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My day in Northwest Leicestershire began on 26 May at the Olive Branch Café in School Lane. I’d been told that they do a top-quality breakfast – which they did. I introduced myself, and Charlotte at once wanted to tell me about the local issues with car crime.
“There has been a lot of car crime on this estate. Several cars have been stolen and items have been stolen from cars. A man has been seen trying car handles and garage doors.”
I promised to add this to the list of comments from the public that I had picked up on social media when I announced my coming visit. I have since taken these up with the local police commanders, and so can report back.
Over in Castle Donington there were questions about how often the police patrol the town. PCSOs McDonald, Russell, and Gallagher can be daily seen in Castle Donnington, and hold regular Beat Surgeries across NN43 Beat. They use the Community Hub on Bondgate, just off the town centre, as a base for foot and vehicular patrol, throughout their shifts. One resident also asked why a 999 call was responded to by a Derbyshire police officer. The answer being that cross-border co-operation is close so emergencies attract whoever can get there fastest.
Coalville – Broomleys/Greenhill area. There was formerly a PCSO who was highly visible but he seems to have left and residents don’t see the police much any more. What is the current situation regarding patrolling this area?
Kegworth – Cars racing each other at high speed on the A6 late at night cause disturbance, block the road and are dangerous. The police respond promptly, but often the racers have moved on by the time they arrive. Patrols now visit at times when racing is likely to happen to deter their return.
Oakthorpe – Residents asked if the patrolling of their village is adequate. The area is, fortunately, not high in crime but the local PCSO Fearn patrols regularly, both in vehicle and on foot, while two police officers visit less when other duties allow. Beat Surgeries are held regularly.
Packington, Rudburrow Lane is reported to have been used for drug dealing, but no formal reports had been made to the police. Nevertheless, some additional patrols will take place to keep an eye on the area.
Whitwick – The reported anti-social behaviour in Whitwick Park seems to have reduced recently. When incidents were reported to the police, officers attended promptly. I gather that the parish council is considering installing CCTV.
Whitwick – The alleged drug dealing in Castle Hill Park, off Castle Street is being responded to with additional police patrols but, to date, no drug-related activity has been found.
Meanwhile, breakfast over, I moved on to meet with Kate from the Ashby de la Zouch BID, together with town councillor Pejman Zamani, plus representatives of Pub Watch and local businesses.
They told me that a key concern is that the town may lose its Purple Flag status. This is viewed as being key to the town’s success as a night time economy centre. Its loss would also be a signal that the town is not safe to visit and so would impact on the day time economy and general reputation of the town.
They did not need to convince me of the importance of this. A town cannot survive without its local businesses. It is these that provide employment, pay the taxes that keep the town a pleasant place to live and bring in the visitors and bustle that are so crucial to the atmosphere of a market town such as Ashby. Keeping businesses safe if a key priority, so I was interested to hear what Kate & her colleagues had to tell me.
There is a dedicated Night Time Economy (NTE) Team which is on duty in Ashby and Coalville on Friday and Saturday evenings. I myself went out on patrol with them on night last winter, so I am fully aware of the sterling work that they do. Unfortunately, it is sometimes necessary for these officers to leave their NTE from time to time to deal with a lift-threatening emergency, but they always return as soon as possible.
Kate is working to set up a security system, known as DISK, similar to one already in use in Hinckley. As ever with such effective, but complex systems, there are teething problems. The more intractable of these relates not to the system itself but to the data sharing agreement that needs to be formalised to allow the various businesses and public bodies to share information in a legal and secure manner. She is confident that she will get there, eventually. I suggested that she talk to PCSO Phil Wayne of Hinckley.
The most pressing problem right now concerns anti-social behaviour in Market Street. This is intermittent but can cause a real nuisance to shoppers and business owners alike. The BID, working with the police and council, are hoping to get on top of the situation shortly. Having raised this with the local police commander, I’m pleased to be able to confirm that the police are now working with retailers and other partners to deal with the person causing most of the concern.
After Ashby, I took myself to Blackfordby to meet with Cllr Andrew Woodman and Cllr Rita Manning. They told me that during the rush hour, the Woodville roundabout on the A511 gets very congested. Cars then use Heath Lane and Butt Lane through the village as a cut through. As they come down the hill past the church they speed, which is especially dangerous given the sharp corner and road junction at the bottom of the hill. They would like to have speed cameras deployed from time to time.
I then moved on to Coalville to meet with Cllr Craig Smith, who is not only a highly effective county councillor but also runs a gym. He was working out when I arrived – and then gave me a wicked grin. Before I knew where I was he had a set of weightlifting weights ready for me.
“Go on, then”, he challenged me.
I think I’ll end this blog account there.
Rupert Matthews
Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
Posted on Monday 3rd July 2023