THERE is growing anxiety and frustration after a recent spate of crime in Droitwich, which has seen reports of children with catapults and properties being damaged.
Concerns about the upturn in crimes, such as vehicle crime and burglaries, were laid bare at Droitwich’s annual town meeting on Monday.
But residents bemoaned the lack of police presence at the yearly meeting, as disgruntled members of the public felt they were not being given the proper chance to air their concerns and ask questions of the police.
One resident said: “One of the big concerns I hear about most, and certainly one that my wife and I share, is the anti-social behaviour and criminal damage that we are suffering around the town.
”To have a meeting like this without a police representative is not good enough.
“We have had a lot of incidents recently, and it has been going on for some time.
“During the course of the day, we don’t see any uniformed presence at all.
“It doesn’t do anything at all to address the problems that we have in the town.”
PCSO Ben Mawby submitted a report, which was handed out to residents at the meeting; however, he was not able to attend to answer questions due to him being on injury leave.
PCSO Mawby’s report said: “We are very much aware of the current anxiety, concerns, and frustrations across the whole of Droitwich in relation to the current spate of vehicle crime, property damage, children with catapults and burglaries.”
PCSO Mawby added that there will be increased patrols in the impacted areas, and all victims are being regularly updated in line with the victim code of contact.
He added that extensive CCTV and house-to-house enquiries have been completed.
A large amount of CCTV evidence and information has been collected regarding an incident on February 7, where car windows were smashed.
However, the police are still waiting for further evidence to be able to charge anyone with the offence, but assured residents that this work was being completed and was at the forefront of everyone’s mind in the police station.
The PCSOs’ report added that there had been a spate of burglaries in rural areas of the town.
Someone has been arrested for some of these offences, and they are currently remanded in custody awaiting a trial.
Insp Lisa Hornberger, from Droitwich Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “PCSO Ben Mawby was unable to attend the town meeting due to an injury sustained whilst on duty.
“We remain committed to supporting the local community and will always have a representative attend the meeting whenever operational commitments allow.
“The Safer Neighbourhood Team continues to monitor the area and carry out regular patrols to provide reassurance and deter crime, however the public may not always see officers at the times they happen. Patrols are carried out at a range of times based on demand and intelligence, including early mornings, evenings, and periods when incidents are more likely to occur.”
