Bells or sirens?
Having decided that the majority of meetings organised by various bodies held little news value we relented and went to the latest Bexley Community Safety Partnership meeting at Cleeve Park school. The venue isn’t the easiest to reach if you have to go by bus.
The audience numbered about ten couples and a few youngsters. A policeman gave an overview of crime (or non-crime) in Sidcup and Foots Cray via his computer and rattled of the access code so that those present could look at their computers when they got home. At this point looking around the room I was tempted to ask the young lady chairman if she could ask those in the audience who owned a computer to put their hands up!
If anyone has ever attended a street meeting with the police we can confirm the same subjects came up at the Cleeve Park school meeting. Anti-social behaviour, drunks, burglars, car theft and fear of crime.
The new head of police for the district arrived late for the meeting but all very gung-ho explaining he came over in a secret, unmarked police car, when his driver spotted a stolen car to which they gave chase rather than make a note of the registration number and pass on to properly marked police car. I wondered how the driver of a car suddenly being chased by another car at night ought to react. I would have thought if perfectly acceptable to assume he/she might be a target of attack which happens more frequently than one realises especially along quiet country roads.
If any reader suffers from a fear of crime might I suggest you go to the library and borrow a copy of Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities. His descriptive comment about crime in his time and the terrible punishments inflicted on people makes hanging seem a mild deterrent. It also brings in to question what punishment today should fit the ‘crime’. The dreadful things they inflicted on wrongdoers in Dickens day when crime was far worse than it is today never worked!
Our photo shows the content of a rather attractive paper bag the Partnership left on the many empty seats at the school.
I asked our gung ho chief of police why we had to suffer so much noise from his police cars sirens when crime is claimed to be so low in Sidcup. He said he thought it was because the public wanted a rapid response to a 999 call and not as I had assumed they were rushing back for a coffee break! I wonder how many readers recall the sweeter sound of ringing bells on police cars and ambulances. We all got out of the way then or were the sirens introduced because our modern policing requires them to be heard rather than seen!
Residents Associations
The Sidcup Town Centre Partnership consists of a number of people who represent resident associations in Sidcup like Elm Road, St. John’s Road, Church Avenue and Crescent Road Although self-interest groups they usually keep an eye on planning issues that affect the town or their residents. It was with some surprise the Chronicle learned that the residents association voted against having Christmas Lights and entertainment in the High Street this year because, they say, “they did not represent good value for money last year”!
When they were asked again if the Town Centre Partnership would contribute £100 or £50 toward the lights they declined so thank you to all the community-minded residents of Elm Road, Church Avenue, Crescent Road and St.John’s Road. Residents who live in Church Avenue confirmed they were members of their association but they didn’t pay a membership fee. They were not approached for their opinion either personally or by letter and the news came as a surprise because had they been asked to contribute they would have done so and they thought most of the other members would have done so.