The Parish Council are aware of the concern of local residents regarding a growing number of incidents of anti-social behaviour by certain individuals in the village.
Information has been sought from various agencies as to how to report incidents.
The following information has been supplied by Homes in Sedgemoor
"In some situations there are grounds within a tenancy where, if broken, we can seek possession of a property. When seeking possession we are required to present evidence to the court in order for them to decide the outcome of that claim. We do exercise this when appropriate and have been successful on a number of occasions, but it can be a very lengthy process, particularly in recent times (COVID 19 restrictions and backlog).
The best support for Homes In Sedgemoor is for the community and yourselves to communicate with us and inform us of any incident or situation as soon as it arises. Evidence should come directly from customers, as opposed through a third party such as yourself, in order to support a successful claim in court. The community can report anonymously or provide their details and in a variety of ways:
· Completing an incident form through the HiS website http://brede/oa.live/ibsxmlpr.p?docid=tncy_asbx
· Calling Customer Services 0800 565 360
· E-mailing customer.services@homesinsedgemoor.org
Situations that require an emergency response from the Police should always be reported by calling 999 or 101 if non-emergency. We work closely with the Police through information sharing agreements and will be made aware of any incidents"
At the recent Meeting of the Parish Council, a deputation of residents from the southern part of the village attended to voice their concerns about an increasing level of anti-social behaviour in that area but sadly the promised police attendance did not materialise. Members of the Council were extremely disappointed at the lack of police attendance and requested a strong letter be sent to the Chief Inspector to request an improvement in the level of policing in the area and pointing out the difficulty in reporting incidents via the 101 service which people are always asked to use.
The letter stated
"I regret that Members of Woolavington Parish Council wish to draw your attention to their concerns regarding the lack of communication and engagement with the local police in recent months.
The Parish Council and members of the local community enjoyed an excellent relationship with the former Local Beat Officer and PCSO. They regularly attended Parish Council Meetings to give reports on items of interest and receive information from members. The PCSO used a room at the Village Hall as a rest room where she could be contacted and walked around the village engaging with residents.
We have not been informed if a new Local Beat Officer has been appointed. The new PCSO has promised to attend Parish Council meetings but has yet to appear despite being informed of dates and sent Agenda.
At last night’s Meeting a deputation of local residents attended to express deep concern at a rising level of anti-social behaviour in the southern part of the village. Sadly, the PCSO did not appear. Reference was made in particular to an incident yesterday when a youth in his mid teens verbally intimidated a lad with learning difficulties. Members of the local community intervened to protect him and a physical disturbance was narrowly avoided. His foster mother was in tears at the meeting when reporting upon the incident.
This youth claims that he can do whatever he wishes and no one will do anything about it. He is arrogant and virtually out of control and is now encouraging other youths to join him in anti-social behaviour, escalating the issues. For example, he was seen damaging garage doors with others in Knowle End last week. A number of residents claim that they are afraid to leave their homes when he is around which is completely unacceptable.
A dwelling is known locally as a drugs supermarket. The tenant regularly engages in various anti-social activities and attracts other youths to his property resulting in late night noise and disturbance. I understand that the police have visited this address on occasions but the drug related activities and disturbance continues.
People have been requested to report incidents on 101 as they occur but this system regularly takes up to an hour to be answered and people tend to give up. If a response is requested, it is common not to receive a reply. This is likely to give false impression in your statistics of incidents taking place in this village. E-mails sent to the PCSO’s often do not receive a reply neither do messages left on their phones.
My other parishes in North-East Sedgemoor and North-West Sedgemoor receive monthly bulletins from their PCSOs on crime statistics and other items of interest. No such bulletins are received by this Council.
My Council would appreciate your assistance in resolving these issues with hopefully enabling a good relationship to be rebuilt with the local police"
The Chief Inspector has promised to investigate these issues and his full response is awaited.
The Parish Council has since received the following information giving alternative methods for reporting incidents other than by phoning 101
Ways to report a crime or an incident:
You should always call 999 if you or someone else is in immediate danger, if the crime is in progress or if the suspect is detained.
Report online – https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/forms/rac
Report by phone – call 101
Report in person – if in Woolavington, visit Bridgwater Police Centre, Express Park, Bristol Road, Bridgwater, Somerset. TA6 4RR.