Police And Council Declare War On Drinking And Anti-Social Behaviour

It has been announced that two separate campaigns to combat irresponsible drinking and anti-social behaviour will be taking place in Fleet and beyond this summer.

Launched at the end of May this year, Hampshire Constabulary’s anti-social behaviour campaign has already resulted in a 14% drop in targeted incidents in comparison to 2009, according to a police press release.

 “Tackling anti-social behaviour is the priority for Hampshire Constabulary over the summer as this is historically when we see a rise in offences,” said Chief Inspector Jerry Patterson, who is helming the campaign.

Anti-social behaviour is identified as a range of different offences, including begging, hoax calls, and ‘rowdy and inconsiderate’ behaviour.

The release also identified a 20% drop in criminal damage crimes based on the same period last year. The police campaign is set to run until the end of August.

In addition, the ‘Safer Hart’ Community Safety Team are starting the latest Crime Reduction and Environment Week (CREW) this month, set to run between 19th and 25th July.

Due to the success of previous campaigns, this time the council-led scheme will take place across the entire Hart district rather than a specific area.

The focus for July’s CREW will be to encourage responsible drinking among young people, while simultaneously promoting ‘positive activities’ during the summer holidays.

“We will be working closely with the police and the county council to tackle underage drinking and anti-social behaviour and we are confident of the results,” initiative organiser Richard Denham explained.

Within Fleet, many would agree that anti-social behaviour and excessive and underage drinking pose some of the area’s biggest challenges.

As previously reported by Fleet-People, the South East was recently identified as one of the booziest parts of the UK in an NHS survey, and violent incidents after pub closing times at weekends is not uncommon.

However, enjoying a drink is undeniably a part of the fabric of the town, with a plethora of local initiatives aligning sensible drinking with worthwhile causes in an undoubtedly positive manner.

Are local residents confident that the police and council campaigns will make a noticeable impact?

Is Fleet’s lively pub and bar culture to blame, or is it more related to the lack of opportunities and facilities for young people locally?

Have you been affected by anti-social behaviour?

Please let us know your thoughts by posting below.