District council and police aiming to target anti-social behaviour in Stratford

Joint press release from Warwickshire Police and Stratford-on-Avon District Council:

Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwickshire Police will be working together to try and reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB).

It follows recent reports of littering and drug use, as well as late-night vehicle noise and general nuisance behaviour at Fisherman’s car park. Complaints have also been received relating to inconsiderate parking in the area, camping and incidents of public urination and defecation.

A series of measures are set to be implemented over the coming weeks at the Warwick Road car park.

These include installing a lockable gate to prevent people from entering the car park in the evening, putting up information signs, marking bays to ensure safer parking, installing temporary CCTV and increasing local police patrols.

Works to install the gate began on Wednesday (8 July) and from Monday 3 August onwards, the car park will be closed to the public overnight in a bid to prevent anti-social behaviour from taking place there.

The closure will be from 8.30pm to 6am between April and September and from 5pm and 6am between October and March however the 6am opening time will still allow canoeists, swimmers, runners, dog walkers and fishermen the opportunity to enjoy their activities all year round.

Officers from the Police Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) will continue to carry out patrols in the area and will take action if they receive any reports of anti-social behaviour or see anyone behaving inappropriately.

A review will be carried out in three months to see the impact and whether further steps need to be taken.

Cllr Sarah Whalley-Hoggins, Community Portfolio said: “We have listened to our residents and will be taking action that we believe will help to tackle anti-social behaviour locally.

“This year has seen an increase in the usage of the area and the number of reported anti-social behaviour incidents and we want to do everything we can to ensure people can continue to feel safe.

“While we appreciate closing the car park overnight will be disappointing to some people, we feel it is a necessary step and one which should help us to reduce the issue.”

Stratford SNT Sergeant Rich Crowhurst added: “Anti-social behaviour is never acceptable.

Everyone has a right to feel safe and we want to help build communities where anti-social behaviour is less likely to happen.

“We are keen for people to enjoy the town and its open spaces but doing so should never be at the detriment of anyone else. We would ask people to be considerate of others and behave in a responsible manner at all times.

“If you do use Fisherman’s car park during the day, be mindful of others, please remove your litter when you leave and try to avoid parking in an area that could block or be a danger to other road users.

“We hope reminding people of their personal responsibility will help to combat some of the recent issues but we won’t be afraid to take action where necessary.

“Our team will be patrolling the area regularly so if you have any concerns about anti-social behaviour, please speak to them in person or get in touch via our website.

“We continue to work hard to prevent and disrupt further incidents of anti-social behaviour and hope the public are reassured both ourselves and the council are taking the issue seriously.

“By implementing these measures and working together with the council, we believe it will allow people to enjoy the town while enabling our officers to continue protecting people from harm.”

Anti-social behaviour can now be reported online. If you need to report an incident of anti-social behaviour and it is not an emergency, please visit the Warwickshire Police website but in an emergency, always call 999.

Issued: Laura Maltby, Corporate Communications