Despite lockdowns and restrictions to keep residents indoors during the COVID pandemic, anti-social behaviour (ASB) on the Isle of Wight has increased.
In figures revealed by the Island’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP), 2,438 ASB incidents happened between 1st April 2020 and 31st March 2021 — an increase of 61 reports on the previous year. It is still, however, a substantial decrease in incidents seen in 2018/19, which saw a marked increase.
Speaking about the potential causes of the increase, the CSP’s operations manager, Andrew Wheeler, said the police had launched an online reporting tool that made it easier to log incidents.
Hampshire Constabulary’s Chief Inspector, Steve Swift, said the focus was put on anybody who was moving around outside during lockdown and that it would have caught people’s attention.
Ch Insp Swift said:
“Once certain restrictions had lifted, I think people’s focus had changed, they were more aware what was going on outside their windows, in the parks, in their streets.
“I am not concerned it is necessarily a worrying increase, possibly, it is just people are more aware at the time and it is something we will monitor.”
The police, in a multi-agency partnership, has been working on ‘Operation Wisteria’ following concerns raised by residents and Southern Housing Group about ASB and drug-related harm in Sandown and Shanklin.
The South Wight neighbourhood policing team searched 3 rooms and people at Sandham House, Sandown and Butler Gardens, Shanklin and completed more than 20 intervention risk assessments with vulnerable residents.
A 40-year-old woman was arrested at Butler Gardens, on suspicion of Class A drugs with intent to supply and resisting arrest. A large quantity of Class A drugs were also seized.
Working in partnership through its Joint Action Group (JAG) has seen the use of portable CCTV to help residents when there had been immediate concern for their safety, providing reassurance and deterring any potential issues.
Mr Wheeler said the JAG ensures it is a multiagency view, and it is not just down to the police to solve the problems, with work ongoing to look at some of the underlying causes of ASB and how those behaviours can change without using enforcement or the police.
The collaborative working between police, housing and the Isle of Wight Council also saw a number of earlier successes to tackle the ASB problems, including the issuing of three community protection notices and an ASB premises closure warning.
Of course you are not concerned. You are not the one has to suffer from low lives and similar.
Quite. Here in Freshwater youths brazenly ride noisy motorbikes round and round each evening delivering drugs, they are never stopped, despite so many of us reporting it going on. They know that they rule the roost here and so do we, as some residents have experienced violence when confronting them.
If one walks through the village in the evenings, one can smell the stuff in the air, it’s become normal for some time now.
All this is due to Police inaction and apathy. – They have been a total let down.
Swift should be concerned there is any anti social behaviour at all. His attitude is not professional
He isn’t as he will NEVER be bothered by such. HE will live miles away from such feral beings, in a leafy lane, in a large detached home, fully insured, fully alarmed and have all his items fully insured.
IF, which he never will, he had to live amongst the dross as most of us do, then he would ‘care’, but, he knows HE will never have to.
He needs removing for his arrogant, ‘I’m alright Jack’ stance.
Well Mr Swift, you can come and move to my dads once lovely community for six months, then you might take off your woke blinkers and see the results of weak policing and not daring to touch the imported criminals and others who now consider themselves to be in control. What an attitude to have towards totally unaceptable behaviour, you clearly have no concept of reality!
What a P*ss taking statement to make towards the victims who have suffered from it. The police pay no interest if you make phone calls trying to report it. Low life every where you look, chavs riding up and down half the night of noisy pop/bang motor bikes, yobs on illegal electric scooters riding on the pavement snort/swill boy racers roaring about every where, ALL these reports that have been made and nothing done. Get out here on the beat and see for yourself