Residents rally in bid to tackle menace of gangs
The ‘gangs’ behind a spate of vandalism in a quiet suburb of Bath will ‘feel they can do anything’ if nobody reports their crimes to the police, says a local resident.
Residents in Odd Down have had their car wing mirrors knocked off, car windscreens have been cracked and tyres have been slashed in recent weeks. The loaves and fishes sculpture in front of St Philip and St James’ Church was also knocked off its plinth, before later being restored. Prospective B&NES Liberal Democratic councillor Joel Hirst organised a meeting at Odd Down’s Sainsbury’s store with Avon and Somerset police to discuss the problem. Local resident and Bath’s prospective parliamentary candidate, Dominic Tristram of the Green Party, said that the 30 or so people left the meeting in a more optimistic mood than when they entered it and the key message was for people to tell police about crime. Another councillor said he was disappointed with the number of people attending the meeting and suggested a joint effort from various agencies was needed to tackle the issues. Mr Tristram said: “It was good to see that concerned residents turned up to air their frustrations and talk about being victims of vandalism,” he said. “The police made it very clear that people need to report these crimes to them to resolve these matters. “They are overstretched as it is but it is better to report than not. “I don’t know if crime has gone up but it was good to hear that police are investigating this and are making progress towards arresting people. “But if people do not report this then gangs feel they can do anything. People need to report these things. That was a key message we took away.” These acts of vandalism took place on Frome Road, Bloomfield Drive, Bloomfield Road and Sulis Manor Road, among others. Cllr Steve Hedges, of the Odd Down ward, said he was disappointed with the lower than expected numbers. “I was saddened by the turnout, to be honest. This is an important issue and I wish more had attended,” he said. “The night when this crime spree took place didn’t just hit Odd Down, it was in Southdown, Oldfield Park and even Twerton. “It was a difficult meeting but I think we came away from it with a sense that something will be done. “I want to bring in a community trigger. This is where other bodies and agencies, such as police, housing providers, probation etc, work together to tackle a problem like anti-social behaviour. “They did it in Keynsham and it quietened down the anti-social behaviour issue there. People understand the pressure police are under. “They understand if there are 15 teenagers smoking in Sainsbury’s car park and there is a big incident in the city centre, the latter will get more police covering it. “I have to say though that this is the worst it has been in Odd Down for a long, long time. “But there needs to be more things going on for kids. We have a youth club but there are not enough sessions going on. “This is down to cuts from the Government. We need more funding for that and on police numbers too. Locals also know how important it is to report a crime to police because if they don’t, it is unlikely to get resolved.” The Bath Chronicle has contacted police for a comment.
The police made it very clear that people need to report these crimes to them to resolve these matters. Dominic Tristram