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CA Open Meeting on Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour
On 7th October, Pucklechurch Community Association held an open meeting attended by about 60 villagers. CA Chair Les Bence started the meeting by explaining how the CA has lost many bookings over the last few years due to the behaviour of some local youths. At least eight clubs no longer use the village hall, and the loss of individual bookings has led to the hall's bar takings going down by 75%. If this decline in use is not halted, the future of our village hall is in jeopardy.
A variety of questions were presented to a panel of guest speakers: Sergeant Andy Workman (Avon & Somerset Police), Philippa Isbell (South Gloucestershire ASBO coordinator), Steve Webb (our local MP), and Sandra Grant (our South Gloucestershire councillor).
Sgt Workman, who is an ex-Pucklechurch resident, emphasised that there were no short-term answers. Sandra Grant and other speakers reflected villagers' feelings of being let down by the lack of police presence in Pucklechurch. Sgt Workman told us that Boyd Valley represents only 1% of reported crime in the area, and we therefore get a "measured response". Between January and August 2004, only 288 calls to the police were reported from Boyd Valley, compared with 100 calls per day from South Gloucestershire as a whole. Therefore, anyone witnessing or being subject to a crime should report such incidents to the police. MP Steve Webb said a rise in the number of reported incidents would also help him when lobbying for more police officers in our area and for a more visible beat manager.
However, Sgt Workman gave some practical suggestions for dealing with crime and anti-social behaviour:
Report any and all incidents, either by telephone or using the incident reporting forms available from the post office and social club. Note that the forms do not require your name or signature.
Ring 999 for any crime that is happening now, even if it is not life threatening. The police want to catch those responsible. If you ring 999, say "I want to report a crime". Do not say, "I want to speak to Staple Hill Police Station", as police there may be out dealing with other incidents.
Ring 0845 456 7000 to report incidents that can wait a little longer (for example, if the offenders have gone). When you ring, ask for a name and a log number. Also note the time of the incident.
Make use of the beat surgery. (Hopefully this will be more widely advertised in future.)
In August, Chris Skelton volunteered to become our beat manager, and Sgt Workman was full of praise for the enthusiasm P.C. Skelton is putting into his new post. He also informed us of "Operation Defrost", an initiative that employs a police van full of beat managers who focus on anti-social behaviour incidents.
In response to a question from the floor, Philippa Isbell explained that anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) can rely on hearsay evidence alone. She stressed, however, that there needs to be a tremendous amount of evidence in this situation. Once a behaviour order is made, any breach becomes a criminal offence, incurring a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment, although to get to this point witnesses are needed to stand up in court.
Philippa Isbell also answered questions about dispersal notices, which again can be based on complaints in a certain area, though these must be agreed by the local authority. She told us that a recent dispersal order in Staple Hill was the result of residents working together in the face of continuous and serious anti-social behaviour. It also helped that there was an area nearby where groups could disperse.
Les Whittock spoke from the floor on behalf of the Parish Council. He stated that any resident with concerns could air them at Parish Council meetings. You can book a 5-minute slot by handing in your question at least 48 hours before a meeting. (Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of every month -- see details on the notice board outside the post office.)
The CA are considering a new form of security and asked whether there were any grants available to make the village hall safer. Steve Webb stated that a number of organisations may give grants and he will look into this.
Les Bence closed the meeting by thanking the speakers and inviting one of the young people present to come to future meetings. Sgt Andy Workman encouraged us to involve the youth because they are the future of the village.
Meeting reported by Carol Humphrey
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Meet P.C. Chris Skelton, Beat Manager
P News: Tell us something about yourself.
P.C. Skelton: I am married with two children. My hobbies are fishing and music. I play in a blues band and also play guitar in a duo. I write some of my own material and have produced CDs.
P News: How long have you been a policeman?
P.C. Skelton: I was in the army for nine years in the Household Cavalry regiment. I rode on ceremonial occasions and was also involved in training. In 1991, I joined the police force and have worked in Knowle West, Central Bristol, Bath and now Staple Hill. I cover the Boyd Valley, which is the area from Bitton to the Wiltshire border.
P News: How are you hoping to combat the problems with young people in Pucklechurch, especially at the Village Hall?
P.C. Skelton: I am a bit old fashioned and like to get out and meet people. I believe in talking and listening, and trying to find a solution, which is why I am organising meetings with some of the young people. I like to get involved and believe in hands-on policing. I will be in this area for two years, which gives me a year to get to know people and a year to put things right.
P News: What would you like to achieve here?
P.C. Skelton: I would like to have a police post somewhere in the village, like I have in Marshfield and Wick, where people could come and meet me or discuss any problems. I find this works well and also gives me a base from which to walk around the village. I love the countryside; I want to keep it safe; I want to make a difference.
P News: How can you be contacted?
P.C. Skelton: If it is not urgent, you can leave a message on 0117 945 4193. I pick them up each morning when I am on duty. Or you can ring my mobile on 07919 628315, but I only have that switched on when I am working. Alternatively, if you want to report something but it's not urgent enough to dial 999, then you can ring 0845 456 7000.
Interviewed by Valerie Broom
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Pucklechurch Community Website
It is just over a year since the Pucklechurch website went online. In that time, the number of visitors to the site has steadily increased. In October we had nearly 900 separate visits and over 1800 pages were viewed. The site is now ranked first on the Google search engine if you search on "Pucklechurch", though it took some time and effort to achieve this.
Did you know that you can sign up for regular email updates on village news and events? Register now by visiting the site and clicking on "Click here to sign up for regular email updates" on the left of your screen -- just fill in the simple form and you will be subscribed. If you find it's not for you, you can unsubscribe at any time.
People are using the website for all manner of things. Need to know the opening times of the surgery? When the next WI meeting is? Where and who the Pucklechurch 1st XI are playing next Saturday? What time meals are served in the local pubs? All this information is just a click away and accessible from any computer connected to the Internet -- from work, from home or a from friend's house.
New contributions are always welcome. Do you have an old clipping, photo, information on local history, or other item of local interest? Do you have a village event that you would like to promote? Get in touch with us (see below) and we can put this online for all to see. Currently the site contains pages for the following:
- The online version of the Pucklechurch News
- Pucklechurch News archives going back to 1976
- Calendar of village events and meetings. Please keep us informed (contact details below) of any events and they will be added to the calendar
- Local interest with sections on history and the St Thomas à Becket church
- Directory of local businesses
- Links to other sites of local interest
- Community - pages for local clubs, organisations and societies. So far we have information on the following:
- Badminton
- Short mat bowls
- Cricket
- Football
- Girlguiding
- Ladies Hockey Club
- NSPCC
- Revel
- St Thomas à Becket Church
- Scouts - Beaver/Cub/Scouts/Explorer
- Tower Playgroup
- Twinning Association
- Women's Institute
If your club or group is not listed, please send us your information to be posted on the website free of charge. To contact us, call Martin Smith on 937 4437, send an email to webmaster@pucklechurch.org or drop a note to any of the Pucklechurch News editors.
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