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New scheme to fight antisocial behaviour

10:50am Monday 15th March 2010 in


Bridgwater police have launched a new initiative to tackle antisocial behaviour.

A car, staffed by two PCSOs, is patrolling Bridgwater's streets on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, responding solely to calls about anti-social behaviour.

Bridgwater is the first sector in Somerset to launch the ASB car scheme, which aims to reassure residents that complaints about issues including noisy neighbours and intimidating groups of youths are taken seriously, and to speed up response times.

Calls about such incidents made to the police non-emergency number or Sedgemoor District Council's antisocial behaviour hotline are logged as antisocial behaviour, and immediately passed on to the ASB car team.

Sgt Andy Smith, who implemented the scheme in Bridgwater, said: “Staff are then dispatched.

“On route they will phone the complainant giving an update as to their time of arrival and to reassure the complainant that they are on route and dealing with the incident in a positive way. “The informant will then be updated as to what actions the PCSOs have taken.”

Kristy Blackwell, community safety officer with Sedgemoor District Council, which is supporting the scheme, said the ASB car would “enhance the excellent partnership working already taking place to tackle antisocial behaviour.”

Insp Shane Carey, of Bridgwater police, stressed the ASB car had launched in Bridgwater before a report published last week by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary Denis O'Connor, which criticised police forces across the country for the way they dealt with antisocial behaviour.

Insp Carey said the ASB car had already met with a favourable response in Bridgwater.

Use the comment form below to have your say on the scheme, and see future editions of the Mercury for more.

Comments(19)

mikeymike says...
11:28am Mon 15 Mar 10

How about more police on the streets 24/7 not part time. Taking away criminals rights and tougher sentencing.

I actually believe in an old fashion idea for ASB, the stocks!!

Up town on a saturday with your crime printed above you and let people see what an **** you are and pelt you with rotten fruit. Not so clever now eh!!

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GGGG says...
12:50pm Mon 15 Mar 10

24/7 policing is a very expensive solution... much better to target resources. This seems like a perfectly reasonable scheme to trial. Just a thought... might have been useful to include the tel numbers to ring though... but then again, I'm not a trained journalist.

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Only me! says...
5:15pm Mon 15 Mar 10

This is a good start - well done the local constabulary.

(Of course it'll do little to improve the image of local constabulary in my opinion - having had one nasty officer swearing at me while off-duty).

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townrunbyclowns says...
12:15am Tue 16 Mar 10

looks like twinkles changed her name again!!! so what if a copper swears not the end of the world..

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Orzula says...
10:37am Tue 16 Mar 10

I think it's a step in the right direction but not sure if it's a good idea to use PCSO's.....wouldn't want to be in their shoes!

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twinkles says...
3:44pm Tue 16 Mar 10

It's my opinion that 'antisocial behaviour' extends to writing inflammatory garbage on the local newspaper's website. TRBC, you'd be in the stocks, and I'd bet a lot of people would throw a lot more than rotten fruit at you. You chicken.

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Donna-T says...
4:03pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Policing on the cheap, we need more REAL police on the streets acting as a deterrent to crime and anti-social behaviour, pro-active policing is the answer, 500 police stations have closed under nu-Labour i suppose we should consider ourselves Bridgwater is still safe.

Incidently what happened to nu-Labour's "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime"?

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townrunbyclowns says...
12:23am Wed 17 Mar 10

twinkles your showing your age i mean stocks??? come on get real its 2010 not 1806 and there is more to this world than one town !!!!

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mikeymike says...
10:59am Wed 17 Mar 10

townrunbyclowns wrote:
twinkles your showing your age i mean stocks??? come on get real its 2010 not 1806 and there is more to this world than one town !!!!
The stocks would be a great detterant. Give someone an asbo and they think they are clever. Embarrass the heck out of someone and it's not so funny anymore.
Just because an idea is old doesn't mean it's not effective!!

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townrunbyclowns says...
11:19pm Wed 17 Mar 10

how old are these people??? next your be getting horse and cart out on the road chasing jack the ripper

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mikeymike says...
11:41pm Wed 17 Mar 10

townrunbyclowns wrote:
how old are these people??? next your be getting horse and cart out on the road chasing jack the ripper
how would you tackle it TRBC. its easy mock, try suggesting something or as i suspect it's beyond your train of thought!!

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mebilbo says...
9:29pm Thu 18 Mar 10

mikey mike those funny horseless carraiges smell and me horse poo is good for roses (only kidding).
We need some good old family values. one word is all any body needs and thats RESPECT.

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townrunbyclowns says...
11:12pm Thu 18 Mar 10

thats the way i roll mikey mouse...

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mikeymike says...
10:45pm Fri 19 Mar 10

As I suspected!!

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somertel says...
12:25pm Sat 20 Mar 10

mikeymike wrote:
townrunbyclowns wrote:
twinkles your showing your age i mean stocks??? come on get real its 2010 not 1806 and there is more to this world than one town !!!!
The stocks would be a great detterant. Give someone an asbo and they think they are clever. Embarrass the heck out of someone and it's not so funny anymore.
Just because an idea is old doesn't mean it's not effective!!
I agree Mikeymike. Perhaps a modern version could involve painting their chavmobiles pink, forcing them to wear kilts or something equally excruciating? I see in the US, persistently noisy offenders are forced to endure hours of Barry Manilow at high volume. Any other ideas, anyone?

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townrunbyclowns says...
9:33pm Sat 20 Mar 10

if you old folk stop phoneing police every 3 mins..were be ok!!

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GGGG says...
3:47pm Sun 21 Mar 10

TownRunByClowns, hopefully Manchester United's win today will have put you in a good mood... dare we hope for positive well-balanced comments from your good self for at least a day or two? Are can we still expect the usual inane "we're all doomed" vitriolic attacks on anything about Bridgwater that normally suppurates from you?

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JO-JO BRIDGWATER says...
6:51pm Sun 21 Mar 10

Yes we would all like to see the streets policed 24/7 but when an arrest is made they then have to endure four hours of paperwork. So give the police some credit.Anyone causing ASB under the age of 16 the parents should be brought to task.

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townrunbyclowns says...
12:55am Mon 22 Mar 10

this town is doomed anyway!!..i think you should have eye test.and see how bad this town is!!!

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Sgt Andy Smith and Kristy Blackwell with Bridgwater police's new antisocial behaviour car. Sgt Andy Smith and Kristy Blackwell with Bridgwater police's new antisocial behaviour car.

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