Published: Friday, 8th February, 2008 14:15
Straw praises neighbourhood policing, but...
By Adam Hewitt
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Warm words: Justice Secretary Jack Straw at Coley Park community centre.
Pic by: Ed Godden
JUSTICE Secretary Jack Straw was full of praise for neighbourhood policing during a flying visit to Reading but a scathing report into the town’s community safety punctured his enthusiasm.
Audit Commission watchdogs gave Reading a one-star rating – on a scale of nought to three – and condemned the council’s record on getting neighbours involved in crime prevention as “patchy”.
But the report praised the way drugs are now being tackled, and said the borough’s community safety record was “fair” and set to improve.
Mr Straw also praised the town’s drugs record, sweeping into east Reading first to meet residents, police and councillors at Weirside Court in Orts Road, Newtown, and saluting the local Neighbourhood Action Group.
But he admitted many people still feel unsafe and told his select audience: “If you’ve been a victim of crime, you just have been, 100%, and having a politician tell you that the statistics show crime is falling does not help.”
He said the improvement around areas like Mandela Court since the “desperate” situation when drug dealers ruled a few years ago was impressive – but he gently dismissed neighbours’ pleas to bring back National Service.
He then headed to Coley Park Community Centre to meet Reading West MP Martin Salter and another band of councillors, police officers, PCSOs and community workers.
His assessment of the “good news and bad news” matched that of the Audit Commission report, which praised co-operation between council departments but said burglary was a huge problem, even compared to similar towns, and criticised some community safety initiatives as poor value for money.
Cllr Tony Page, borough community action leader, said: “The Commission rightly recognises the strength of partnership working in Reading, which has underpinned so many successful initiatives.
“We had already identified areas for further work and improvement, such as clarifying the role of the Safer Reading forums once the roll-out of neighbourhood policing has been completed, and the Commission has validated this agenda.”
Council chief executive Trish Haines, soon quitting her post to join Worcestershire County Council, said: “We have already come a long way and made significant improvements, but we will take on board the findings and tackle very vigorously the areas for improvement that they have identified.”
But Lib Dem safer communities spokeswoman Cllr Daisy Benson said: “This independent review confirms that when it comes to our safety, Reading’s Labour Council is strong on spin, but sadly lacking when it comes to implementing the real measures needed to tackle drug use, burglary and anti-social behaviour in our community.
“Forums are not representative of Reading’s diverse communities and the council is failing to adequately evaluate them to ensure they offer any sort of value for money for local taxpayers.
“We want to see the council reaching out to communities via decision-making area committees which have real powers on issues like planning and highways - just like Lib Dem-run Stockport, which has won awards for its approach and significantly reduced local crime.”
James Rosewell, vice-chairman of the Newtown Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) said: “Mr Straw has a good approach and seems to understand the issues, he didn’t strike me as out of touch as some national politicians can. He recognised the important role we play in the NAG, we just need a few more people to get involved.
“I think the use of PCSOs is along the right lines at the moment, they’re at their best as a link between residents and the police. Some people moan about them, but they’ve proved beneficial round here.”
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