Antisocial gangs concern council (From Gazette & Herald)

Antisocial gangs concern council

ANTIsocial behaviour by young people has been identified as the main crime and disorder concern in a North Yorkshire market town.

Members of Pickering Town Council were asked three questions by the community safety partnership, Safer Ryedale, to help formulate a new community safety strategy. They were:

what are the issues regularly raised in terms of crime and disorder?

what steps would you like to see taken to address any of those issues?

how much has your town or parish council spent on repairs, etc, due to vandalism and criminal damage during the financial year?

Coun Julie Hepworth said antisocial behaviour caused by groups of young people congregating in Kingfisher Drive in the town was a concern and that a solution would be the provision of more amenities for them.

Coun Judy Dixon said that she believed young people were often not actually causing any crime and disorder, but that people were intimidated by large gangs of youths.

Coun Natalie Warriner said: "These are questions that we answered five years ago, those were the issues that were being raised in reports by the Community Safety Partnership.

"We are looking at exactly the same issues that we were ten years ago and probably 30 years ago. There are some changes - there's nowhere for the young people to go, there's always the issue of funding projects for them, no one wants to fund it. The issues are around parenting and parental responsibility."

Coun Warriner said Safer Ryedale had promised to deal with the "perception of crime" in Ryedale's market towns, and it had failed to do so.

Coun Jill Murkett said: "We have the lowest crime rates in the country here. We are very, very fortunate. From the point of view of any crime we are very lucky. Yes, people might be worrying about young people. Perhaps we could ask for one of those shelters in a car park, if they'll all fit in. At least we are not complaining about more serious things."

Town clerk Andrew Husband said £450 had been spent on repairs caused by vandalism or criminal damage so far this year.

The speed of traffic and illegal parking were also highlighted as concerns by the councillors.

Updated: 10:45 Wednesday, June 23, 2004