Published: February 2, 2008
Police hold public meeting in Burnham-On-Sea's Manor Gardens

More than 40 worried residents attended a 'street briefing' in Burnham-On-Sea's Manor Gardens on Saturday (February 2nd) to air their concerns about vandalism and crime in the area.

Burnham police organised the event, which was held at the bandstand in the gardens, to explain what it is doing to tackle the problems.

Sgt Ian Kennett, pictured, told the crowd that one local newspaper's claim that the gardens had turned into 'a ghetto of drug-takers' is "inaccurate".

He said: "There is no substance to this claim. Despite numerous stop searches being carried out, only one person has been found in possession of drugs in Manor Gardens in the last year."

He went on to say that the "true picture" about crime in the gardens is that "in the six months between February 1st to August 1st 2007 there were three reported crimes in and around Manor Gardens which included one assault where the culprit was arrested, one drug offence and one criminal damage offence."

He added: "In the next six months to now there have been one assault and nine offences of criminal damage reported. Clearly this is a large increase and needs to be addressed."

He said that Burnham police had put together an action plan following complaints from local residents which had led to seizures of alcohol from under 18s, action at local off-licences to tackle sales to under-age persons, routine patrols of the gardens by police, a request for CCTV to be installed, and letters being delivered to the parents of children who have caused anti-social behaviour.

He conceded that there are problems in the gardens that need to be resolved. These include criminal damage of gardens and nearby properties, noise and disturbance, misuse of alcohol, fear of violence, the siting of CCTV cameras, and a large number of entrances making it difficult to police the gardens.

He added: "This is a complicated issue which will need a joined-up approach by all parties involved. That includes agencies, local businesses, residents and the young people themselves. We need to look for a long-term solution, part of which may involve seeking to increase facilities that are available to young people. It is no good just moving young people out of Manor Gardens, only for them to become a problem at another location."

It was also confirmed at Saturday's meeting that CCTV is due to be installed in the gardens by Sedgemoor District Council during the next few weeks. Burnham police are also encouraging the setting up of a Manor Gardens Local Action Team and the removal of items that can be thrown to cause damage.

Burnham-On-Sea.com spoke to some of the residents who attended Saturday's meeting.

Chris Robertson of Burnham-On-Sea Neighbourhood Watch (above) said: "I believe the problems start at home and are often caused by a lack of parental control. We see some youngsters who unfortunately go out to cause trouble no matter what and their pack of friends follows. We do have a problem, but it's not unique to Burnham."

Burnham Bowling Club member Alan Lane said vandalism problems at the club - which have included broken windows and smashed windows within the last week - should be tackled by "a greater police presence" and better CCTV coverage.

Local resident Robert Connolly said: "The problem is mainly driven by alcohol and occurs on Friday nights. If the youngsters are too young to be prosecuted they should not be on the streets and at home. If the parents had to pay for the damage caused, the problems would be quickly solved."

Burnham man Darren Bartlett (right) questioned whether CCTV would resolve problems in the Manor Gardens. "It's all well and good suggesting CCTV but the vandals will get to know where the cameras are and avoid them or damage them, or they'll see it as a game to see whether they can commit a crime and not be caught. The main problem is down to the parents, who need to take more responsibility," he told Burnham-On-Sea.com.

Town councillor Eric Gill and Sedgemoor District Council Chairman Dennis Davey were both at Saturday's meeting and Mr Davey told Burnham-On-Sea.com how : "We need to ask young people how they want to occupy their time and then put proper facilities in place for them."

Sgt Kennett said after the meeting: "I think it is important that the police engage with the public and seek their views. I thought today's informal street briefing was productive with 40 local people attending and giving their views. There seems to be support for setting up a Local Action Team for Manor gardens and I believe that by working together we can really make a difference."

"This was not a 'talking shop', but was a positive way of telling the public what actions have already been taken and those that are planned, as well as giving them an opportunity to air their views."