TAKEAWAY CRIME

02-11-2006

Coppers with a nose for trouble in Kingstanding are opposing plans for a new takewaway because they reckon it will generate crime.Edward Cameron investigates the link between eating a kebab and breaking the law.

What would make you feel unsafe in your neighbourhood? Reports of regular muggings? Hearing about rapists or paedophiles being housed in a bail hostel down the steet? How about a kebab wrapper?

Sandwell's community and culture scrutiny panelmet yesterday to chew over a report looking at how the police and council can help tackle the ‘fear' of crime.

The report explains how despite a drop in crime over the last year people still don't feel safe.

The police have identified a number of ‘signal crimes' which prompt people to feel afraid and in the words of the report: “There was a documented link between the physical deterioration of an area (starting with litter and fly tipping) and the increase in crime and fear of crime. For this reason the Police had identified litter as being a ‘signal event' which, when dealt with quickly, could help prevent an increase in other crimes and anti-social behaviour.”

There's a phrase which sums up that paragraph: Quick fix. Stop the litter louts means more crimes solved means happier citizens, right?

If we move over the border to Birmingham and look at the planning agendas for this week the police in Kingstanding are objecting to the planning permission for a takeaway shop on College Road, citing 143 reported incidents around the area in the last year and claiming that a takeaway would act as a ‘honeypot' for crime. And the thing isn't even open yet.

But it seems the link between kebab wrappers and crime is strong enough for the police and councils to decide that this is where their time and resources are best spent to make people realise that there's nothing to be afraid of.

Back in Sandwell the same report cites the biggest source of fear of crime as being the belief that the police are too slow at getting there. To be fair to the police they have listened to this and recently embarked on a massive recruitment scheme attracting thousands of enquiries.

If crime really has fallen perhaps the police have more time to help councils to look at the social factors and work out why people still don't feel safe.

But how about using this new-found thinking time to get the local coppers out into the community, get them to know their local kids, potential trouble makers and liaise with people?

It's happening in a lot of places, I grant you. And I don't want to come across as some moaning moron proposing a solution that's too simple to work.

After all police presence is wonderfully reassuring but the job of a copper is meant to be nicking criminals isn't it? It's great they want us to feel better in ourselves but we've got to meet them halfway.

So perhaps we as citizens need to make more enquiries and find out who our local bobby is and forge our own links.

Because when you get mugged, or god forbid you get raped, it must surely be more reassuring to report your crime and your fears to a named, friendly copper - someone you can trust to take you seriously.