Concerns are being raised by residents living near South Parade that the former Aldi site opposite is being used by drug dealers. Cllr Charmaine Morgan said :
“There is an increasing concern in our community that not only are drugs readily available but other issues including bike thefts and anti social behaviour are on the rise.
I am receiving concerns from residents whose lives are blighted by noise nuisance frequently combined with the taking of drugs especially within multiple occupancy households where people living nearby or even within these households feel neglected or at risk.
The use of our lovely parks, public open spaces and river walk for drug dealing is also disturbing. Dealers are brazenly carrying out transactions in broad daylight within site of pensioners and others whose homes overlook these areas.
The issue around the availability of drugs is of particular concern. They affect behaviour, put those taking drugs at risk (especially now our A&E is earmarked to go) and others become victims of crime undertaken to pay for the drugs.
These concerns are shared with the police and South Kesteven District Council officers but we have to wonder how robustly and effectively they are tackling these issues? Householders are increasingly turning to their own security measures, including the installation of cctv cameras.
Government austerity cuts not only put huge pressure on the resources of our police and Council but also led to a cut in spending on education, mental health, our NHS support and public health.
Programmes that focus on prevention and support children at school and college so they learn to say ‘No!’ are hugely important as is general education of our community. It would also be wrong to assume drugs only affect young people. Older adults are drinking alcohol and are among those taking drugs.
I have repeatedly asked local officers to keep a proactive eye on our neighbourhoods but there is a lot of ground to cover and few of them. Constant restructuring of our local police does not help. They need us to continue to provide them with the intelligence and information so they can focus their efforts. Dialling the Non Emergency number 101 we can help. Even if the results are not immediate.
I have also lobbied for South Kesteven to be more proactive managing poor landlords who are only too happy to receive the income from having vulnerable tenants but do not provide the on-site management needed to protect them. The Council has also had restructuring. More mandatory Registration of landlords in our town centre is needed. It’s been promised but yet to come.
Many private landlords are playing an important role as council home numbers dwindle but without doubt there are a few rogues out there.
It is also quite shameful that an authority the size of South Kesteven, responsible for the provision of housing and community safety, offers so little specialised help itself too, relying on others to do the work needed to pull people out of the downward spiral.
This growing rural market town lacks the support available in cities. This is much to do with cuts in funding from the government but also the apparent low local priority given to this issue. We simply cannot afford to have our policing and community safety resources focused elsewhere – such as watching a statue.
Despite concerns raised we still live in a relatively low crime area but we need to tackle these issues now to keep it that way. “
I am sure CM means well but the picture she paints of Grantham is not as balanced as it should be. It is important not to alarm people by giving the impression that drug-taking is everywhere and that we are fighting a losing battle against anti-social behaviour. And that the police and local Councils etc are so stretched that they cannot help. Yes, Grantham has its problems as do most communities but in reality it remains a relatively safe and supportive environment for people of all ages and backgrounds. And I am not sure we actually need CM’s reminder that older people drink alcohol!!