A COMMUNITY bobby will be working the beat at Le Courtil Michele Estate in a bid to tackle antisocial behaviour. In a joint police and Housing Department initiative, an officer will carry out regular patrols to try to improve the atmosphere on the St Saviour’s estate.
‘The area is becoming embroiled in neighbourly disputes, which is affecting the overall quality of life for the residents,’ said PC Chris Shuter, who is overseeing the operation.
‘We will be operating a high-visibility presence around the estate, which will be supported by patrols in that area.’
The initiative is similar to Operation Carousel, which saw extra officers working the beat in specified troublespots around St Peter Port, but is more understated.
‘Operation Carousel was put on in response to a particular rise in crime in that area,’ said PC Shuter.
‘This one will be more low-key. We want to nip these problems in the bud and improve the standard of living for residents.’
The estate has 20 States houses. Police hope a regular officer on the beat will help residents get to know each other better.
‘Because it’s a relatively small estate, we should be able to achieve results fairly quickly,’ said PC Shuter.
‘We are also planning on having a community meeting at the end of each month to allow people to air their opinions.’
The operation, which is expected to last up to four weeks, was welcomed by the parish. Dean of the douzaine Peter Bott said he had not heard of any problems at the estate, but thought it was a good idea to have more community policemen.
Junior constable Victor de Garis agreed.
‘We don’t get too much trouble like vandalism reported, but anything like this is a good scheme,’ he said.
Article posted on 9th May, 2007 - 12.00am
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