Crime and the fear of crime are important matters for residents. Effective policing has a lot to do with the quality of life of residents and it is important to feel that the police are not only listening, but acting on residents concerns.
There seems to be a little confusion about what Neighbourhood Action Groups are for. Put simply, it's for the community to tell the police what they should prioritise in their area. They are not neighbourhood watch schemes or places for immediate action from actual crime. They are rather places which allow the police to target their resources effectively to address the concerns of residents, not what someone sitting in the Thames Valley Police headquarters thinks they should be doing.
It doesn't help that Katesgrove is split across four police areas. Newtown, which is the area west of Southampton Street and North of London Road; Redlands, which is the area west of Southampton Street, south of London Road and north of Christchurch Road; North Whitley, west of Basingstoke Road and south of Christchurch Road; and Katesgrove which is everything east of Southampton Street and Basingstoke Road (with the addition of Whitley Street shops and Highgrove Street).
The Katesgrove Neighbourhood Action Group held another of its regular meetings yesterday. For the last year the priorities have been Drugs, Car Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour. However, Katesgrove NAG is currently conducting a survey to find out if those priorities have changed.
If you'd like to get involved or just fill in the survey, the website is www.katesgrovenag.info.
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