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MINUTES OF THE WIVENHOE COMMUNITY SAFETY AND NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH GROUP 26th November 2009 Present Margaret Currell, Heather Edwards, Pauline & Keith Hunt, Dave Matthias, Peter Overton, Elke Ray, Nick Rowlands (Acting Chair), Linda Rutledge (secretary), Dennis Searle 1 Apologies Austin Baines, Dennis Bullard, PC Mick Bond, Mr & Mrs Hatch, PCSO Louise Neville, Ken Rogers (Chair), Cllr Julie Young, Dennis Bullard 2 Matters arising from previous meeting Elke Ray was erroneously omitted from the list of those present. Peter Overton has produced a list of activities available to young people in Wivenhoe. A copy is attached to these minutes. There were no other matters arising from the previous minutes. 3 Members and Public Reports This part of the evening commenced with a formal welcome to Linda Rutledge as the new secretary, taking over from Nick Rowlands. Nick Rowlands explained Ken Rogers was unwell and unable to attend the meeting, so he would be chairing this meeting in Ken’s place. At Ken’s request Peter Overton has investigated reports of youngsters causing problems at the Cross on Wednesday evenings. He has visited the area for two consecutive weeks but did not see anything untoward. Keith Hunt had no problems to report in the Beech Avenue area. Dennis Searle has received lots of complaints from the Chaney Road area. Vandalism is the main concern; a shed break in, cappings knocked off tops of walls, a brick thrown through a greenhouse, a car bonnet jumped on. Although the incidences had been reported to Dennis some of the householders have not reported them to the police as they consider each incident to be too small. Nick Rowlands suggested that if whoever is doing this perceives they can get away with low key things then they will move onto something more serious. Also, the incidents should be reported to the police so they can all be looked at together to produce a larger picture of what is happening in the area. Dave Matthias attended this evening so he could describe to the group the problems he has experienced on Chaney Road. His car was vandalised and written off, his patio door smashed, stones thrown at the windows, flower pots broken, a bucket of sand tipped into the car ventilation system and two tyres let down. This all occurred between 24th October and 21st November. The police are investigating. Dennis said the footpath between Chaney Road and Broome Grove was still causing problems as the aggregate is easy to pick up and throw. Elke Ray suggested anti-climb paint which can be a useful deterrent. Peter Overton had nothing to report except for one neighbour complaining about another letting their children play noisily on the trampoline in the garden! Heather Edwards reported that the grey parrot is still missing. The trees dug out from Rosabelle Avenue have now been replaced and a complaint about a family was due to mis-information and has now been resolved. Margaret Currell raised the issue of children knocking on doors and hiding in gardens and of cyclists riding on the footpaths causing a nuisance to pedestrians. Peter Overton said there were allowances being made for cyclists using the footpath along Colchester Road between the Flag and the university due to the danger of cycling on the road. Margaret also reported a caller, after dark, enquiring about phone lines, who tried to gain access to her house. Peter Overton said he had met the same caller and confirmed he did work for a phone company. This highlighted the importance of using door chains. Elke Ray had nothing to report other than an empty vodka bottle being found next to her house. Linda Rutledge had nothing to report. Nick Rowlands had nothing to report other than the dog wardens are aware of a family with bull terriers which can be a nuisance. Youth Report Peter Overton gave an insight to his experiences of working with young people. He outlined the development of youth clubs and organisations since the 1940’s when, by law, you had to register at 16 years old and belong to a youth organisation until you were 18 and joined the forces. Youth centres became very popular in the 1960’s when Youth Leader Training was introduced with intensive tuition and practical learning. Peter has himself been involved with youth for 73 years; from joining a youth organisation as a child, teaching, the Boys Brigade, church youth clubs, a youth officer in Clacton, youth tutor in a school in Cambridgeshire, running a youth centre in Berkshire and then returning to Essex opening the Wivenhoe Centre in 1971 for children 14 years and older. The Wivenhoe Centre won national awards in several areas. He also ran 13 children’s camps at Mersea for 9-11 year olds. Unfortunately, when the school leaving age was raised to 15, and later to 16, the extra money required by education was taken from the youth service. There is now no funding for youth services and there is no youth department at County Hall. Youth clubs can now only be run by volunteers. Peter said that in every youngster there is some good and it is important to find what they are good at. Nick Rowlands thanked Peter for a very interesting contribution. It was agreed that overall there is only a small problem with the youth in Wivenhoe. Some of the youth problems come from children living elsewhere and travelling on the train to Wivenhoe. The police have worked hard to reduce underage drinking in Wivenhoe and the associated anti-social behaviour. There are a lot of children in Wivenhoe and it is important to keep in mind that only a minority cause problems. 4 Chair’s Report Nick Rowlands said Ken Rogers will circulate his report regarding security during the Christmas period to all on the e-mail list. There was an incident in Mede Way which is being investigated by the police and there have been no reports of burglaries in the last month. 5 Police Report There was no report this month. 6 Security Equipment Peter Overton reported that Mr & Mrs Hatch were selling security equipment at the Farmers Market last weekend – key ring alarms, UV marker pens and night-time reflective ware. Only one item was sold, so there needs to be a re-think on the best way to promote these items. Nick Rowlands asked Peter to pass on thanks to Mr & Mrs Hatch for their efforts. 7 Future meetings and Events The next meeting will be on Thursday 28th January 2010 when the guest speaker will be Mr Carrington from the Crime & Disorder Partnership at Colchester Borough Council. 8 Violence towards women. Reporting This is a topical issue and Ken Rogers will report at a future meeting. 9 Funds and Support Nick Rowlands stated the only funding for this group comes from a small grant from Wivenhoe Town Council each year. 10 5 year community safety report. This will be reported by Ken Rogers at a future meeting. 11 Emergency procedures This will be reported by Ken Rogers at a future meeting. 12 Any other business Heather Edwards reported there is a Christmas Tree Fair at the Congregational Church the first weekend of December where she is creating a neighbourhood watch tree. She asked if anyone might volunteer to help decorate the tree on the Friday afternoon or donate decorative items. If unable to deliver things on the Friday items may be left at 99 The High Street. Also, in previous years, Heather and Ken Rogers have distributed neighbourhood watch leaflets at the Christmas market which is coming up very soon. Nick Rowlands was asked to pass on the good wishes from the group to Ken. |