Senior policeman visits Cheltenham park
A senior policeman has pledged to work with residents and youths to prevent a repeat of the vandal attack in Pittville Park.
Hooligans set fire to the park's bandstand, which is also an RAF memorial, on Halloween night.
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crackdown: (l-r) SC Claire Owen, deputy chief constable Mick Matthews and PC Sean Pearce patrol Pittville Park
The outrage, which has swept across Cheltenham in the wake of the incident, prompted Deputy Chief Constable Mick Matthews to make a night-time visit to the park.
Mr Matthews, second only to Chief Constable Dr Tim Brain in the force's hierarchy, accompanied officers on a patrol of the park to break up groups of teenagers. He said being part of the frontline was the only way to work out how to deal with the problems.
He said: "For me, this is what policing is all about.
"I want to be able to come down and talk to officers about what is going on so I can get their feedback from the people who use the park first-hand.
"That is the only way I know if what we are doing is effective. There is no point in managing from afar.
"I am a policeman first and foremost and being out and about like this is what it is all about."
The vandals caused thousands of pounds damage to the bandstand by ripping off panels and balusters and setting them alight.
The landmark has been in place for 14 years and also contains memorial plaques for RAF servicemen who gave their lives in World War II.
Sergeant Mark Stephens, from the Whaddon Safer Community Team, said the incident was the culmination of a series of antisocial problems in the park in recent months.
He said: "It is about finding short-term and long-term solutions. In the short-term we can conduct more patrols to break up groups of young people who can be intimidating but in the long-term it is about changing the public's perception of the park after dark.
"We want them to believe it is safe to come here. Increasing the number of CCTV cameras and, possibly, placing soft lighting in the trees, may be a way to do that.
"We do not want to overplay the problems in the park – generally speaking the situation is really not that bad.
"The young people we have moved on have understood why we have done it."
Mr Matthews added: "We want to be a force which listens to the community.
"If they can think of ways to police the park or changes we should be making, we want to hear from them.
"It is a partnership with the people who live here."
8 Comments
by Sean, Gloucester
Tuesday, November 24 2009, 10:56AM
“Lrn 2 spll Another Chav, or have you removed all the vowels from your keyboard. What on earth has happened to the written word?”
by Steve, Cheltenham
Tuesday, November 24 2009, 12:05AM
“Antisocial people have more rights than criminals, apparently. That's what a WPC told me once. I think they err on the side of caution in case they announce that someone committed a crime and the magistrates subsequently decide it was only antisocial behaviour.
Personally, I think I'd rather have someone pick my pocket than beat me senseless for the hell of it.”
by dont do it, chelt
Monday, November 23 2009, 7:45PM
“ummmm nice to see the 2nd in command doing a bit of collteral damage himself as in my name (dont do it) is not big its not clever and im sure when the media forget this story he will :D”
by Another Chav., hester's way
Monday, November 23 2009, 2:47PM
“We jst laugh @the plod thy try to mve us on thy wil neva beat us ,”
by DG, Cheltenham
Monday, November 23 2009, 2:12PM
“Handsome is as handsome does.
I am not holding my breath and am pretty sure this promise will quickly be forgotten once it fades from media interest.”
by spin-spotter, cheltenham
Monday, November 23 2009, 1:13PM
“I hope there's more substance to the Deputy CC's fact-finding methods than this PR exercise would suggest.
Like politicians who viisit problem areas, senior police officers never get to see what it's normally like if they only visit once-in-a-blue-moon wearing full top-brass uniform and accompanied by more uniformed officers.
Softly softly, catchee plonker.”
by Neil (1), Cheltenham
Monday, November 23 2009, 1:12PM
“Much of what the police like to describe as "anti-social activities", is in fact CRIME. Its as simple as that.
Setting fire to the bandstand at Pittville was actually the crime of Arson - the police should be describing it as Arson and not just, "a culmination of a series of anti-social problems."
Their patrols are to be welcomed, but they should also stop using silly and meaningless euphamisms for what is in fact serious crime.”
by AA, Pittville
Monday, November 23 2009, 11:56AM
“Why on earth would anyone want to go to the park after dark anyway? It's not the first thing you think about if you're looking to do something at night is it? This being the case why do you need to change peoples perceptions about the place. Why don't you do something like catch these morons and give them something more than a slap on the wrist to change the publics perceptions. The "top cop" going down there is nothing more than a stunt that anyone can see through.”