‘Life on estate is unbearable - we’ve met with council and the police, but see no changes yet’
RESIDENT ALLEGES A WAVE OF ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR WITH VANDALISM, DRUG ABUSE AND SEXUAL ACTIVITY IN PLAY AREA
A Loughborough man has lifted the lid on what he has called intimidating and unacceptable anti-social behaviour plaguing the estate where he lives.
Arthur Macklin, of the Chimes estate on the south-east edge of Loughborough, says he has repeatedly lodged complaints with police over the “unbearable” activities from youths - and he is now at the end of his tether.
The engineer’s concerns put a socalled Community Trigger into motion by Charnwood Borough Council, with the way incidents logged between June 2020 and May this year were tackled being reviewed by the authorities.
Mr Macklin said that since he moved to the estate in 2019, the incidents have significantly affected his mental health.
As a result, the panel of the Community Trigger listed him as “both a repeat and vulnerable victim”.
The 47-year-old described the events leading up to his reports - which included a shopping trolley thrown into his front garden as he was mowing the lawn, stones thrown through his front window, and having to witness teens taking part in sexual activity in a play area in the centre of the estate.
He said: “Individually, the events may not come across as significant but when you’re seeing children drunk, abusing drugs, banging on front doors, car doors, hurling verbal abuse and being aggressive on a regular basis, it disturbs the quality of life.”
Residents of the area first attended a meeting in April last year with police to address their concerns.
He said: “We got the local commander to come out and he was quite clearly taken aback.
“I live on my own here so I do have the spare time to report the things that are going on, but a lot of residents got a chance to say what they were going through - one of our neighbours even sold his house and moved away because of how bad it is.”
Sergeant Mat Allingham, from Charnwood Neighbourhood Policing Area, said: “We are aware of all the concerns Mr Macklin has raised to police and partners.
“His concerns have been the subject of numerous meetings between partner agencies.
“Six actions were identified for the force during the Community Trigger meeting looking into the concerns raised.
“We have completed all the actions allocated to the force, which were mainly administrative, relating to the recording of reports and a joined-up approach to dealing with concerns with the appropriate agencies.
“Mr Macklin’s concerns about anti-social behaviour in the area have been taken seriously and we continue to address any issues. Any outstanding actions are being dealt with and we are working with the local authority about those specific actions.”
Charnwood Borough Council said they recognise the concerns of residents on the estate.
A spokesperson said: “We are sympathetic to residents who experience anti-social behaviour and work with partners to tackle the problem and support the victims.
“In this case, we are aware of the anti-social behaviour complaints which were made to Leicestershire Police and who are the lead agency in this matter.
“A Community Trigger was instigated in June 2021 and, in keeping with policy, a full Community Trigger Review took place in July, allowing all key partners the opportunity to review the case management of these complaints.
“It was chaired by the council as part of its role with the Charnwood Community Safety Partnership.
“Following the review, four actions were recommended for the council and six for the police.
“The council can confirm it has completed its actions from this review.
“The results of the Community Trigger have been shared with Mr Macklin.
“We advised Mr Macklin that the process could be appealed within a timeframe but the deadline has now passed. We will continue to work with residents and partners to tackle anti-social behaviour in Charnwood.”
Mr Macklin said the Community Trigger meeting resulted in 11 actions for the police and council to look into.
He referenced the case of the Pilkingtons, from Barwell, near Hinckley, a mother who killed herself and her severely disabled daughter in 2007, after 10 years of torment by local youths.
He said: “Last month, someone smashed my window causing £200 worth of damage. It’s not even like it was in the dead of night.
“It was six o’clock in the evening - I was in.
“I’m not trying to get sympathy here but the whole situation has severely affected my mental health - these things need to be taken seriously, much like the case of Fiona Pilkington.
“Since the meeting, I haven’t seen any changes to the area - it’s just more of the same, which isn’t a situation anybody should have to live through. The anti-social behaviour in this estate is simply unbearable, and more needs to be done about it.”