Minutes:
The Police Officers in attendance introduced themselves to the residents present.
The Police noted that they are working very closely with the Council and have seen significant investment in crime prevention items including CCTV.
The Police highlighted that an Eastern European group were arrested within the last few months who were linked to a spate of burglaries in the area.
Properties that back on to parks or car parks have seen an increase of being targeted by criminals who are accessing the properties from these locations; advice was given around making sure that fences are in good order and that anti-climb paint and thorny plants are utilised to deter entry. Residents were encouraged to ensure that ladders around their property are also secured, and advised that light timers etc. are a good deterrent to burglaries as it appears that someone is still in the property. Smart bulbs and other technology, including doorbell cameras, were also highlighted.
Residents were encouraged to report anything suspicious to the Police and highlighted that registration numbers of vehicles are always beneficial.
Neighbourhood Link was also promoted to residents in the meeting.
The South Wigston Beat Priorities are speeding vehicles, with work ongoing with the Road Safety Partnership including Fatal Four events looking at mobiles, seatbelts, speeding and alcohol. speedorsafety.com was promoted as a resource. ASB is a priority too, especially around Tesco and Blaby Road Park; work has taken place with SWHS including the use of a knife arch in previous years. ASB on and around Gloucester Crescent was also noted and it was highlighted that work has taken place with the IMPACT Team to address this. Motorbike use in this area has also been reported as an issue. CCTV will be providing full coverage of Blaby Road Park in the near future. Vehicle Crime is another priority including theft of tools from vehicles and the theft of catalytic converters. The Police are able to provide anti-tamper number plate screws free of charge from Wigston Police Station.
Burglaries Dwellings – 2022 35 incidents, 2023 42 incidents. Compared to Wigston this was 141 2022 and 2023 74, Oadby 2022 89, 2023 88. In January for South Wigston there were 2 reports of burglary other than dwelling and 2 of a dwelling. In February there is one report of each on record. Shoplifting was queried and was noted that its not classed as a burglary unless they are entering and taking from a non-public area. Police were asked to provide some details around reported shoplifting in South Wigston at a future forum. The success rate in relation to burglaries was question by a resident; Officers highlighted that the investigations can take time i.e. in the gathering of CCTV and forensic evidence so success is hard to quantify. The Oadby Burglary arrests were used as an example of how success is usually a bigger picture case where a whole gang is arrested and property recovered.
Vehicle crime has seen 4 reports this year to date.
Noise complaints, especially in respect of neighbour disputes, are increasing and advice was given to report these matters through to the Council were Environmental Health can investigate.
A resident raised concerns of noise from a gym neighbouring their property around 6:30am – 7am including banging of weights etc. and music coming from the property. This is a gym on Saffron Road – Varneys.
The use of CCTV was highlighted as being ineffective by a resident due to face coverings. It was noted that many young people are using eScooters wearing all black, and residents queried as to why the Police are not seizing the eScooters from individuals instead of the current approach of education. The use of eScooters and eBikes was highlighted as an issue due to their anti-social use such as wheelieing down the middle of the road etc. The feeling is that control has been lost around the use of eScooters as legislation is unclear.
A resident asked how long the Police take to collect CCTV as they saved footage on 23 December that has yet to be reviewed. Officers took details from the resident to look into this.