No crime if it is not reported (From South Wales Argus)

No crime if it is not reported

3:04pm Wednesday 6th February 2013 in Letters

I WOULD just like to write a short letter to support some of the views expressed by Mr Laurence Evans’ letter of January 31.

Like Mr Evans, I take with some cynicism the statistics provided by the police these days. Certainly, it is my view, as ward councillor for Green Lane, Caldicot, that many of the anti-social issues, particularly in Caldicot Town Centre, are not being reported. Many residents and businesses have stated to me that previous poor response – in some cases no response at all – lead to them to deciding not to report incidents. In the last two years or so, I feel that there has been some improvements in my area, but I still feel that there is significant room for improvement. The state of Caldicot Town Centre shopping precinct is evidence of this, along with the rubbish, dog fouling, and constant kicking of footballs against the shop windows during the summer months. The closing of local town and village police stations does not encourage better results, as does the lack of police consultation with locally ‘elected’ councillors, whose responsibility it is to represent those who elected them.

Cllr John Marshall Green Lane Ward Caldicot