Making the streets safer
Graffiti, litter and anti-social behaviour are just some of the issues being tackled in a bid to make improvements in and around a Newark estate.
Hawtonville Safer Neighbourhood Group, which meets every six weeks at the community centre, is leading the effort, and there are plans to open a police contact point.
Off-road motorcycles, litter and graffiti are the current priorities for Hawtonville Safer Neighbourhood Group.
Pc Lisa Mortimore has appealed for people to report off-road motorcylists riding on roads without registration plates.
She said the vital information they needed to trace riders was addresses that they were seen leaving or going into.
She said there had been recent reports of motorbikes on Grange Road, Devon Road and Byron Close.
The problem is always worse during school holidays.
An off-road policing team seized two motorbikes recently.
The area covered by Hawtonville’s two community support officers, Lisa Trueman and Amanda Wheatcroft, extends beyond the estate boundaries.
At Chatham Court, on Albert Street, a security camera has helped to ease problems, such as disruption, noise, litter and vandalism, caused by youths who congregate in the entrances to the flats.
In a further effort to stop the disruption, public access to the entrance areas will soon end and the flats will be accessible only by a key fob issued to residents.
Newark and Sherwood Homes is also expected to install the extra security within months.
Another problem addressed, after being raised at a Safer Neighbourhood Group meeting by Mr Richard Bills (53) was that of litter in an alley on Ash Road.
Mr Bills, who lives on Ash Road, has cleared litter such as cans and food wrappers for 12 years.
Within weeks of him reporting the problem, the rubbish was cleared and the area will now be cleaned regularly. Litter bins could also be installed.
“I think it is going to be a slow process but confidence with the public is something we are working on,” Pc Mortimore said.
“Not everyone knows that the group is about community issues.”
She said the Safer Neighbourhood Group offered a chance for residents to report problems in confidence. She said that often the police just lacked information.
Lisa Trueman said on Byron Close they were working with different agencies to deal with problems such as tenancy breaches and anti-social behaviour.
A new play park is due to be installed on Byron Close. Trees will be cut back to make the area less secluded to deter anti-social behaviour and off-road motorcyclists.
Hawtonville Day Nursery is another success story after graffiti spray-painted on its shutters was cleaned after being reported to the Safer Neighbourhood Group.
Mr Keith Girling has been involved with the group for two years and is the chairman.
Mr Girling said his aim was to change it from a talking shop to a group that got positive results through working with residents and other organisations.
“We have come on in leaps and bounds,” he said.
“A lot of things are starting to happen but we still need to encourage the community to come along and tell us their issues.”
Mr Girling said word was beginning to spread about the meetings and what they achieved.
He said the more people who attended meetings, the better the results would be.
“If people do not tell us about the problems, then we do not know about them,” he said.
“It’s not about moaning. It is about coming along so that we can talk about how we can resolve problems.
“Every estate has its difficulties. We cannot change the world but we are looking at things we can change.”
Those who attend meetings include members of Newark town, Newark and Sherwood district and Nottinghamshire county councils, representatives of Newark and Sherwood Homes and the tenants and residents’ association of Bailey Road and Thoresby Avenue, as well as police and community support officers.
Mr Girling said: “It is not just about the police. It is about making the whole area better so people living here feel safe and are not being harassed.”
Mr Girling said the estate had a worse reputation than it should.
He said most residents got on with their lives without causing any nuisance but that the community could work together to solve problems caused by a minority.
