I was dismayed to hear from residents living around Station Road car park in Devizes that issues of noise and antisocial behaviour have started up again, after a successful drive to stamp it out last year. Those living in the area have been affected by this for many years, with excessive noise coming from those who meet in the car park. Last summer, a resident was hospitalised after being hit by a car when attempting to confront some of those carrying out the antisocial behaviour.
After meeting with residents last year, and discussing the matter at length with Wiltshire and Devizes councils, as well as Wiltshire Police, I was pleased to see action taken in the form of a closure order for the car park. It was hoped this would discourage people from gathering there - I'm sorry to see that, upon expiry of that order, the same issues are arising. Devizes Development Partnership was successful in bidding for funding for CCTV to cover the car park, but installation has been delayed following issues with third party contractors. I'm pleased to hear these are now in hand and, while I cannot provide a definitive timeline for camera installation, I hope this will be resolved very soon.
Wiltshire Police and Wiltshire Council have not reported the same recent rise in my correspondence with them, and say the number of reports has not increased dramatically. I would therefore encourage all residents to report all instances of antisocial behaviour, both to the police (via the website, www.wiltshire.police.uk, or by calling 101) and to Wiltshire Council by emailing [email protected]. It is imperative that all incidents are logged so this area can be properly prioritised, and I would encourage residents to keep a diary of issues, including how they were reported at the time.
If there is an immediate threat of danger, please call 999.
