Bob Seely has taken further steps to tackle the situation in Freshwater by writing to magistrates and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ask them to support the police in their efforts.
Since the start of the year, Mr Seely has been working with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones to see what powers they have .
He said:
“I have spoken several times with the Police and Crime Commissioner, and she has agreed to use some of her violent reduction budget to pay for community outreach and mediation.
“I have also spoken to the Youth Offending Team and held several meetings with beat officers and senior police officers to see what can be done to help the situation. They are doing all they can, but they need the court system to support them and that seems to be where the current sticking point is.
“I have therefore written to the CPS and the Bench Chair for the Isle of Wight to see what more can be done to prevent further criminal damage incidents via the criminal justice system.”
In his letter to the Chief Crown Prosecutor, Mr Seely said:
“Whilst I know that action out of the court system is important in supporting and changing the behaviour of these individuals, I believe that criminal justice is needed to reassure residents and prevent this anti-social behaviour in the immediate term."
Seely continued:
"I understand and respect the independence of the judiciary, which is important to our system of governance and is highly valued. However, I have concerns that magistrates are not sufficiently supporting police ... I fear the impact is that some of the offenders are capitalising on this lack of enforcement in a way which damages community cohesion and scares residents."
“I would urge the CPS to support the police wherever possible in securing Criminal Behaviour Orders against the known offenders in court and protecting local residents.”
Mr Seely added, “I don’t want Islanders to be alarmed, we are talking about low-level crime by a small number of teenagers - not serious crime by adult gangs - but nevertheless anti-social behaviour can be extremely disruptive to residents and businesses, and we all need to work together to address it.”
Residents can find out how to contact their local neighbourhood policing teams here: https://www.hampshire.
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