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Rowdy behaviour as teen 'moons' at Paul
(August 14, 2009)A low response rate to a survey into anti-social behaviour in the predominantly Selwood Housing Society area to the east of Warminster leaves the police wondering if the problem is as bad as first feared.
"As a victim of two car crimes within weeks of each other I know that there has been a real problem," said former councillor Paul Macdonald. "My sleep has often been disturbed."
"However it appears that the car crimes do not count towards anti-social behaviour because the pie-chart list just five areas as relevant to the survey."
The local police have a neighbourhood policing team who in turn are guided by a neighbourhood tasking group who give them quarterly three areas of major concern.
A visit to the Wiltshire Police website reveals that the current three priorities include the problems that Boreham area residents have been experiencing.
One in eight of the 400 households responded to the initiative.
'This relatively low response may be an indicator that ASB is not such an issue as first thought,' a leaflet distributed today claims.
The top five areas that the police and the housing society reported on were litter, noisy motorbikes and cars, shouting and swearing, drunken behaviour and damage to greenery.
It also revealed that more than six in ten witnessed anti-social behaviour but did not report it.
"I am not surprised as in most cases it is easier for example to just pick up the litter and not waste police time on it," explains Paul.
"And the last anti-social behaviour I dealt with was kids kicking a ball at OAPs back garden fencing and jumping up on top of it.
"I just went over and told them to clear off. I got abuse for it and one 'mooned' at me calling me a pervert!
"But they decided it was better to go somewhere else."
The survey was also run as a leaflet through the door exercise which are notorious for yielding a poor response.
Many an advertising agency would be delighted with a percentage result that this action received from a neighbourhood.
"It has also served another important purpose in terms of public awareness," added Paul.
"It has brought to everyone's attention on the estates including those who are behaving improperly that it is a focus of attention backing up the good work that the police have already done here."