I see so much, so much going on its unbelievable. ... I seen some boys about 18 or 19 years old put a car on fire and there was a woman still in it. The same boys I’ve seen them put the back of a building on fire. ... people getting beaten up - there’s a lot of muggings in the area. ...’cos there are so many shops around here they’ll come along ‘cos they will target them coming out of shops. ... I’ve seen cars being stolen, houses being robbed, the street signs taken off. ... I’ve seen so much that I don’t know what’s left.

Teenagers will come in and verbally threaten employees or the other people (in the place), and there is no reason except to frighten them to death and make them feel powerful. ...The thing that upsets me most ... is the children ... who get caught up in crime with the older people. ... I’ve seen ... a group of kids who’re pushing the younger kid, about 14 into the house so that he could open the front door and let them in to rob the place. This kid (comes in here) ... he’s very bright and he told me that his brother forces him to do this stuff.

I’ve seen car thefts ... assaults right outside (the place of work). I’ve seen houses that are being robbed on this street. ... I’ve seen a bunch of kids breaking into (shops) they’ve thrown rocks at the window. They’ve broken my windows in the kitchen as well. ... I’ve seen drug dealing going on around the corner.

I’ve witnessed loads of things - cars being torched, cars being stolen, people being assaulted, rocks being thrown at windows to break them, young kids vandalising street signs or stealing them, people’s houses being robbed.

(After witnessing a serious assault) I was a wreck.; I couldn’t sleep. I was an absolute mess. I was frightened and scared all the time. ... I can’t go out alone, I’m in the house all the time. I don’t leave unless (family members) are with me. I become so isolated ‘cos of this and I know that it is them and I shouldn’t let them do this to me. But I can’t leave the house without feeling afraid, and very afraid. ... We are now at the point that we are moving out of this house ‘cos we know what will happen if they get charged. It will come right back to us and this will never end. They will take it out on us, get us back for what the police have to do.

They’ll report anything in this area, they’ll report anything...I think it’s the Homewatch background. In a way, ‘cos they realise if you need special attention on police time and police resources. If you report then it gets noticed - it doesn’t mean to say that they’re going to do anything at that particular time, but it gets noticed. ... People will only report it if they’re going through their insurance in many areas .. (but) if you don’t report is then you don’t get any special resource. ... if you’ve got a particular problem in a particular area and it’s constant, people tend to report and report and report. ... no, people round here aren’t reluctant to phone the police.

You see such horror stories. We’ve seen horror stories. You know, where people have been run out of their properties. And even with all the support they’ve had with cameras, officers, alarms and what have you, they’ve still lost.

There are 2 private landlords) who are intimidating, they are harassing, they are doing everything possible to force the private owner occupier out and drive her to distraction, so that they can buy that house and turn it into a hostel. And she is basically at her wits end. ... She is literally terrified. She has to pay somebody to come and sit in her house if she has to go shopping or visit somebody or anything. ... so that the house is safe for when she comes back. ... she’s had graffiti, she’s had faeces put through her door, she’s had, oh, everything done to her. .... (even a member of the Neighbourhood Nuisance Team who visited her said) ‘It’s the only time I’ve been with a police officer in broad daylight and felt very intimidated walking down the street’. She’s at her wits end.

I seen other people get intimidated and threatened all the time. Blokes will threaten ladies ‘cos they have seen what they did. And so they scare them so they wont report it.

(Two women asked neighbours to lessen the late night noise). The man who lived there wasn’t too bad about it, he said ‘OK, I’ll do that’, but the woman came flying out of the bedroom and assaulted them. She head butted (one) and broke her front tooth, well loosened her front tooth,, (the other) is disabled ... and walks with sticks, sometimes a wheelchair, it depends on the day, but she was assaulted as well. And they’re both prepared to go to court and they don’t need any witness support as far as I know. ... This was middle aged people, and alcohol, not youth.

There had been a family living on the street - constant anti-social behaviour. It started with parking cars all over the street. When residents were asked to move their cars, there were threats - ‘if you come near me, I’ll cut your throat’. Flower boxes were destroyed an so on. The threats got worse. The police and Neighbourhood Nuisance Team moved in with hidden cameras and a peep hole of one house. Residents were happy to give statements, but this was a big extended family and residents would not go to court.

The whole area around here is intimidated. Yesterday we heard that we’ve got a few tinker families over the other side of the road that moved in. And there’s quite a rough element over that side. And there are some other families that are equally, um tough. And they’ve got a reputation. ... We hear there was somebody caught breaking into one of the ruffian’s houses that’s got a reputation of ‘don’t mess with me’. And they caught him doing it. Now then they took a pick axe to his legs. So he couldn’t get away. So, you know, It’s the law of the jungle that’s creeping in. And people are thinking, ‘even if I saw it, I’m saying nothing’.

... they have threatened me with things you can’t imagine. What they will do to me, and what they will do to my family. They threatened to burn my house and they have done, you know....I was absolutely terrified they would do something. I was so frightened. ...Their threats and violent acts scared me and I didn’t know what they were capable of. ... I want to charge them and the police encourage me, but I don’t want to go through all of it. I can’t go to Court. ... I can’t deal with it anymore.

I went to court once as a witness and I was right, I knew I was right. I couldn’t sleep for a week ... if someone had walked up to me a said ‘You’ve committed a murder’, I would have said ‘Yeah’ ‘cos I was that frightened. I was petrified. ... But it made me think, would I ever do that again? ... because the lawyer made me feel like a criminal .. and all I was doing was telling the truth about what happened. Having said that, I can’t stand the law being broken by people like that, so I think I would.

I think if the ASBO people knew the consequences, at the end of the day that they were going to lose their homes, probably break up a family (which it came to, very nearly breaking up a family - luckily they’ve worked through it), and the trauma they went through, (they might not go through with it). Then again, do you know before you go through it? However much someone tells you how horrendous it can be, do you know until you actually go through it? Do you know you’re going to sleep downstairs with your clothes on because you’re frightened to go to bed? That’s the realities of it, and if you told somebody that, they’d say ‘Hang on a minute, not going through that, it’s not worth it, let someone else do it.’ ... She lost her home, lost her friends, and things like that. And for what? The community gained and she lost.

I went to Court ... I didn’t meet the Crown Prosecution Service until the day before and if we could have got together with them or with the other witnesses then we could have helped each other, supported each other, rather than it be so nerve racking and afraid.

Here the crime is small scale and constant and very much undermines the quality of people’s lives.

I used to work but ‘cos of (the intimidation) I don’t anymore. That’s how bad it got, that I couldn’t work.

(Our neighbours), they’re both old. ... they’ve had all sorts of things happen to them ... Now they don’t open the (back) door, they keep the door shut. People lock themselves in, they don’t want to know, and I don’t think you’re going to change that attitude. ... Basically, people either want to shut their doors, go in and don’t want to get involved, or the are involved (in crime) and they wouldn’t want to know people like you or me.

A middle aged housewife, interviewed in the street said that although she had never herself witnessed anything personally, she and her children do not go out of the house in the evening - even to the chippy at 7.00pm. She does not consider it safe. Her daughter has been badly bullied by other girls if the boys they are with ‘even look at her’. She, herself has not witnessed an act of crime or anti-social behaviour. Although she has lived in the area a long time, and knows lots of people well, she still does not feel safe.

There is only one church in the area with an evening service because elderly people (church goers) are too scared to go out at night

The estate is stable - not a high turnover of population. People have known each other for 30 years so just know they would get back up from each other. Trust is high. ... There are a lot of young people on the estate. At (regeneration) meetings there is a lot of talk about youths and noise and nuisance from youth, but we don’t have this on the estate. There is a young population - we have ‘children nuisance’!

We had a lot of strong people that was reporting crime, but they just wont report it anymore and I can’t blame them. And even though I’ve said to them ‘Well, if you don’t report it how’re they gonna know?’ and they say ‘What will they do if I do report it? ... Well, nothing, and if they do come out they’ve got a negative attitude, and we don’t need that’.

Things are going downhill. There’s a local kid who is 7 years old who is always outside walking around - both parents are junkies and he doesn’t want to go home. Walks down back entries and alleys ... if someone offered him a bag of sweets he would go with them. (This) has been reported lots of times to Social Services, but nothing seems to happen.

In a street interview, an elderly man said he did nor like some of the people who move into new houses, especially when they are young girls with boyfriends who create havoc. One set were recently evicted, but they returned and set fire to the house.

There’s loads more unreported crime on the estate than reported. Particularly men as victims - not reported because of fear.

I was out the front the other day when we were painting and spoke to a chap. I’ve known him for years and years, since I was a little girl. really nice, he’s nearly 80- now. He only lives a few streets away and he asked me if I could do something about children playing football opposite. They keep banging on his window with the ball, and some elderly people’s property facing him, ... they are frightened of going out and tackling the children because they’re so aggressive and the intimidation he would get back. ... Now for a person of nearly 80 who’s lived there as long as 40, nearly 50 years to be frightened to go out and say to a youngster who is playing football - you know ‘cos of the repercussions. It’s in a bad way.

I’ve lived here for over 20years and it didn’t used to be like this. It was a very fortunate and lively part of the City and you didn’t have to worry about (such) crimes. But now it is unrecognisable. Sometimes I can’t believe it’s the same place. I do get scared seeing all this crime that once was practically non-existent in our community ... Me children are grown and have children. I’m lucky they turned out so well. But it’s me graRChildren I worry about getting involved in these kinds of things, ‘cos you don’t know what children are doing when they are out.

...they’ve been neglecting our area for a long time, and it’s gonna take a long, long time to get people’s hopes up, and certainly a hell of a lot longer before anyone would be a witness ... about 5 years, come back.

I would always report what I saw and would go to court if necessary.

I have always been outspoken - some people would say too impulsive. But I would always speak up. I think. I’ve never really had to, and I do know of people who have been intimidated. I don’t think it would affect me.

In a street interview, a young shop worker in Harley says she would not consider reporting graffiti and the like, but would report muggings.

If someone is seriously injured or hurt then I would report it. You know, things like vandalism or graffiti, I think are too small to report. ... Where people get hurt it’s serious ‘cos it can happen again. Street signs are replaceable, and graffiti can be painted over, but a person is not replaceable.

If it is serious I will report it. But I know that if it’s not serious the police aren’t going to do anything anyway. (If) I call them up and tell them that a bunch of boys are throwing rocks at my window, ... it’s a waste of time, they wont do anything about it.

Neighbours support each other - small blocks of people look out for each other.

When there has been an incident in the park, we have a little network. ... I phone Y and someone else; they phone someone else and everybody phones the police. ... We all ask for a log number. What the police have done in the past is given us one log number for every call. They’ve actually given my name out ‘Oh I’ll give you X’s log number’. Now it’s a good job it was a friend...

The area has cleaned up a lot in the last three years - all due to the Tenants’ Association

...in our community we let one another know that we are there for each other ‘cos a lot of the times people do need to talk about what has happened to them, whether they’re victims or witnesses. ... The two elderly ladies .. who were robbed at knife point. They are alone and I ... let them know that if they need anything, you know, that they have support, ‘cos they need to know that. For them, ...that is a scary thing to go through

(The residents’ association reports everything. The local police station has an answer phone that I call to report any anti-social behaviour for which we do not require a police officer. For example, if the previous night there had been music blaring from one house on the street, it is reported on the on the phone. If we need a police officer, we have another number. The police are really good - much better than in (another area of North Town)!

(Muggings and burglaries were increasing ... we set up a Homewatch.)We set up neighbour nuisance diaries, and basically recorded what was going on at different spots round the estate. ... (one neighbour) was causing a nuisance to the people next door, just by making a noise in the night, basically ... we’d complained to Neighbourhood Nuisance Team about it and she didn’t get her tenancy renewed, so she moved out. At the same time there was a young girl (16) with a baby ... and boyfriend who was a drug addict (he and his friends) were bringing stolen cars onto the estate, causing mayhem. ... a lady in her 80’s lived next door to this, completely alone in the world, no family, no back up nothing. We found out about her and did neighbour nuisance diaries on that as well and the girl ended up losing her tenancy. So .. getting new people in, it stabilised the estate.

(Another) estate does vetting before a new neighbour comes in and (the residents’ association) was recently upset that someone moved in that they didn’t know about. I also think new neighbours need to be welcomed more than at present - we should go and talk to them.

Q. What sort of things do people come and tell you about? A. Oh all sorts, from litter in the streets to a child of three shitting in the entry, to neighbour nuisance, to dealing with anything.

They know me, they’ll talk to me. ... I have blank Incident Reports behind me door and if I think somebody is strong enough, like some of them come and complain, and I’ll say to them, ‘Look, here’s an incident report, fill it in and send it back. You don’t have to put your name on it, just either put it through my door and I’ll pass it on, or send it through to Regeneration’s Neighbour Nuisance.’ I mean ‘cos sometimes I get very tired. I get bogged down with other people’s problems, and these people are strong enough to sort them out by themselves. I’ll do it for the elderly, I’ll do it for anyone that’s vulnerable, but as for people who are quite strong enough to do their own (they just would rather complain to me than complain to anyone else), then no, I wont deal with it.

We do know people, not ourselves, but we do know people, quite a few people who say ‘I’ve seen such and such’. ‘Well, have you reported it?’ ‘No, I’m not doing it, do you want to do it?’. They wont do it, they’re frightened. ... if it is still going on, you know, if it is still in progress when they phone us - or if they phone anyone on the committee - then we automatically phone the police. We don’t hesitate with that. And we do have a good working relationship with the local community officer.

When I see that someone is hurting or causing harm, then I would report it, ‘cos I don’t want that person to get hurt. I think it is easier to do ‘cos they don’t know who I am if I report it. ...I can call and say what I see outside (my work) and not have to worry about someone having to threaten me or come after me or my family.

I don’t mind defending people if I don’t need to give my name and address, telephone number and things like that. If I’ve got to give any of these details then it doesn’t happen.

But the police have got their hands tied behind their back ... He’s got to have someone who goes to Court with him and say ‘Yeah, I saw that’. And if you’re not willing to stand up and say ‘I saw that’ then it was a waste of time me telling an officer who did it. You should always tell the officer what you saw because if it comes up again, if it’s logged then, well ... they may get him on another crime. That’s the beauty of Crimestoppers - people will come forward with the names and information and they can hide behind being anonymous. But then officers have to gather evidence to support what the person has told.

I think there have been more policemen walking about recently - they are more noticeable now. That’s good

I had to get a panic button, and I had to really fight with the police to get this ... and that made such a huge difference. I mean it is so much better now ‘cos if they come in and threaten or intimidate or cause trouble they know the police will instantly be there. ... We had to fight and fight, it took an awful lot of shouting but it got done. So it (i.e. improvement) is happening, but it is slow.

(the police) were good to us. They were more supportive than I thought they would be. I think they understood our position and even though they encouraged us to report it or make a statement they would not look down on us or think it was stupid of me to not reporting this. ‘cos they support me in my not wanting to do it. The police officers came round dressed in normal clothes, you know, without uniform to come and check on me and how things were. And that did mean a lot ‘cos you think sometimes that well, to the police, you’re just a statistic or another person involved in a crime. But they took the time out to look out for me and that meant a lot.

(the Neighbourhood Nuisance Team worker) that works for our area, ... he’s tackled certain issues that have never been tackled by the police, although they’ve known about it for years. ... I don’t know how he’s done it, but he has, and I’ve got a lot of faith in him....I just hope the police are working with him as much as he’s working with them. I just hope it’s a partnership, and that they consult.

We’re trying to get more people to report to the Neighbourhood Nuisance Team. We know the Neighbourhood Nuisance Team wouldn’t turn up at the house in uniform. It’s still proving difficult to do it.

(One of our representatives) has given up going to groups as he feels they are just ‘talking shops’ - We are a strong association and we want to get things done. ... (The agency) people don’t live in the area and therefore don’t really know what is going on - they can have an idea but not really know. ... (The agencies) don’t like residents voicing concerns or ‘throwing verbal missiles’ in meetings. However the Neighbourhood Nuisance Team is a good idea and working well.

The Neighbourhood Nuisance Team is very good and the idea of nipping anti-social behaviour in the bud is a really good one. For example, a kid kicking a ball repeatedly against someone’s wall isn’t a crime, it’s just annoying. The Neighbourhood Nuisance Team deal with this.

(Harley) is not really that bad an area. I think we have to be careful with this Neighbour Nuisance thing as well, we have to be really careful in a sense that they’re not just pushed out of the area into someone else’s back yard. I think we should look at other ways of dealing with things, ‘cos I think sooner or later it’ll just come round full circle and end up back here. They can’t get pushed on everywhere, can they?

(Someone I know’s) actually used Witness Support. ‘cos she had trouble with a neighbour, and she took him to Court. She got CCTV installed ‘cos of this neighbour, who was abusing her. And she actually got him done under the Neighbour Nuisance scheme. So when she went to Court, he was pleading not-guilty until the morning he got to Court, as they do, then pleaded guilty. But we went in the Witness Support from there, and they were very, very good. They were very good - but I wouldn’t have bothered.

Our Group has been to Amsterdam to see community schemes, especially Neighbourhood Wardens. Based on shopping areas. Seemed to work, but Wardens said their worst problem was dealing with people riding bicycles on pavements! This was organised by Groundwork.

I saw (the police actually doing something) on the Pennywell Estate in Sunderland. It’s a 1400 council houses in the middle of that estate and they had a run down community centre ... The first thing they did (with SRB funding) was ... put these two policemen in two houses - not the same policemen, but the police were there. They gave out a number to’ contact us and tell us what’s happening in your area’. First week they was there they got one call, but that one call, ... they went out and dealt with the issue that that lady had phoned about, they phoned her back and said ‘dah-de-dah’. Nobody knew she had phoned, but she knew when she saw action being taken against that family that she was the one that instigated it. She passed it on to a few of her friends and within 18 months they got that whole estate back, except one major drug dealer. ... Boards were coming off and people were moving back in.

...a neighbour of mine phoned up. Now she’s only in her fifties ... and she’s out and about, she’s not disabled or anything like that, ... she’s not intimidated or timid. And we had a walk round Copvale Brook Control the other week, and he said ‘Keep sending your calls in and we’ll know what the area’s like’, and ‘the more that phones, the more we realise how bad it is’. and things like that. She phoned last night. Big fight going on in our street ... so she phones the police and the police turned round and said to her ‘No, we don’t deal with neighbour nuisance anymore, you’ve got to go through your Council’. ... She was told it was now police policy ... I told the local (community police) and he said ‘I’ll have to look it up ‘cos I never heard about it’. ... You just can’t trust them.

There’s no way someone like me would ever ‘grass’ - I’d be done for. House would be daubed, names called, threats. ... I would never go to Court - there’d be intimidation. If they got convicted then you’d be looked for. I deal with things myself - anything I can’t deal with I just get a bigger friend!

(normally I would still report things) It was different when it was my family... ‘cos I was scared for my family and they were threatening and intimidating us.

You don’t want to risk your family over a nuisance neighbour - you just want it sorted out.

If it involved my family I’d not report it. ... if they were in danger ‘cos I had witnessed something and they may get hurt or threatened, I’d not report it. Family comes first. If reporting a crime were to put ‘em at risk, then I wouldn’t think twice about not reporting it.

I’ve had the car done twice and bricks through the window. ...Would like to think would have gone to Court if necessary, but person concerned part of a (big extended family) clan, so would have been wary - I have a wife and daughter to think about, and ...would have needed more confidence in seeing people going down (in sentencing).

What would discourage me from reporting? I don’t scare easily, but I wouldn’t tackle the tinker families on the estate - no-one would . If they don’t get you, they’d get another member of your family.

Retaliation only really happens between ‘Scrot’ families (bad families), if one grasses on the other. They are TANGOs (Tenants Association No Go’s)

...they would come round here and throw rocks at my window, but they stopped doing that ‘cos they seen that my windows have those bars on them...if I went outside they would be around the corner, they would say things like ‘better watch your back’ or ‘we’re gonna get to you, we’re gonna burn your house, we’re gonna get your boy’. ... They just hang around the house...they’ve left a dead rabbit at my door. ... They’ve made us suffer so much.

I’ve gone out to tell the boys who were throwing rocks (at next door) to stop and I would call the police. What did I get for it? They broke my windows the next day. So what can you do? Nothing. I call the police - they can’t do anything anyway.

If you stand up to individuals (maybe fear of retribution is more imagined than real). But we’re talking about these groups, big groups of lads there, or especially, like you’ll get the named families, big names, where they kind of all look after each other. And if you speak up against them they will turn up, they will turn up and will give you problems, there’s no two ways about it. I’ve seen it happen so many times.

At one time I was actually warned, third hand, by some of the ones that sell the drugs that I have too many coppers in my house; I’m to friendly with the police and I (must be) video-ing them. ...No-one tells me who I can and Cannot have in the house. ... I thought any minute I’m gonna get one at the door, but he never came back to me. But it just shows you, ... they think if they tell you this you’ll be intimidated.

One night I heard trouble on the front ... a lad had urinated through the door ...the door was kicked in. I ran downstairs, phoned the police, then went outside ranting and raving, swearing and whatever. They threatened that if I went to the police I’d ‘have it, me family’ll get it, and me house’ll get it’. ... When the police arrived I wouldn’t give a statement because I was too scared. ... The police woman said ‘ I could go and pick them up now, but they’d be out in the morning, and it’s you that’s got to live here’ - she was honest!

There were some youths laying by the plant pots I’ve got on the shed, so I go out and scream at them and (my husband ) got on the phone to the police right away. ... the next few minutes the police turn up, quite sharp really ... and said ‘You know, you ought to put some more barbed wire on’ and got in his car. ...Didn’t even go to see (the boys who were in the next street). They’ve even said to us ‘Why don’t you move?’

They’ll turn up and tell you that ‘you live in a shit area, and if I was you, I’d move’. They’re very positive that way!

There was an Inspector, chief police inspector, in the paper, did an article blaming Deepdale’s crime rate on the Regeneration area. He said that we had exported our criminals to Deepdale. ... Anyway our Super’ down here, he said ‘Crime knows no boundaries, there’s always been criminals from down here that have robbed in Droyelsdon and vice versa. You can’t turn round and say that their rising crime up there is anything to do with what’s going on down here and the regeneration process’.

When I saw the boys puttin’ the car on fire, the first thing I did is help the elderly lady out of the car, then I called the police. You know they are about 50 yards from here and it took them 15 minutes to get here. Those boys did it right in front of the police station and still got away. They had come after the lady ‘cos she had reported them to the police a week before and they in turn retaliated, to frighten and threaten her to never do it again ... and it worked. Hell, it frightened me! So you call the police but nothing can be done which is very upsetting and it makes you frustrated.

Some fella walked in to my cousin’s...he wasn’t invited into her house ...she’s trapped her face and arm in the door. She got the police but they said ‘If there’s any more trouble with him, we can pick him up.’ What do you do in that situation? ... The fact is we’re not talking about future trouble, we’re talking about this man has come into her house and marked her. ... They say they want people to work hand in hand with the police, well then the police have got to do something about the situation.

Drug related crime, police stay clear of. For example if a user is beaten up by a dealer, then it’s their fault for being a user, so the police wont get involved.

I tried to phone Crimestoppers once about drugs, but it was closed at night time. I was told to contact local police station, but I can only phone Freephone numbers on my phone, so couldn’t.

(When several people reported the same incident) Y was refused a log number. He said ‘You cannot refuse to give me a log number’ and they said ‘Tough!’ ... Statistics are collected per incident, not per number of call in order to identify hot spots.

My husband didn’t want me going (for support), he was absolutely against it. He didn’t want me to talk about it to anyone. To him, it was done, just let it go. There is no point going over and over it. See he doesn’t understand ‘cos I have seen these things and been threatened, intimidated. He’s at work so he doesn’t understand, that’s it.

I call the police if it’s serious, but there are other people around that will report it, so I don’t report it. I was not the only one that was there (when two elderly ladies were robbed) I didn’t make the call, someone else...

I ignore things that go on - for peace’s sake. I wouldn’t know who to report things like (bullying of daughter) to anyway.

Most of the crime that I have witnessed has happened more where I work than where I live. So I report it where I work, but I’d say I’m more likely to report it in a public place (like at work) ‘cos there are probably other people that have seen it as well.

If I wore a uniform and lived in a different area I would probably stand witness to an awful lot. I go home, my home is here, I can’t go anywhere.

Young people are unlikely to act as witnesses against other people in the group. There are some who are on the fringes of the group - so they possibly would. But lads who are in the group would never report others from the group. It’s like an unwritten code. And fear as well, they have to live in the area.

(People don’t report) ‘cos they’ve got no faith. What’s the point when the police don’t do anything?(A man) held a woman and her son at knife point, trying to rob them. managed to do a 999 call and the police took three and a half hours - they couldn’t find it in the A-Z. So what’s the point, They turned round and said ‘Waste of time phoning the police’. Could have been dead.

I wouldn’t consider reporting what I’ve seen, or confronting anyone - at £4.25 an hour, I’m not going to risk my neck for it!

When it’s just nuisance, or teens, or they are just causing trouble, the police will not come for that, ... it wont be priorities. ... it is more a waste of my time to call them and tell them, ‘oh you know there are boys stealing a street sign or writing on the wall. ‘ I don’t want you to take me wrong, its not that I don’t care about them, ‘cos they are crimes, (but...) there is no point to report it ‘cos nothing will be done. ... I’m sick of calling the police. I just don’t do it any more ‘cos it’s wasting my time and energy, and if they don’t want to do anything or they don’t want to take it serious, then why do I call?

Yesterday, 4 young lads, the eldest was about 15, 16. Now he might have been old enough to drive, but I don’t know. And he spun around this corner, parked outside my front door ... back out, skidded out. And I thought, ‘well, if I phone the police, what do I say? ‘A car’s just skidded in me close?’’

Last week I witnessed a woman getting mugged by two boys and I didn’t report it. I went out to scare them off, but I left it up to the lady. If she wanted to, she could have done, but I didn’t. You know ‘cos in the past I’ve reported it and nothing’s been done, then I don’t see the point in doing again. ‘Why go through the hassle?’ I think.

I was attacked by a guy with a knife, and when I got this Court thing back, they informed that this guy was in Court. I didn’t have to go but they gave me his full name and address, and I think my name and address was on there as well. So if he really wanted to he could turn up at my house, you know, and put bricks through window. ... I think there’s got to be a big more secrecy. You know, if people are going to stand up in Court, they shouldn’t be publishing names and addresses for the perpetrators ... to go around and threaten them.

(the) Judicial system constrains people and stops them reporting.

Short sentences don’t encourage people to report.

...It would make it easier and make them more confident to report it to the support services ‘cos they don’t want to go to the police. And even after that, if they have to go to the police, then there is someone to go with them top get through the process. So it would be good if the support service could be in a community building of some kind ... even if the police officers could come to the support service and take a statement, that may make them feel more comfortable and encourage them to talk or report crime in the future.

I think (a support service) would be helpful. In my case when I went to Court, I think that would have been very helpful ... If there was some way to have a support service working with the police I think that would make a huge difference in the way witnesses respond to crimes. ... (but) it has to be presented to (local people) in the right way so they don’t feel they are victims when they are witnesses. ... They may not go if they feel like it is for weak individuals or those who need help, and that it is not part of the police strategy. They need to know that it is there to get support ... but not like they need it ‘cos they are vulnerable somehow, but they can get information and knowledge about these kinds of things.

Yeah, definitely, I think witnesses need all the support they can get.... If you have a support service people can go for support, they have to feel that they are protected somehow, that it will be OK. You know, they have questions and concerns that no one can answer. Police, they don’t go to, so who will answer it for them? Sometimes police aren’t qualified to answer them, not in the way a person who can support them and comfort them ... (the police) can’t emotionally or mentally be there for witnesses. (It would have to be ) a place where people can go at any time, ‘cos people are witnessing things at al times. ... It would have to be flexible. ... witnesses need to be encouraged and supported. If they feel less afraid then it changes what actions they take when witnessing a crime.

Oh yeah (support is needed) there is no support (now) at all, there is total segregation. ...They should be told what to expect, there should be support for witnesses and it should fit with what they’ve witnessed. They should be kept in touch with the operation and what will happen if they go to Court and how the system works. ... There needs to be programmes of education and counselling, those two things are very important. There should be a contact number as well .. it has to be active all the time, ‘cos if they know that there is someone there, that there is as service there whenever they need it, then it can make them feel secure, it can encourage them to report crime. It comes down to knowing they have total support.

Well I don’t need the support. I think it would be useful, there are other people who might use it. I mean as I said, if it was serious that I’d witnessed, then I would go, but it’s nothing I can’t cope with on my own. Most of the time it is just frustrating that nothing is being done. But a support service would be a good idea, it could be helpful to victims in the community as well. ... they would have to come up with solutions on how to better the service between witnesses and the police ‘cos a lot of witnesses don’t go to the police, be ‘cos they’re scared or they have no confidence in the police to do anything. ... the service should counsel witnesses and guide them on what to do in case (of intimidation) , encourage them to seek the help they need.

Police should be involved in promoting a witness support scheme - no firm link with the police.

There is a big need for witness support - but I can’t see how it would work

May be worth setting up a Witness Support Scheme, purely for the PR benefit, if people feel that is what is needed. ... but we need to spend the money on things that will really work.

I think it would benefit everyone. Especially the elderly ‘cos we don’t know if the elderly have seen things or not. And they’re thinking ‘Who do I approach here’ and a lot of them live on their own and say ‘No, I’ll leave it. It’s not worth the hassle. I’ll just stay inhere and pretend I’ve not seen anything’. ... I think it’s at the time when you’re feeling intimidated that you need witness support. I don’t think its afterwards - it’s then and there, like ‘Who can I go to now?’ when they are feeling a bit frightened and alone. I think it’s then they need the support.

Brilliant idea. I think it would be a God-send to be honest, because there is so much, so many problems ... I do think if people were sure of the safety aspect of reporting a crime, they would do it, ‘cos at the moment they feel too threatened to report a crime ... People would need to have faith in it to come forward.

It’s a brilliant idea. People need to be encouraged and to have the confidence to report a crime. ... anything that is ‘user friendly’ for people to feel they can approach. One person - or one team from the local community. Need to be known to Homewatch co-ordinators. One Scheme for the whole area is not a good idea. Extending Victim Support could be a good idea as they are familiar with the same kind of work.

Witness support? I’m sorry but I can’t see it working. ... Although maybe someone to explain procedures (when cases take a long time) would be useful. ... A Witness Support Scheme may give people a bit of courage - someone to talk to. ... It would be hard to get people involved and to get the message through about what is available - lots of people don’t seem that interested.

(A Witness Support Scheme) is needed but I don’t think you’d get any help around here. People just think the police are hopeless, and it follows a Witness Support Scheme. I think they would feel it’s attached to the police. ... No, I can’t see witness support at all being any use here. ... but... if you have a different system of witness support ... if you could link up with the police and go round and see people after, and say you were sent by the police, and support people that way, - may be do a little counselling - ... I think it could be fruitful.... It might work for the like of me and my daughter... but the black people (who live nearby), they’ve been abused, with being black, never bothered reporting it. They will get one of their nephews who’s big, to come round and threaten anyone who’s threatened them

I can’t see the climate being right for a long time yet, maybe even five years from now. There’s an awful lot of changes to the area before we go for things like that. (However) I think the time is right to look at it and look at the funding for it and maybe earmark the funding and getting the baselines there, but I can’t see it being needed at this particular time. ... Victim Support is well established in the area and a lot of people don’t use Victim Support ... Victim Support do run a witness support at the Court and my understanding was that they would actually extend that support to home before court. ... I’m not too sure (people who have reported something) would want their name referred to another organisation. Because there are some people who would want to say ‘Right, I want to keep it quiet’ and at the eleventh hour will back out. I suppose it might stop people backing out, but I’m not too sure they’d want another third party to know.

I’m just not interested (in setting up a Witness Support Scheme) at all. I just know. I can’t expect people in my area to do something I’m not prepared to do myself. ... We all look after each other to a certain extent ... and I wouldn’t need a Witness Support Scheme anyway if anything happened to my family. No, no I wouldn’t.

I think a lot of people in the community feel very isolated. ... Where I live we’re scared to go out of the house, ... but we always try and work round it so there’s always someone in the house. Yet when it’s not possible we go out the house waving ‘See ya!’... And I think if people stand up together, if you get individuals or one or two people who stand up to these groups, then they don’t have a lot of power. But if you get a whole street or community doing it, then it makes a big difference. ... (Nevertheless) it will be difficult to get people working together in the community. Over the years people have got used to keeping themselves to themselves.

People could go to each other’s houses as meeting points for witnesses to report to the police - to prevent the police turning up at witnesses houses (kids can spot an unmarked police car and plain clothes police!)... It would be a vast change if more people were aware that they can come to other neighbours for support.

we (have suggested) it be set up as a network within Regeneration. So that some residents and some officers, but mainly residents from one area supports people from another area where they’re not known. So people from, Say Higher Harley would support an area in Greenwood. And people from Copvale could support over here. So if you go and visit, it’s just, oh it’s somebody that you now visiting. They (criminals) don’t know. Whereas if they see local committee members or local people that are active in the TA going backwards and forwards, ... they know something is happening. ... and the thing is the residents from the associations that would be ideal for this, have a lot of knowledge of the people they can contact which can deal with problems. ... (people) would be more inclined to speak to somebody like ourselves (rather than professionals) that are having the same sort of problems and are trying to deal with them in the same way they’re dealing with the. And initially gains some confidence that things can be done for them - things can help them.

People could support each other from different area, for example someone from Copvale could support someone from Harley, as they would not be known there. There is the danger, though, of getting too emotionally involved in someone else’s problems.

Residents could support each other - which they already do to some extent. residents would need to be trained to deal with this - there would need to be an appointed officer for this. There may be difficulties with volunteers - even if they were committed and dedicated, it is a big commitment for them to have to listen to people’s harrowing tales, often late at night. If someone was employed to do it they couldn’t really complain about being asked to give support, often at irregular hours. Volunteers would need to have the same levels of skills to pass on to the other residents. If one resident needed more training, it would be difficult to implement this, when they were a volunteer.

I think independent witnesses are brilliant if you had independent witnesses. Not independent witness support. There’s different issues ... there’s really serious neighbour nuisance ... that you put independent witnesses to assess the situation. ... and that’s different from supporting at Court. ... Any Witness Support Scheme would need to be linked to the Neighbourhood Nuisance Team - all needs to be linked together, victim support, witness support, Neighbourhood Nuisance Team.

An active community house, with lots of advice and support for local people on different issues (such as debt counselling, local councillor, social services community police etc.) could be linked to a Witness Support Scheme

We’ve got this group of lads in the youth club now that are causing major problems in the area ... basically causing mayhem at times. But they’ve started to come to the Youth Club now, and they’re like 15 plus. And when they come to the Youth Club, they’re as good as gold, it’s amazing. ...And they come now every week. They don’t mess about, they don’t cause any problems. Just come for something to do really.

We need to target young people to change attitudes - need to go into the schools to educate youngsters. There are no facilities for youth - they need a club, a building.

Youth need to be treated with respect. There is no such thing as a problem child, it is a child with a problem. Although this theory doesn’t work for all - youth clubs would not penetrate the hard ones, ... and other kids seem to respect them.

We need young people’s involvement - lots of young people in Harley feel very strongly about high crime levels in the area, especially cars screaming round the estates. ... A few look up to the trouble, but most want to see the end of it.

(A local) University is doing some research with travelling families - to highlight problems for traveller point of view. ... If some of their problems were solved, the maybe a lot of crime will be too.

Wardens could possible be used as professional witnesses.

If they were just normal local people, I don’t think I’d feel safe, because they (criminals) would turn on anyone you know, even police officers. I don’t think Neighbourhood Wardens would stop it.

Further down the road, when things are less violent, it could work to have Wardens, but not now. .. Wardens would be targeted - thought of as a busybody.

We’re setting up a community agreement - there’s a meeting coming up to finalise it. Includes things like ‘I believe that people should be able to live in peace’, ‘If I have any trouble with my neighbours, I will try to talk to them about it’ etc. Not officially enforceable, but intends to highlight the fact that you are neighbours and you are a community.

People think they are wasting police time so a general answerphone number for non-urgent anti social behaviour would be a good idea. Need to separate a) information for police; b) need a police officer, non urgent; and c) 999. The answerphone needs to be well known .

Confidential phone lines where names and addresses need not be left; phone number that everyone has; someone to talk to not just an answerphone; facility to report but not provide a statement; private place to report things; supports useful for some people - but they should be local people. Others don’t know how it works, if they’re not from round here. It’s important they’re at your own level, not dead posh and that.

The police are the ones that have got the ability to cut this cancer out and they’re not doing it. ... You can’t take the law into your own hands, you can’t get up vigilante groups, you have to rely on the law, you’ve got to go by the law. ... You’ve got a right ... to expect the law to protect you, to protect your property and to protect your environment. ... And they’re not doing it.

I’m losing heart with this regeneration work. I’ve knocked on so many doors to try and get people involved. There’s a general lack of interest and of visible results. Everyone has a strategy for this and a strategy for that, and in the meantime we are going downhill.

You can’t do right for doing wrong. You’re all right when you’re doing something for them ... if they’ve got a problem and you sort the problem out you’re the bees knees. Then maybe two weeks after that they want something to happen and you say ‘no, that’s not possible’ ... then you’re the biggest baddie walking. So you can’t win(as a representative) at all. They build you up to knock you down with everything. And yet they say ‘we back you 100%’.

Lots of community groups are appearing now that there is money to be spent. ... Started off with 10 residents’ groups, now have 32, but how many of the 32 will still be here when the Regenerations go away? I mean they’re jumping on the bandwagon now, and getting hanging baskets - and I mean hanging baskets, for God’s sake, you know what I mean, the streets are bloody falling apart underneath their feet and they’ve got hanging baskets!

(Regeneration agencies) do not seem to be working for what residents want. They are supposed to be service providers and therefore local residents are the customers - but we aren’t getting what we want. (Everyone) worked really hard when they were trying to get the finding - but now they have it they are sitting back and not getting things done. (They) want to do things their own way despite the fact that residents have told them what they want done.

Residents are being consulted much more now - but we need to get away from the term ‘consulted’ - local people need to be involved, not just consulted.

And they’ll call Regeneration’s team now, and I keep thinking the people that are calling them are people who’ll sit on their backsides and expect everyone else to do something for them. Never go to a meeting, just stand on a corner ‘cos they’ve nothing else to do and just make up stories. ...it’s having to dispel rumour after rumour, after rumour. ...they don’t listen. If you tell them, you’re not telling the truth, so why bother?