CRIME AND COMMUNITY
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CRIME BULLETIN:
Ambulance violence 'unacceptable'
Senior
ambulance management have spoken out after the sentencing of two men
and a youth after an incident of disorder when a 999 crew were called
to an incident in Grangetown last November.
The case at Cardiff Crown Court ultimately led to Sean Kempton,
22, and Cohen Riella, 18, being ordered to carry out 120 hours community
service after admitting public order charges after the incident
in Sevenoaks Street. Paramedic Andrew Dobbinson and technician
John Harris found their vehicle surrounded by a group of 10 people
after they attended a drunk 16-year-old. Another youth was given
a supervision order and another will be dealt with by a youth court.
Recorder Phillip Marshall described the youths as “having experienced
some good fortune that due to the confusion at the time of the incident,
witnesses were unable to confirm or make it clear who was responsible
for what and that as a result the previous charges of violent disorder
could not be upheld. " He added: “This was a frightening and upsetting
experience for both ambulance staff, and they should not have been
exposed to such an incident. If the original charges had been upheld,
I am certain you would today be facing custodial sentences."
After the case, Grant Gordon, regional director for the Welsh
Ambulance Services NHS Trust in South East Wales issued a statement.
He commended the staff for their courage in reporting the case but
added: "Although in this case the outcome could be described
as ‘disappointing’ since the original charges were not upheld, I
would reinforce the fact that this trust will support its staff
who are assaulted or abused during the course of their duty, and
will bring any perpetrator to task.
"It is unacceptable in any terms that ambulance staff are
exposed to violence and aggression when trying to care for the sick
and injured."
Trust chief executive, Alan Murray added: “We will not tolerate
assault or abuse of any kind towards our staff, and the public should
know that we will not hesitate to pursue legal proceedings against
those who do act in this way.”
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Youth annoyance * Prostitution strategy
The
September meeting of Grangetown PACT set three main priorities for the next
month - for dealing with ongoing issues of prostitution; for dealing with
youth annoyance (from dogs and motorbikes) in North Grangetown and CIty
Gardens area; and traffic and parking-related issues in Clare Road and Corporation
Road.
The meeting at the Samaj Centre heard of continuing action against drugs
in the South Grangetown area, including 250 plants seized at a cannabis factory.
There were hopes that more police would be deployed in the area over the next few weeks to add to the four PCs and four community support officers deployed in the neughbourhood policing team.
The meeting also heard from Pc Mel Rowlands, who had been seconded to
work on developing a strategy to deal with prostitution issues. She said
police were working on a solutions involving different agencies to try
to crack the "vicious circle" between drugs and prostitution, as well
as easing problems for residents in affected streets. Kerb crawlers would
be targeted - one idea was to develop day courses for persistent offenders,
while warning letters could be sent out to drivers whose vehicles were
spotted in the area continually. Kerb crawler campaigns could also be
targeted in areas where drivers were known to be from, via local newspapers,
for example. Details were expected to be unveiled over the coming weeks,
but residents were supportive of initiatives to deal with this long-standing
problem. Some advocated legalising prostitution or moving it to controlled
areas away from residential streets.
Residents also reported problems with youths with dogs, including reports
of dog-fighting. There was also issues of youth annoyance in the Courtmead
Gardens area, including continued problems by illegal use of scrambler
bikes on the roads, which were a noise and safety hazard. This was made
a PACT priority and residents were urged to report instances to 101.
Residents brought up continuing issues relating to traffic problems
- especially double-parking by lorries unloading in Clare Road; there
was also different views on where a zebra crossing should be sited, to
enable pedestrians to cross near the busy Pendyris Street junction.
Meanwhile, Ted Hill of the Taff Mead Residents' Association said the
council had agreed finally to bring in residents' parking in the area
- which would be split into three types: Residents' parking; 2hr maximum
parking (non-commuters); 2hr max parking mixed with residents' permits;
and therw would be also no parking around corners, where there would be
double yellow lines. It was hoped that Dinas Place and Universal Street
anomalies would be sorted out by the time the parking zone came into force
next Spring. He called it a "major step forward for the area." Maerdy Street remains a concern, especially with plans for a housing complex on the old laundry site, with few parking places.
The next PACT meeting will be held on Tuesday 21st October at 7pm,
with the venue to be announced.
JULY 2008: Drugs crackdown continues
The
July meeting of Grangetown PACT set three main priorities for the next month
- for dealing with traffic and parking-related issues; continued action
against drugs; and also youth annoyance, particularly behaviour in Grange
Gardens.
The meeting at St Paul's Church Hall heard local police had been busy
with drug seizures, particularly in response to information from members
of the public. This included the seizure of £7,000 worth of cannabis
and £14,000 in cash; a quantity of cocaine been recovered and also
successes following "stop and search," including amphetamines and cannabis.
A crackdown on motoring offences had led to four charges for driving
while disqualified, two for taking a vehicle, others for theft, driving
while under the influence and dangerous driving; also 14 vehicles tax
offences and the issuing of 50 fixed penalty notices.
Residents brought up continuing issues relating to traffic problems
- in Clare Road and Corporation Road in particular; youth annoyance around
Grangetown Library, also an incident of threats being made by youths against
other youngsters in Grange Gardens, which had not been brought to the
attention of the police before.
It was also hoped that details of a new policy to deal with prostitution
issues would be available to residents at the next meeting.
The next PACT meeting will be held on Tuesday 9th September at 7pm,
at the Samaj Centre, Mardy Street.
JUNE 2008: Traffic issues * Community thanked for help
The
June meeting of Grangetown PACT at the Samaj Centre set a main priority
for the next month for dealing with traffic and parking-related issues.
This ranged from speeding traffic to illegal parking.
The meeting also heard of recent successes in dealing with drug-related
crime, including significant arrests and seizures of cannabis - including
a cannabis "factory" in north Grangetown.
There was also an ongoing project to set up an across-the-board approach
to long-term prostitution issues in part of Grangetown. One solution being
looked at was establishing a controlled zone away from residential areas.
Further developments and announcements are expected in the near future.
The police thanked the community for its continued support and estimated
that 60-70% of its current anti-crime work was resulting from intelligence
from local people - examples were given in the arrest of a woman for possessing
a class A drug recently. This was shaping the police priorities. The local
police also hope that its presence, and that of community support officers,
was helping deter crime. It appealed for residents to continue to report
crime and suspicions.
Details were also given of a project involving Grangetown Primary School,
paid for by the seizure of the proceeds of crime, which involves a community artist and pupils designing a mural to cover up graffiti at Grange Gardens.
There was disappointment at the small number attending this meeting,
the first since March. It was agreed to look more closely at the publicity
and the dates for meetings for the rest of the year were to be advertised.
MARCH
2008: Blowing
the whistle on matchday parking pain
The
March meeting of Grangetown PACT at the Samaj Centre set three priorities
for the next month - dealing with problems of parking on Cardiff
City match days, particularly around City, Carlton and Merches Gardens.
Police will also be tackling day-time anti-social drinking and behaviour
in the Pentre Gardens area. The third priority is to tackle litter problems,
including the frequency of emptying bins and general littering.
Meanwhile, the meeting discussed how to spend £500 which is being
handed back to the area through seizure from criminal activity. thePACT
Meeting Priority: The money will be allocated for police operations and
youth engagement. Cardiff Central and Cardiff Bay frontline support officer
Andrew McCarthy said: "The Butetown and Grangetown PACT meetings
have been very well attended, with the community saying no to those who
would look to commit crime. This is a great example of how community members
are getting involved in neighbourhood policing and of how partnership
working can enhance communities." Three people were arrested in Grangetown in March in drugs raids,
as part of Operation Maximum Impact.
Meanwhile, police and drug agencies have been working together
to tackle prostitution problems, which have been an ongoing
complaint at PACT meetings in Grangetown and Butetown. Plain-clothes
officers were used as part of Opration Wheelhouse. Women who were
cautioned or arrested were given the chance to talk with workers
with the Drugs Invention Programme (DIP), as part of the recognition
of the close link between prostitution and drug use. Arrests included
heroin and cocaine addicts. Meanwhile, two men driving csrs were stopped for loitering and acting suspiciously, and their details were recorded.
JANUARY
2008: Cutting traffic speed
The meeting heard that annoyance from scrambler-style motorbikes was
still a nuisance and road safety hazard, particularly in the north Grangetown
area. Police urged residents to continue to report offenders.
Residents also reported that speeding traffic, double-parking, illegal parking and congestion was causing problems in the area, including main routes such as Clare Road and Cornwall Street. There was also a problem outside Tesco Express in Paget Street. Councillors said surveys were being arranged.
Annoyance from drunks and drug-dealing in some areas was also reported. Police also promised to look into a complaint that an emergency call for an attempted burglary was not followed up with a call-out to the family concerned. The incident had left them distressed and the family's young daughter had written a story about her fears.
Following the December meeting's report of a spate of burglaries in
the Clare Road area, which led to a PACT priority, police reported that
break-ins in Grangetown had fallen dramatically. While there had been 25 burglaries in November, through December to the middle of January this had fallen to nine.
You can now also find more details of PACT and community policing
in Grangetown and across the whole of South Wales on the Our
Bobby.com website.
The
January 18th meeting of Grangetown PACT decided to make illegal motorbikes,
cracking down on speeding and mobile phone use in cars and drugs as the
priorities for the next month.
 The
101 call centre is to continue after doubts following news that the Home Office said it would not fund the service
beyond the end of March.
The line was rescued after a deal involving the group of councils, including Cardiff, which had been using the service. The line to report non-emergency crime, nuisance behaviour and problems such as fly-tipping has been running since 2006 in a joint partnership between South Wales Police and Cardiff Council. Police website |
Crackdown hits low-level crime
An
all-day operation to hit driving, rubbish and drugs offences led to four
arrests and 12 vehicles being removed in Grangetown. Operation Hilcock
in September involved police using their automatic number plate recognition system, Cardiff Council's
waste management unit, highways officials, DVLA, the Environment
Agency and local police working together on the ground. The aims were to tackle environmental issues such as fly-tipping,
removal of abandoned/untaxed vehicles, removal of dumped waste, checking
vehicles for waste compliance, etc. At the same time all sorts of other
offences were detected.
In all 11 vehicles were clamped for not having road tax, a further 12
uninsured or abandoned cars were removed, while 56 bags of dumped rubbish
were seized.
Police chief says 101 call line is the answer
South
Wales chief constable Barbara Wilding was at the May 2007 meeting of Grangetown
PACT, when she said that the 101 call system had helped pay for more police
on the beat in Cardiff.
Ms Wilding said her force was
facing underinvestment and a growing £10m deficit, but defended the first
year of the "lower-priority" call centre as freeing up police
to work on more urgent cases. "It's making the best use of what we've
got," she told the meeting. The system helped weed out and prioritise
non-urgent cases, so police resources could be concentrated on emergencies
and crime-solving - so officers "can solve the problem not just work
with the effect."
Meanwhile, the meeting heard that extra patrols seemed to have had an
effect on the numbers of burglaries, following particular concerns
expressed in South Grangetown and the Avondale Road areas. Incidents were
down by two thirds, with 15 break-ins reported in April and eight in the
first two weeks of May. Police are planning operations to target stolen
and suspect vehicles using hi-tech registration detectors over the
next month. They also want to target areas for high profile policing where
there have been problems. One particular area in recent weeks for anti-social
behaviour has been in North Grangetown area, with problems reported
in Compton Street, Court Road, Stafford Road, Allerton Street and Courtmead
Gardens. There have been six referrals for Asbos and one Asbo being drawn
up. Police were also aware of complaints about rowdy behaviour associated
with the Neville pub. Residents also raised the issue of parking problems,
associated with matchday and commuter traffic and illegal student parking
(associated with the Bakery flats complex). Prostitution and kerb crawling
was again an issue raised, with police now about to bring in letters which
would be sent to home addresses of vehicle-keepers spotted using the area.
Police would also start drawing up Asbo contracts to ban persistent kerb
crawlers from the area or from approaching women. Officers had also issued
30 cautions and made six arrests of prostitutes in recent weeks. Research
is also being carried out by a local agency into the causes of the women
turning to prostitution, as part of the overall approach.
Instead of dealing with 91% of calls
- which can range from nuisance, vandalism to fly-tipping - police were
responding to 70%. In financially tough times, it had enabled South Wales
Police in Cardiff to put more officers out in the community and also create
community support officer teams. Ms Wilding said they were bidding to
continue with the Home Office-funded scheme, which started in May 2006
and works in partnership with Cardiff Council. She hoped to expand it
to work in other force areas. Ms Wilding said it was important that people
knew when to dial 999 (for an emergency) and how the 101 system worked,
but agreed there needed to be improvements.
 NEIGHBOURHOOD
POLICING TEAM:Local police constables and community support officers Insp Steve Murray, Sgt Nick Olsen, Cardiff Bay Police Station,
Walters Building, Clarence Road, Butetown, Cardiff |
Police look to increase Grangetown presence
South Wales Police have reassured people
in Grangetown that there will be a permanent police presence in the area, during
the two-year building of a new police headquarters in Butetown.
Chief Inspector
Steve Turner, who is based in Grangetown and Cardiff Bay, told a Police
And Communities Together (PACT) meeting that he wanted to "allay fears"
and "put to bed" rumour over what would happen during building
work for the new £17m divisional headquarters for Cardiff. He said
police and community support officers would be housed in the Walters Building
in nearby Clarence Road, while there would also be a police presence in
a portacabin on site.
"We're not leaving Grangetown during the time of the building - there
will be a significant presence which if anything we will be increasing
over the next couple of years."
The new four-storey HQ for Cardiff - to replace the one in Cathays Park - will
include 60 custody suites, traffic control and a coroner's court and be built
on the site of the current, much smaller Butetown station. But police decided
against a temporary reopening of the disused small station in Dorset Street
as the upgrade would be too expensive.
The old station has been demolished and an artist's impression of the
new HQ was unveiled in October 2007.
The chief inspector said plans were under way for more community beat officers
in Grangetown, with officers being redeployed from patrol cars and response
units. It was part of the force's new neighbourhood police strategy, which involved
developing PACT, so local communities had a say in setting police priorities.
He said: "I want a balance between response to 999 calls and
community policing so we don't put either in jeopardy." He said the force
had been advertising internally for officers who wanted to work in Grangetown.
Eventually, police chiefs hope to have 10 community officers in the area, with
the first six and a sergeant starting over the next few months.
Police also plan a month-long crackdown on prostitution in the Penarth Road
area as residents continued to complain of nuisance. Around 70 women are estimated
to work in the area and police said they were working on a long-term strategy.
But residents are continuing complaining of harrasment and nuisance from kerb
crawlers. One female resident said: "It's clearly upsetting, very distressing
and stressful there." Police explained the cautioning and arrest procedure with
the women, and also writing to kerb crawlers and the use of Asbos.
Police also were continuing to work on tackling drug dealing in lanes in south
Grangetown and had acted after complaints over cannabis dealing at a house in
the area.
Meanwhile, police hoped that some communication difficulties experienced by
residents with the new 101 call centre for
"less urgent" crime calls would be ironed out. However, a few days
later the system - which was trialled in Cardiff - was "put on hold"
by the Home Office.
The chief inspector said latest crime figures for Grangetown showed burglaries
had dropped 42% over the year, assaults were also down, although anti-social
and nuisance behaviour had risen.
