Known trouble-makers in Buckfastleigh will be kicked out of social housing and police vans crewed by eight officers could be called in to break up fights and rowdy behaviour. Those are just two of the measures likely to be taken after residents said they were fed up with the anti-social behaviour that is frightening residents off the streets. A ban on drinking in public places and CCTV are to come in 'soon' and other measures under consideration include better youth facilities, a neighbourhood watch scheme and seeking the £35,000 a year required to provide a full-time police officer. The town's beat manager, PC Ali Hooper, is also to set up a meeting with residents to discuss what else can be done. More than 20 members of the public, an unusually high number, packed the council chamber on Wednesday to voice their concerns and to discover the outcomes of a multi-agency meeting held on Monday. The aim of that was to identify potential solutions to the problems and mayor, Cllr Donald Joint, said good things had emerged from it, such as an invitation from the town's youths to join them for coffee. 'That might not seem very much but it is a big step forward, they are actually asking to talk to us, it's not us asking to talk with them,' he said. PC Hooper, who has received 43 complaints about nuisance youths in the past month, responded to a call for dispersal orders to be used to break up trouble. She said she was opposed to the idea owing to a lack of officers but said her inspector was seeking extra help. 'Vans with eight officers coming in, bang, and sorting things out, is that what you want?' she said. 'Yes,' was the resounding response from those present. She also tackled a question about persistent adult trouble makers who enjoyed the benefits of rented social housing by saying that moves were being made to evict residents. 'There are people on the list,' she said. Dismissing talk of vigilantes taking matters into their own hands as a 'no-no', Cllr Joint said he hoped a brighter future was on the horizon. 'We all deserve better,' he said. l THE town council's annual meeting on Wednesday last week was dominated by public outcry over bad behaviour in the town, writes Helen Davis. 'It's been hell here for the last seven years,' said one Buckfastleigh resident. 'If it's not stopped now the town is going to get totally out of control,' said another man. Mayor Cllr Donald Joint agreed: 'The problem in Buckfastleigh is that we're beginning to be afraid to go out on our streets,' he said. 'What is happening now has to be reversed.' About 20 members of the public attended the meeting at Buckfastleigh Town Hall, a building that had two separate incidents of window breaking at the bank holiday weekend. The only questions the public wanted to ask the council were connected with anti-social behaviour in the town. 'What can the council do about the bad behaviour we suffered last weekend?' asked one resident. He listed the problems – the town hall attacked, an innocent citizen picked up from the street with a broken face and young people drinking too much in the town centre, before he suggested banning the consumption of alcohol on the streets. Cllr Joint said the council had looked into doing this 18 months previously, and found it affected life for everyone in the town, but agreed to investigate further. 'The police think we're a very quiet community,' said a councillor. 'That's because people are frightened to report trouble to the police. We must make sure everyone phones the police to notify them of all unacceptable behaviour.' Problems mentioned included under-age drinking, the theft of alcohol from shops, lack of police presence in the town, an hour-and-a-half response time before police reach Buckfastleigh, problem families moved into the town from elsewhere, and regular Friday night running battles up and down the street at Waterman's Corner. Solutions included the desirability of a local 'bobby', the possibility of employing two police wardens, the use of CCTV and Neighbourhood Watch, and the need to keep the police informed about all incidents of anti-social behaviour in Buckfastleigh. 'We need people to know that it's their duty to report incidents to the police,' said a councillor: 'They can remain anonymous, and it's easy to report incidents on the phone. Just be sure to get a log number from the police, so it's recorded. Unacceptable behaviour is just that - not acceptable in Buckfastleigh.' On Monday evening the council held a private meeting at the town hall with the police and representatives from the three youth groups in the town to discuss the problems. It was the outcome of that meeting that was reported to the council at Wednesday's meeting.
