A tiler who won £20k in an Apprentice-style competition is eager to move from a ‘violent’ Reading estate to create a better life for his family.
Adam Brock, 37, who lives on the Amersham Road estate, has invested the money he won in a YouTube show, The Eviction.
He hopes the move will let him kick-start a new career and give his wife and children a better life.
He lives on the estate with his wife Rachel, 12-year-old daughter Sienna and stepdaughter Erin, 22.
Mr Brock, of Honey Meadow Road, said: “Crime in the area is high. There was a murder around the corner from us about a year ago.
“I‘ve lived there for 12 years. I just want better for my girls and to move somewhere that’s nice, away from violence and nastiness.”
Mr Brock has invested his winnings into buying a house in Hartlepool that will be rented out as a six bed house share.
He spoke out about the problems facing the estate after his win, in which he had to wipe away tears after telling his wife he had won.
He said: “It was a massive shock when I looked at my mobile phone and saw the money had gone into my bank account. It’s not every day that someone gifts you £20,000. I still can’t believe it.”
Crime issues in the Amersham Road estate
According to the latest data from Police.co.uk, there were approximately 23 crimes reported in the Amersham Road area in November 2022.
Of those, eight were violent and sexual offences, with a mix of theft, criminal damage and anti-social behaviour making up the remainder of the crimes reported.
In Caversham as a whole, 89 crimes reported in Caversham in November 2022.
Of those, 39 were violent and sexual offences, 33 were recorded as ‘other theft’, there were 10 reports of vehicle crime and seven public order incidents.
The murder case Mr Brock referred to was Yannick Cupido, who was stabbed to death by O’Neal Joseph, who lived on the estate, on Valentines Day February 14, 2021.
Councillor Jacopo Lanzoni (Labour, Caversham) said: “I live in the Amersham Road estate myself. I started community engagement well before being a councillor, attending meetings of the neighbourhood safety forum, where issues of antisocial behaviour and crime in the area are discussed.
“I’m sorry to hear that someone is thinking of leaving the area, but I’m not surprised.
“I know personally friends who have moved away from Amersham Road and England because they were not satisfied with responsiveness to crime.
“Crime does not sit with Reading Borough Council, crime is an issue dealt with by Thames Valley Police.
“What Reading Borough Council can do and is doing is working with Thames Valley Police and partners such as schools and community centres on prevention.
“Just yesterday [Thursday, January 19] I attended a meeting of the safer neighbourhood forum, which all the representatives of the police, fire brigade and different groups attend.
“I brought up the issue with anti-social behaviour and perception of crime. it’s very important. We also spoke about how planning for police work can be more effective.
“The police have a very low number of agents, but community safety is not a priority.
“Matthew Barber, the Conservative police and crime commissioner, has not identified anti-social behaviour in the five priorities laid out in the Thames Valley Police and Criminal Justice Plan.”
The priorities are: strong local policing, fighting serious organised crime, fighting cybercrime and fraud, improving the criminal justice system and tackling illegal encampments.
Cllr Lanzoni also criticised Mr Barber for a 47 per cent decrease in funding for Reading’s community safety partnership, which will decline from £453,128 in 2021 to £213,977 by 2025.
The partnership received £373,411 for the 2022/23 financial year.
Cllr Lanzoni continued: “Me and my fellow councillors Matt Yeo and Jan Gavin (both Labour, Caversham) are very active on it.
“We have so many surgeries where we talk to residents, we have an amazing anti-social behaviour team which is working with the community on the root causes of anti-social behaviour, along with the great work the Weller Centre is doing.
“We believe Reading Borough Council is doing a good job on antisocial behaviour prevention, we need the police to step up.
“The local police are doing a great job but the quantity of resources are appalling insufficient for this town.”
He also argued police do not prioritise the Amersham Road estate as it falls within the wider Caversham area, where crime reports are lower.
Cllr Lanzoni encouraged neighbours to report crimes so that the police are aware of the type of incidents occurring.
He said: “Please, please report, even if you think it’s petty or something you perceive as mild.
“Reports are fundamental for police intelligence gathering.
“Keep reporting, even though it’s extremely frustrating to spend 30 minutes using an unusable interface online of 30-40 minutes at the phone.
“It will really contribute to the work we’re doing.”
Cllr Lanzoni added that police were responsive to the most serious crimes.
He said: “Sadly we live in a world where these things happen.
“Without taking away from the seriousness of these issues the real problem is the serious low level or high level anti-social behaviour which the police is not putting resources into.”
The Eviction
The Eviction is a five-part YouTube documentary so far attracting around 90,000 views , where 10 contestants compete for a cash prize.
Tasks included preparing a barn in Buckinghamshire so that it could be put on the market, sourcing and selling a property investment opportunity, and securing a buy, refurbish, refinance deal.
The Eviction is run by Samuel Leeds, the multi-millionaire founder of Property Investors, and contestants on the show were taken from the Property Investors academy programme, which Mr Brock joined in April 2022.
Mr Leeds said: “He avoided being evicted by the skin of his teeth, but in the end he was the last person standing and thoroughly deserved to win the cash prize. I think he will go on to do great things in the property world.
“This is the third year running that we have organised this contest to give our promising students the chance to progress in the industry.”
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