Postbag
Saving villages from the yobs
AS a Durrington
district and parish councillor, I would like to reply to last week's post bag article about
village yob culture.
I agree entirely with the sentiments of the writer and I am pleased to report that the district and parish councillors are already making a difference.
To obtain more police presence within the village it is vital that we all report antisocial behaviour on 0845 408 7000.
But just complaining isn't going to resolve the issues.
Our crime prevention clinic is held at 7pm on the second Tuesday of each month, at the village hall, and I would be pleased to see you and all interested parties attend.
The committee would welcome your support in continuing the battle to restore respect and dignity to our village.
As a district councillor, I am determined to make a difference and by working with the police, community safety office and the village community as a whole, I am sure that it can be achieved.
In summary, if you are frustrated with the
minority committing this anti-social behaviour and want to help, then please contact me on 01980 655268.
CLLR GRAHAM WRIGHT, Durrington
PRAISE be to the correspondent who wrote "It's time to act against a
village yob culture" (Postbag, January 3), for telling it as it is.
I chose not to raise my family in Durrington where despite, or perhaps because of, the many
varied recreational outlets, yob rule prevails.
Being more than happy to accept responsibility for my family's use of leisure time, I looked for a village with few amenities and moved to Porton.
I was interested to learn that when residents in Porton requested
assistance from the Wiltshire Constabulary, they were frequently informed, as a reason for the lack of response, that officers were busy in Durrington - which may come as something of a surprise to those such as your correspondent.
However, at the last annual parish meeting in Porton, I discovered no fewer than three police officers in attendance. Even more incredible was the fact that Durrington was being hailed as a role model for good policing and youth work.
I was left wondering just how many of those in charge of the meeting had spent time with victims of yob culture and anti-social behaviour since their whole attitude appeared to be one of supporting and excusing badly behaved teenagers and blaming anti-social behaviour on a lack of recreational areas.
Obviously, the many indoor and outdoor sports and recreational facilities for young people in Durrington have done little to solve crime.
Perhaps if Wiltshire police officers spent less time attending meetings telling the public what wonderful work they do and more time on the beat, enforcing existing laws, our villages would be safer for all.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED
2:16pm Thursday 17th January 2008
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