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Reclaim our Communities
Today the Evening News launches its own clampdown
on anti-social behaviour.
From fly-tipping to graffiti, dog fouling to
the gangs of yobs roaming the streets at night, we want your
help in combating those who bring shame on our city, towns
and villages.
Evening News readers – sick of the mindless minority
ruining other people’s lives – can now start taking
positive action by using our Reclaim Our Communities diary
to log anti-social problems.
We will then use the information to highlight problems to
our councils and police force, although in case of an emergency,
readers should always dial 999.
Our initiative comes after more and more people are becoming
concerned at the national rise in yob culture, which has seen
drunken thugs take over children’s playparks at night
and people polluting our environment with fly-tipping.
The nation has also been sickened by several high profile
crimes, including the killing of Peter Woodhams, 22, who was
shot dead near to his East London home after confronting yobs
and the knifing of 16-year-old South Shields boy Glen Corner
on his 16th birthday on Monday.
People are already backing the scheme.
 St
Stephen’s Square has been plagued by anti-social behaviour
and the estate’s HomeWatch co-ordinator, 58-year-old
Doreen Cochrane, said: “I fully support this Norwich
Evening News initiative. We have a lot of problems in our
area and the police try to do their bit and the community
support officers work hard.
“But hopefully, if people have the backing of the paper,
it will make police and councils even more likely to take
notice.”
Bert Bremner, Labour councillor for University ward where
the diary of incidents led to police action to crack-down
on yobs in the area, said: “This sort of pressure can
really make a difference.
“The police need to know this information
to be able to do anything about it and they need to know constantly
to know if there is a particular problem in a particular area.
“I have seen the way the police have responded so magnificently
in this area and fully support this.”
Jill Smith, 66, of Sale Road, Heartease, runs the Heartsease
and Plumstead Residents’ Association, said the major-ity
of complaints she received were to do with anti-social behaviour.
She said: “Sometimes you report these things to the
relevant people and they just don’t seem to listen.
They seem interested in doing something at first and then
it just wares off. I think anything that might make people
sit up and listen and take action has got to be supported."
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| Charles Clarke: "An excellent
initiative" |
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| Adrian Ramsay: "Important
to report incidents" |
Charles Clarke, MP for Norwich South, said:
“I think this is an excellent Norwich Evening News initiative.
The police can only succeed on the basis of good quality information
from the public and I believe that this construc-tive idea
can help the police do their work.”
Adrian Ramsay, leader of the Green Party group within Norwich
City Council, said: “It is very important that peo-ple
report incidents of anti-social behaviour and give all the
relevant information they can to the authorities.
“We need to ensure that the council wardens and the
police community support officers are able to respond with
more patrols in those areas and work with the community to
get the problems resolved.
“I know of several anti-social behaviour hotspots in
the city and hopefully encouraging reporting of incidents
can help solve the problems. In additions it is important
for the council to ensure there are adequate resources and
activities for young people to help get to the route of the
problem.”
Sharon Long, 32, of Plumstead Road, said: “If it helps
to reduce anti-social behaviour, then I support the cam-paign.
All too often I think the authorities don’t take anti-social
behaviour seriously enough and they fail to recognise the
impact it can have on people’s lives. I’ve heard
of elderly people who were afraid to leave their own homes
because of problems in their own street. These people need
to realise that we won't stand for this kind of behaviour.”
The form is for people to register complaints
on, among other things:
- Flytipping
- Antisocial behaviour
- Abandoned cars
- Prostitution
- Graffiti
- Dog fouling
- Littering
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