A cold afternoon on the 'Don't Advertise Your Vehicle to Criminals' campaign

I spent a very cold afternoon as part of the Howdenshire Neighbourhood Action Team's 'Don't Advertise Your Vehicle to Criminals' campaign - urging motorists not to leave gifts for opportunistic thieves.

Pictured with PCSO Rachel Matthews, Howden Town Council Chairman Hugh Roberts, and Martin Branton from the East Riding Safer Communities Team.

"Shopping on the back seat of a car is the only excuse needed for thieves to take a chance and break a window; other items most likely to tempt thieves include handbags, laptops, Sat Navs, mobile phones and cds. Drivers should also bear in mind that often the window repair costs more than the property stolen."

PC Richard Beeforth, crime reduction officer for Humberside Police, said: “These offences are being committed by opportunist thieves wandering about looking into cars for items to steal. Our advice is don’t leave anything on display to tempt a criminal to break into your vehicle.”

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s 15 Neighbourhood Action Teams (NATs) including volunteers and the police are working to spread the message.

Packs placed on vehicles tell thieves "Don't Bother" and leaflets are being left at points of sale such as local shops, customer service centres, libraries and post offices.

The Police advice to motorists is:

• Remove the ignition key and lock all doors and windows when leaving a vehicle, even when filling up with fuel or popping into a shop.


• Use an electronic engine immobiliser or steering wheel lock to prevent vehicles being stolen.


• Park vehicles in a well lit open place.


• If driving a van remove expensive tools and equipment from the rear, especially overnight.


• When parking in a car park look for the “Park Mark Safer Parking” .

Prison Works - But not for all

I posed the following question to Rt. Hon. Ken Clarke MP prior to his speech at the Conservative Party Conference this week. Unfortunately time ran out so I could not ask the question live - but it was great that he covered the subject of re-offending in great detail in the speech - obviously this was nothing to do with my submitted question - but great to see that he's looking to tackle head on the problem of re-offending which costs the East Riding of Yorkshire almost £23 million per year. I first wrote about this in January of this year which can be found here

Prison works - but not for all.

"Prison sentences fall into two distinct categories - less than 12 months and over.

The evidence shows that short-term prisoners go on to commit the majority of re-offending. Why?

A prisoner serving over 12 months will benefit from rehabilitation programmes in prison, once released will be on licence and under supervision by the probation service.

With short sentences of less than 12 months, the prison service has neither the time nor the opportunity to rehabilitate the prisoner, they are mollycoddled during their stay, and released without supervision or support.... an offender can leave the prison gates with £40 in their pocket and nothing else… no one to meet them, no job, no accommodation and still maintaining drink and drug habits – is it any wonder they go on to re-offend?

Do we need to look seriously at short-term sentencing and whether this is the most effective way of tackling re-offending?"

In the speech he said, "Prison needs to do more than keep criminals off the streets. It must try to prevent them from committing more crime against more victims when they come out.

The biggest failure of the present system is reoffending. Nearly half the people in prison come straight back out and commit another crime in less than twelve months. Absurd. Under New Labour, we had an underclass of people in our broken society who walked out of jail and straight back into crime, again and again.

Fifty three thousand criminals were jailed for six months or less in 2008. Nearly two thirds of them committed another crime within the next year and were sent straight back to prison again. And that was only the ones who were caught and convicted again. Thousands of further crimes against new victims. Quite absurd."

The full speech can be found here

The Government Policy is now:

• We will introduce a 'rehabilitation revolution' that will pay independent providers to reduce re-offending, paid for by the savings this new approach will generate within the criminal justice system.
  
• We will conduct a full review of sentencing policy to ensure that it is effective in deterring crime, protecting the public, punishing offenders and cutting re-offending.
  
• We will ensure that sentencing for drug use helps offenders come off drugs.
  
• We will implement the Prisoners' Earnings Act 1996 to allow deductions from the earnings of prisoners in properly paid work to be paid into the Victims' Fund.
  
• We will consider how to use proceeds from the Victim Surcharge to deliver up to 15 new rape crisis centres, and give existing rape crisis centres stable, long-term funding.
  
• We will carry out a fundamental review of Legal Aid to make it work more efficiently.
  
• We will introduce effective measures to tackle anti-social behaviour and low-level crime, including forms of restorative justice such as Neighbourhood Justice Panels.

Working to understand Anti-Social Behaviour

The Goole and Howdenshire LAT identified addressing anti-social behaviour as one of the highest priorities for residents, this has also been highlighted at Police and Partners forums, and household surveys.

The Howdenshire Neighbourhood Action Team, as a key delivery partner in crime and disorder issues, is looking into the perceptions of anti-social behaviour. The team is talking to both young people and older people to try and more fully understand the issues. This included a visit by a group of older residents to Howden School last week to engage in ‘one on one conversations’ with young people specifically about perceptions of anti-social behaviour. As one of the facilitators it was fascinating to listen as the two generations expressed their thoughts to each other, and at the end for all to say they now have more of an understanding of anti-social behaviour, proved the exercise very much worth while, and something to build on.


The East Riding of Yorkshire Council is also conducting a review of anti-social behaviour through a panel of Councillors, of which I am part. As part of this review Cllr Pat Smith and I visited Bridlington to spend some time with the Council’s detached youth workers, talk to some of Bridlington’s young people, and look at facilities for young people in the area. One of the highlight of the visit was visiting the Bridlington Gasworx Skate Park, a fantastic facility greatly valued by the kids we spoke to. (pictured with Cllr Pat Smith and the the ERYC Detached Youth Workers)


I have spent quite a lot of time with the Council’s detached youth workers in the past, and continue to be impressed with what they do, but more importantly how they interact with young people.

Gilberdyke to Hold Anti-Social Behaviour Drop-in Session

East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Gilberdyke Parish Council and Humberside Police have recently received complaints regarding nuisance behaviour in the village. This behaviour can have a very negative impact on the quality of life for a residents, which is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated

The Police, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) Safer Communities Team and local Gilberdyke Parish Councillors are holding a Drop-in Surgery to be held at Gilberdyke Memorial Hall regarding this anti-social and criminal behaviour. The Drop-in will be held on 30th September between 5pm and 7pm.

Councillor Paul Robinson says “After seeing a number of instances of anti-social behaviour in the village over the recent months, we have organised this event to give Gilberdyke residents the opportunity to speak to the Police, and the ERYC staff, and local councillors in an informal setting, to raise issues that concern them and provide details of what they have experienced”.

“It is important that we try to establish the nature and extent of the problem, where it happens, when it happens and who is involved, and this can only be determined by residents telling the Police and the council”.

“It also is an opportunity for the Police and the Council to inform residents what is being done and how they can help in addressing this problem”

If you would like any further details please do not hesitate to contact me

Moving forward to understand Snaith’s anti-social behaviour issues

Anti-Social Behaviour was again the subject of an impromptu meeting in Snaith this week. As Chair of the Goole and Howdenshire Local Action Team I met with ERYC Councillors Caroline Fox and Gordon Megson, prospective MP for Brigg and Goole Andrew Percy, Snaith Town Councillors Graeme Hulme and John Barrett , the local Police Sergeant Janet Anderson, and ERYC Safer Communities Officer Catherine Barrett, in order to try to find ways of addressing the issue.

We all felt that more information was required to determine the extent of the problem in the town. It was agreed to hold an informal drop-in session for Snaith residents on 9th September 2009 at the Sports Hall between 5pm and 7pm. This will allow residents to tell us about their experiences with anti-social behaviour, and share ideas on how we can all move forward to address people's concerns.

Minimising Anti-Social Behaviour tops list of Howdenshire residents priorities

The Goole and Howdenshire Local Action Team (LAT) had stands at recent local events including, Howden Show, Gilberdyke Strawberry Fayre and the Holme On Spalding Moor Gala.

Many thanks to all those who placed coloured stickers on the large white board enabling us to gather your views on the 30 priorities identified by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC), the Police, Fire and Health services, and others. The top priority identified by residents at each event was ‘Anti-Social Behaviour in the East Riding is minimised’. This is high on my list of priorities and also the agenda of all partners represented on the team.

Anti-social behaviour can mean different things to different people. Anti-social behaviour can mean different things to different people and is not just the province of young people, as older people can also be anti-social in their actions. The ERYC has adopted the Home Office definition as, “any behaviour, which causes, or is capable of causing nuisance, harassment, alarm or distress to persons from a different household.” In other words, behaviour that undermines any person's right to enjoy their home, their neighbourhood and their daily life in peace and safety. This can include, persistent verbal abuse or threats, threatening and intimidating behaviour and damage to private property.

During 2008 the crime rate in Howden and Howdenshire was 2.4 crimes per 1,000 people, which is well below the average for the East Riding and makes the area a safe place in which to live. Conversely in terms of the biggest anti-social behaviour issues facing the Goole and Howdenshire area, 49.3% of respondents to the 2008 Household survey believed that teenagers hanging around the streets were a very big or fairly big problem.

I am shortly to be part of an ERYC Review Panel to embark on an in-depth investigation of anti-social behaviour, which should report back within a year.

The local Police working in partnership with the Council’s Safer Communities team and the Neighbourhood Action Team are doing many things to combat Anti-Social behaviour in Howden and Howdenshire villages, including a specific project aimed at underage drinking being delivered in a number of communities. This project includes face-to-face interaction with young people as seen at the LAT stand, where members of the ERYC Youth Service, Police, and Fire Services talked to young people about drinking and the effects of alcohol, including using ‘beer goggles’ to replicate the effects of drinking to excess.

(pictured with ERYC detached youth workers Richard Innes, Jonathan Morris & Helena Holmes)

But the Police and the Council need your help in cracking down on underage drinking, and anti-social behaviour committed by adults as well as young people - and I urge residents who experience any of this behaviour to report it by telephone to the Police on 0845 60 60 222 or the ERYC Safer Communities Team on 01482 391012.

It's not just the Police working on 'Crime and Disorder' issues in Howden and Howdenshire

One of my roles is to chair the Howden & Howdenshire Police and Partners Community Forum (PPCF), and we recently held the spring meeting in North Cave. The East Riding Safer and Stronger Communities Action Group (SSCAG) also attended; this group involves the Police, Fire and Rescue Service, the NHS, the Police Authority and various Council-led teams dealing with areas such as crime and disorder reduction, anti-social behaviour, domestic violence, youth offending, substance abuse, licensing, and the Children’s Service. Coupled with these were the Neighbourhood Action Teams (NATs) and last but not least the Local Action Teams (LATs).

The meeting was a chance for all the different partner organisations working in the area of crime and disorder to meet with the public as one, giving the opportunity to listen to residents and demonstrate that it is just not about the Police working alone, it is about Police Officers working with the Local Authority, partner organisations and the community to address problems in this area.

"It is important that we have partnership working and that all have a common approach to solving the problems we face. It is equally important that we do not have organisations duplicating their efforts and separately trying to do similar things with the same target groups of people, as this is a very inefficient use of time and resources".

"The East Riding is very much at the forefront within the whole country of having partners sitting around a table, cooperating and exploring ways of working together, both at the senior management level and at the delivery level. It is the local coordination of service delivery that is important, and the Local Action Teams (LATs) are at the forefront of this".

The subjects of speeding traffic and parking, along with incidents of anti-social behaviour were again the main issues raised by the public. It was acknowledged the East Riding as a whole is a safe place in which to live and crime levels are low. The subject of Police visibility was also discussed with the message coming across that people would like to see a greater Police presence.

Divisional Commander Chief Supt Paul Davison talked about confidence in the Police, but most of the concerns raised were about minor things, which cause residents real problems. He sympathised with the problem, but was not sure if speed cameras were the answer. He took the opportunity to ask residents about the scale of the problems of speeding vehicles in Howdenshire villages. He referred to the debate on public confidence and satisfaction with the Police in general, and specifically regarding people who were charged for speeding. He explained that cameras did reduce fatalities, but also caught people who were maybe only one or two mph over the speed limit but otherwise law-abiding citizens. He was more concerned about anti-social use of vehicles on the road, suggesting that the police should be stopping speeding before it happened and targeting those who used the roads recklessly, not those who occasionally strayed marginally over the speed limit.

"As Chairman of the Police Authority Forum I welcome the Police and partners listening to what residents have to say, and how changes and improvements can be made. I am more of a critical friend to the Police, and as such I understand some of the problems they face, mainly from targets imposed by central Government. I feel they need to be unshackled from the bureaucracy they are burdened with and allowed to get on with the job of being policemen and policewomen. I am a great supporter of PCSOs who are probably the nearest thing we will get to a local Bobby; they have a positive influence particularly with young people. The PCSOs show respect to the young kids, and this respect is returned multiplied and does a lot to address the issues of anti-social behaviour".

Reduction of Anti-Social behaviour in Howdenshire

The problem of anti-social behaviour in the Howden area is reducing, a local forum heard last week. Meeting on Wednesday, the Howden and Howdenshire Police and Partners Community Forum heard that instances of anti-social behaviour had decreased. Figures for drink-fuelled assaults and criminal damage had increased slightly, but this was put down to the time of year. Reported crime in Eastrington and the surrounding areas had also fallen.

As the forum's chairman, I indicated that I was pleased with the findings of the ERYC Safer and Stronger Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee (of which I'm the Vice Chairman) . "It was felt by the committee that over the last twelve months the police had gained the increased respect from the public and this was felt to be due in part to the presence of more Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). A lot of young people were showing more respect towards the PCSOs and this was in fact a two-way street, as the young people were receiving more respect from the PCSOs. This respect shown by the PCSOs towards the young people is to be applauded and bodes well for the future."

(It is worth adding that the PCSOs are funded locally and NOT by central government).

A debate about anti-social behaviour established that it was sometimes viewed subjectively. For example, a large gathering of young people outside a bus shelter or shop could be interpreted by some as anti-social, but it was not necessarily felt to be that by the people involved.

"Young people have a right to enjoy themselves as long as their behaviour is acceptable, and a balance has to be struck," said Inspector Michael Bower. 'It was not always a case of moving them on."

He said the youth shelters in Gilberdyke were a good example of tolerance of the community towards young people.

The issue of parking outside village schools was discussed, with Eastrington being given as an example of where it had been suggested that vehicles were sometimes parked illegally during school drop-off and pick-up times. It was confirmed that other villages faced similar problems. This issue is to be addressed in the village of Gilberdyke within the next few months through the development of a 'Travel to School Policy' by Gilberdyke school, and also through possible new parking restrictions within the village resulting from an on going consultation with the ERYC.

The police forum passed two issues to the Neighbourhood Action Team for their attention: travelling to school, including school travel plans; and youths gathering in villages and possibly being involved in anti-social behaviour.

The next meeting of the Howden and Howdenshire Police and Partners Community Forum will be held at Bubwith Leisure Centre on March 5 at 7pm.

Damage, Vandalism & Intimidation at Gilberdyke's disused Railway Hotel

Picture courtesy of the Goole Times

The issue of the Railway Hotel in Gilberdyke has been a concern for local residents as well as Gilberdyke Parish Council since the pub closed a number of years ago. The building was repeatedly vandalised until being boarded up with secure steel sheeting about a year ago which has reduced this. We are told that the building is alarmed and inspected internally and externally on a weekly basis. Needless to say this has not stopped a small minority of the village youth congregating around the building causing a nuisance and engaging in anti social behaviour. These young people are perceived as a threat to many, especially rail users, householders, and older people who feel intimidated.

“For the very few individuals who persist with these acts of wanton damage, vandalism, and intimidation that we have seen occasionally around this building, the only answer is the full force of the law, with the community supporting the Police in their actions”.

“I feel the time is rapidly approaching where the owners need to make a decision regarding the future of this building, to either refurbish and reopen as a public house or find an alternative use”.