Goole and Howdenshire PCSOs to act on Dog Fouling

This weekend the Goole and Howdenshire Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) have been issued with the necessary fixed penalty tickets to give out if they witness owners allowing their dogs to foul in public places. The £75 fines are to be paid to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Dog fouling is a major issue for many of our towns and villages. It is the most offensive type of litter on our streets and it is consistently raised by residents.

The tickets can only be given out if the PCSO witnesses the act as part of their day-to-day patrols. There are no plans to for the Police to respond to reports of dog fouling.

Recent figures estimate the UK dog population to be 7.3 million, with dogs producing approximately 1,000 tonnes of excrement each day. In a recent survey of over 19,000 sites dog fouling was present in over 8% of these sites.

Some dog owners still fail to clean up after their dogs and the highest level of dog fouling can be found in areas where people actually live.

I think this sends out a clear message that the Police and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council have listened to residents concerns, and that dog fouling is not to be tolerated. I fully realise that the Police have priorities and will quite rightly not be responding to calls reporting individual cases of dog fouling, but if it is witnessed by the PCSOs they now have the powers and tickets to fine the owner – hopefully this will make people think again before leaving their dog's mess.

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.

Funding for new Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs)

With Shadow Home Secretary and local MP David Davis

outside Howden Local Policing Team Station

Funding for new PCSOs

Today (Tuesday), Humberside Police Authority decided to fund the 33% short fall in funding by Central Government to enable the planned increase in Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to go ahead in the East Riding of Yorkshire, as part of the neighbourhood-policing programme.

“As Chairman of Gilberdyke Parish Council and member of the Howden Neighbourhood Policing Panel - I recognise that one of the issues we face is crime, with many people unhappy with the service provided by the police, and fearful of crime. It is quite clear the police need to be seen, and to regain people’s trust. The role of the PCSO is very much community based and probably the nearest thing we’re going to get to a ‘Local Bobby’ on our streets”.

“This funding is very good news, and may well go a long way in allowing people to feel comfortable calling and dealing with the police. I look forward to seeing this type of high visibility, Police presence in Gilberdyke, and our neighbouring villages as a minimum requirement, to reduce the fear of crime as well as crime itself”.