New SNT meeting format produces the same result
Tuesday, 10th December 2013.
A newly-revamped format for the Safer Neighbourhood Team public forum last night produced a similar result to the old one.
The meetings are intended to give the public the opportunity to tell the police what they would like to concentrate on for the next three months.
Three priorities are set at each quarterly meeting by voting, but recently the meetings have produced results which have frustrated the town's police chief, Insp Peter Ferrie.
Each meeting has required the police to concentrate on enforcing High Street traffic regulations and dealing with illegally-parked motorists.
Insp Ferrie says these issues cannot be solved by police action and require full pedestrianisation of the street andr barriers. He feels it wastes the valuable time of his officers who could be catching criminals.
The meeting had been changed in the hope of making it more effective, and it was streamed online to people's computers so they could also take part.
Nearly 30 people did so and with around 30 in the hall it amounted to a good turnout.
Nine potential priorities which had been put forward either online or in the hall were considered, but illegal High Street parking once again topped the voting with 26, this time with a requirement to include traders and retailers.
This was despite the meeting being told by Sgt Gary Miller that over 200 fixed penalty notices had been issued to motorists in High Street in the past three months, with no effect whatsoever.
Second was speeding vehicles in Duddery Hill, Bergamot Road, Chivers Road, Camps Road and the main roads into and out of town, with 22 votes.
Third was cyclists riding without lights and pedestrians in dark areas without high-visibility clothing, with 18 votes.
Other issues included getting street lights switched on again after midnight, parking issues at the back of Knights Court caused by people collecting or dropping off children at schools in School Lane, parking in Camps Road, Clements Lane and Orchard Close by bus drivers, making Swan Lane two-way from Argos car park to Lordscroft Lane, enforcement of regulations about headlamps, seatbelts and mobile phoning while driving, and parking on double yellow lines outside Samuel Ward Academy.
The meetings are intended to give the public the opportunity to tell the police what they would like to concentrate on for the next three months.
Three priorities are set at each quarterly meeting by voting, but recently the meetings have produced results which have frustrated the town's police chief, Insp Peter Ferrie.
Each meeting has required the police to concentrate on enforcing High Street traffic regulations and dealing with illegally-parked motorists.
Insp Ferrie says these issues cannot be solved by police action and require full pedestrianisation of the street andr barriers. He feels it wastes the valuable time of his officers who could be catching criminals.
The meeting had been changed in the hope of making it more effective, and it was streamed online to people's computers so they could also take part.
Nearly 30 people did so and with around 30 in the hall it amounted to a good turnout.
Nine potential priorities which had been put forward either online or in the hall were considered, but illegal High Street parking once again topped the voting with 26, this time with a requirement to include traders and retailers.
This was despite the meeting being told by Sgt Gary Miller that over 200 fixed penalty notices had been issued to motorists in High Street in the past three months, with no effect whatsoever.
Second was speeding vehicles in Duddery Hill, Bergamot Road, Chivers Road, Camps Road and the main roads into and out of town, with 22 votes.
Third was cyclists riding without lights and pedestrians in dark areas without high-visibility clothing, with 18 votes.
Other issues included getting street lights switched on again after midnight, parking issues at the back of Knights Court caused by people collecting or dropping off children at schools in School Lane, parking in Camps Road, Clements Lane and Orchard Close by bus drivers, making Swan Lane two-way from Argos car park to Lordscroft Lane, enforcement of regulations about headlamps, seatbelts and mobile phoning while driving, and parking on double yellow lines outside Samuel Ward Academy.
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