Police to crack down on anti-social behaviour in Cirencester

Last month the town council revealed there had been vandalism across various open spaces in the town.

There have been several incidents of arson in the toilets at St Michael’s Park, which have been closed while the damage is assessed.

The toilets at St. Michael's Park

This year there has also been numerous incidents involving boy racers causing disturbances late at night, particularly in the Love Lane area.

Last week Gloucestershire leaders promised that anti-social behaviour will be taken seriously, made easier to report and tackled in partnership – with victims no longer being passed ‘from pillar to post’.

The pledge has been developed by Safer Gloucestershire, a county-wide community safety partnership led by deputy police and crime commissioner, Nick Evans.

Mr Evans said he wanted to 'nip ASB in the bud, tackle it early and improve the quality of life for residents'.

“I want this pledge to act like a no-wrong door policy, putting the victim first and looking not just at what can my agency do to help this resident find a solution, but who can I speak to at other agencies to help them too,” he said.

The pledge was signed last Thursday, during Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness week, at the Gloucestershire Police headquarters in Quedgeley.
Cirencester councillor Ray Brassington attended on behalf of Cotswold District Council.

"I very much welcome this initiative from the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner to formulate a coherent and joined up approach to tackle anti social behaviour within the county," he said.

"This multi agency approach bringing together various organisations will lead to a more comprehensive response and hopefully a permanent resolution of the problems associated with such behaviour."
Cotswold’s neighbourhood policing inspector, Simon Ellson, said: "We take any and all reports of Anti-Social Behaviour seriously.

"Last week we supported Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week. We hope that by raising awareness of issues and encouraging people to be our eyes and ears in their communities, we will be able to better target those areas which need our support.

“Last week, officers visited schools across the district to discuss the impact of ASB with young people. The Neighbourhood team works closely with social services and the Youth Support Team to help educate and redirect young people from these types of issues.

“Additionally, officers have been out with the mobile community engagement vehicle speaking with residents and patrolling hotspots where we most frequently gets calls regarding ASB in multiple locations."

“Nuisance behaviour of this type has an enormous impact on communities and on people’s quality of life. It is one of our policing priorities and we use everything at our disposal to tackle it.

"If ASB occurs in your community, we’d encourage you to report any concerns so appropriate action can be taken to address them.”

It has recently been announced that Gloucestershire will receive mearly £750,000 to tackle anti-social behaviour.

READ MORE: Funds to tackle anti-social behaviour and violence