is the paint fest planned with students - so an improvement.

Cycling on the pavement - as a cyclist myself, this really annoys me. It is an offence, and people know that, but they will belt down pavements, dodging between pedestrians. We have issued 37 fixed penalty notices for cycling on the pavement this year and at £30 a time I make that about £1,110 - not bad. The PCSO will continue to enforce the regulations and PCSO David Wright has visited City College on several occasions to try to get the message across to students as they were identified as particularly at fault.

Finally the drugs issues at Holyrood. There have been a few warrants completed on the estate this year and we keep a good liaison going with the staff and clients at the Drug Intervention Project on College St. The neighbourhood wardens and ourselves regularly check the shed areas on Holyrood for drug litter, and thankfully this is reducing.

On top of the priorities, we also identify community concerns and the sort of things the team are working on for these concerns are: parking problems in Golden Grove, thefts and assaults in Hoglands Park, speeding in St Mary Street, rough sleepers/begging in St Mary Street and behind Corals, neighbour disputes in Charliejoy Gardens, Northam and the drug issues in Northam. So plenty to keep us busy.

Incidentally, do you know how Charliejoy gardens got its name? Well many years ago, the St Marys vicars residence was next to the Augustine Church on Northam Rd and had a large garden. Part of the garden was sold off for housing and at the time the vicars name was Charlie and his wife was Joy - hence Charliejoy Gardens. Of course since then the vicarage has been sold for more housing, however as the beat officer for Northam I can remember having many a good afternoon in the garden of the vicarage when Angus was the vicar - for those who remember the beer loving, rugby playing man of the cloth. What a super chap he was and some good times in that garden.

Anyway, have a good weekend, perhaps even drop me a comment

Cheers

Dick