Action on anti-social behaviour in Wollescote

Margot James, Conservative Party candidate for Stourbridge, conducted a house to house survey of problems reported around the shops on Queensway in Wollescote.

Margot attended the Wollescote Police and Communities Partnership Team (PACT) meeting last week and reported on her findings. Margot said “I received complaints last year from residents who are intimidated by groups of youths hanging around the shops, there have also been problems with under age drinking which has made things worse. My survey at the end of last year revealed that the problem has not gone away during the winter months, residents won’t let their children go to the shops and older people are also put off from making the trip.”

The PACT meeting heard that there had been a significant drop in anti-social behaviour in Lye following the imposition of a dispersal order. Margot James requested that a similar order be considered for Wollescote.

Police stated that a dispersal order will be considered but only after time has been given for other measures to take effect. More facilities are being put in place for local youths; a youth club is being opened every Friday night, the Cyber Bus calls one evening during the week and the police run coffee evenings in local parks for young people. There will also be monitoring by mobile cctv cameras over the next couple of months.

The police measures were welcomed by Margot James who said “if we can positively impact on the behaviour of the majority of young people by engaging with them constructively then that is preferable to punitive action, but there may be a hard core of offenders for whom a tough response is necessary”. Margot will be writing to all residents who live on or around the Queensway with the findings from her survey and news from the PACT meeting held at the beginning of the year.

The next PACT meeting for Wollescote will be held on March 4th.