Drug issues win out over High Street parking
Tuesday, 11th March 2014.
The public last night finally moved away from asking police to concentrate on enforcing parking regulations in Haverhill High Street, and chose to get them to focus on drug issues in the town.
The town's Safer Neighbourhood Team public forum has consistently chosen the High Street issue, against the advice and wishes of the town's police chief, for more than two years.
Last night's forum meeting heard over 400 tickets had been issued in the last three months and it was still making no difference at all.
Insp Peter Ferrie said you could double it again and it would still be totally ineffective. Motorists were often repeat offenders, and one who had been caught three times told police he would rather pay the £30 fine than a 30p car park ticket.
Daniel Hannan, owner of Sturmer Hall hotel and conference centre, told the meeting while he admitted having been ticketed himself, that was not the reason he opposed the police enforcement.
He urged the meeting that police should be used for reduction of crime and not to be worrying about parking in High Street.
He said there had been a robbery at Sturmer Hall last week, at which Haverhill police had attended very quickly, haiving been called by Essex police who have to process a call across the county boundary.
Because Haverhill arrived so quickly a thief had been caught, and taken away by Essex police when they arrived 20 minutes later.
"We need to be able to get a response like that and not have police walking up and down the high street. You should have a parking warden for that."
In response to a question Insp Ferrie said officers would still carry out ticketing in High Street onn their way to their beats and on their way back, even if it was not a priority.
But town mayor Cllr Roger Andre said this proved Insp Ferrie had ignored the parking issue even though it had been chosern as a priority each time.
"You've just said it will be no different," he said. "You have ignored it as a priority and you would ignore it again, so it's not worth voting for any more."
Insp Ferrie said that was very unfair and he completely disagreed. He urged the public to choose more important issues, and brought the matter of recent assaults by those collecting on drug debts as an example.
There were 30 people at the meeting and another 20 watching it being live streamed, and more than 30 suggestions for priorities were put forward.
From these the SNT chairman Cllr Tim Marks and Insp Ferrie chose nine to be voted on.
These were: Parking issues around schools and in several streets including Crowland Road; Drug use on the Recreation Ground; Boy racers in the Rookwood Way area; Dog fouling around the town; High Street parking issues; Queen Street parking issues in the evenings; A recent increase in shoplifting incidents; Tackling motor-bike thefts; and violence associated with drug debt collecting.
The winner with 37 votes was drug use on the Rec, with the drug debt coillection issue second with 25, while parking around schools was third.
The three priorities will now be the focus of police activities in the town for the next three months.
Insp Ferrie said after the meeting: "The best priorities I've had in my time in the town were voted in tonight."
The town's Safer Neighbourhood Team public forum has consistently chosen the High Street issue, against the advice and wishes of the town's police chief, for more than two years.
Last night's forum meeting heard over 400 tickets had been issued in the last three months and it was still making no difference at all.
Insp Peter Ferrie said you could double it again and it would still be totally ineffective. Motorists were often repeat offenders, and one who had been caught three times told police he would rather pay the £30 fine than a 30p car park ticket.
Daniel Hannan, owner of Sturmer Hall hotel and conference centre, told the meeting while he admitted having been ticketed himself, that was not the reason he opposed the police enforcement.
He urged the meeting that police should be used for reduction of crime and not to be worrying about parking in High Street.
He said there had been a robbery at Sturmer Hall last week, at which Haverhill police had attended very quickly, haiving been called by Essex police who have to process a call across the county boundary.
Because Haverhill arrived so quickly a thief had been caught, and taken away by Essex police when they arrived 20 minutes later.
"We need to be able to get a response like that and not have police walking up and down the high street. You should have a parking warden for that."
In response to a question Insp Ferrie said officers would still carry out ticketing in High Street onn their way to their beats and on their way back, even if it was not a priority.
But town mayor Cllr Roger Andre said this proved Insp Ferrie had ignored the parking issue even though it had been chosern as a priority each time.
"You've just said it will be no different," he said. "You have ignored it as a priority and you would ignore it again, so it's not worth voting for any more."
Insp Ferrie said that was very unfair and he completely disagreed. He urged the public to choose more important issues, and brought the matter of recent assaults by those collecting on drug debts as an example.
There were 30 people at the meeting and another 20 watching it being live streamed, and more than 30 suggestions for priorities were put forward.
From these the SNT chairman Cllr Tim Marks and Insp Ferrie chose nine to be voted on.
These were: Parking issues around schools and in several streets including Crowland Road; Drug use on the Recreation Ground; Boy racers in the Rookwood Way area; Dog fouling around the town; High Street parking issues; Queen Street parking issues in the evenings; A recent increase in shoplifting incidents; Tackling motor-bike thefts; and violence associated with drug debt collecting.
The winner with 37 votes was drug use on the Rec, with the drug debt coillection issue second with 25, while parking around schools was third.
The three priorities will now be the focus of police activities in the town for the next three months.
Insp Ferrie said after the meeting: "The best priorities I've had in my time in the town were voted in tonight."
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