Residents and police finally give up on illegal parking blitz
Tuesday, 6th December 2011.
Residents have agreed with Haverhill's new police chief that officers are wasting their time blitzing illegal parking in Haverhill town centre.
After six months of high-profile police efforts to tackle the issue, at the request of two public meetings, very little progress has been made.
At the latest public meeting of Haverhill Safer Neighbourhood Team Insp Peter Ferrie said: "We are fighting a losing battle and it is time to move on to battles we can win.
"I could have officers there all day and it wouldn't make any difference. The solution is barriers and most people are campaigning and working towards that. Until then we are stymied."
Since the issue was retained as a priority at the previous meeting in September, 94 tickets had been issued.
Police have recently been busy enforcing parking regulations in The Pightle, where correct signage has now been put in place.
PCSO Les Scott told the meeting he had issued 15 tickets there in the past few days and he believed the message was now getting through.
The meeting also agreed to discharge the other two priorities, anti-social behaviour along around Strasbourg Square and anti-social behaviour on the Parkway estate, after hearing there had been progress in both areas as a result of increased patrols.
In place of the three discharged priorities the meeting agreed three new ones for the town's police - gas-sniffing by 30-40-year-old men behind Vange Place, smoking and drinking alcohol by Samuel ward students when they come out of school, and burglary of town centre shops and premises.
These were voted for out of a shortlist of six put together by Insp Ferrie out of a wide range of issues the public brought to the meeting.
Others included speeding buses in Shetland Road, drinking and broken glass on the Recreation Ground, misdirected lorries getting stuck in Lowry Close, parking along Camps Road, drug issues on the Parkway estate, motor-bikes and taxis using the alleyway between Boots and Barclays, learner drivers endangering vehicles parked in the cinema car park, parking in Chalkstone Way near the new football ground, parking in Orchard Close, speeding in Withersfield Road, youths congregating in Lavender Field, shoplifting at Tesco and Peacocks and anti-social behaviour in Eden Road.
Insp Ferrie appealed for the town centre burglaries to be included so he could change his officers shifts to give the issue their best attention at 3am-4am, and pointed out he would take part in such work himself.
After six months of high-profile police efforts to tackle the issue, at the request of two public meetings, very little progress has been made.
At the latest public meeting of Haverhill Safer Neighbourhood Team Insp Peter Ferrie said: "We are fighting a losing battle and it is time to move on to battles we can win.
"I could have officers there all day and it wouldn't make any difference. The solution is barriers and most people are campaigning and working towards that. Until then we are stymied."
Since the issue was retained as a priority at the previous meeting in September, 94 tickets had been issued.
Police have recently been busy enforcing parking regulations in The Pightle, where correct signage has now been put in place.
PCSO Les Scott told the meeting he had issued 15 tickets there in the past few days and he believed the message was now getting through.
The meeting also agreed to discharge the other two priorities, anti-social behaviour along around Strasbourg Square and anti-social behaviour on the Parkway estate, after hearing there had been progress in both areas as a result of increased patrols.
In place of the three discharged priorities the meeting agreed three new ones for the town's police - gas-sniffing by 30-40-year-old men behind Vange Place, smoking and drinking alcohol by Samuel ward students when they come out of school, and burglary of town centre shops and premises.
These were voted for out of a shortlist of six put together by Insp Ferrie out of a wide range of issues the public brought to the meeting.
Others included speeding buses in Shetland Road, drinking and broken glass on the Recreation Ground, misdirected lorries getting stuck in Lowry Close, parking along Camps Road, drug issues on the Parkway estate, motor-bikes and taxis using the alleyway between Boots and Barclays, learner drivers endangering vehicles parked in the cinema car park, parking in Chalkstone Way near the new football ground, parking in Orchard Close, speeding in Withersfield Road, youths congregating in Lavender Field, shoplifting at Tesco and Peacocks and anti-social behaviour in Eden Road.
Insp Ferrie appealed for the town centre burglaries to be included so he could change his officers shifts to give the issue their best attention at 3am-4am, and pointed out he would take part in such work himself.
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