A POLICE operation to have bobbies on the beat in St Peter Port estates was a huge success. Operation Carousel saw officers patrolling Valnord, Clairval, Mahaut Gardens and Courtil Bris during the weekend to try and tackle antisocial behaviour in the area.

No crimes were reported and in the next few days police will be seeking residents’ opinions on the scheme.

‘It went very well. The response has been positive from the residents and we have engaged with the local youths,’ said community officer PC Chris Shuter.

‘The initial indications are that it has been well worth doing and once we have evaluated our findings and received feedback from the residents, it will more than likely be something we will do again.’

As well as talking to residents, officers gathered information by using video cameras to monitor behaviour in the area.

‘We’ve gathered a lot of information that we will be evaluating over the next few weeks to enable us to refine the operation for when we do it around the rest of the island. It has been a valuable experience.’

He added that there had been a mixed reaction from the teenagers to the police presence.

‘Some of the youngsters were pleased to see us but some tried to stay away from us. The tactic of using an overt video camera worked well not only for gathering information but also for dispersing young people because they didn’t want to be filmed.’

Following an article in the Guernsey Press last week, a number of residents have now decided to join the Neighbourhood Watch in the area.

‘We have had someone say they will be the new coordinator for the Courtil Bris estate. We have also had several others who want to get involved, which is really good. They all said they saw the article and wanted to help out.’

Clairval and Valnord Neighbourhood Watch coordinator Susan Le Page said the weekend had gone without incident.

‘It was nice and quiet and hopefully everything will run smoothly from now on. It would be nice to see the police on the beat here every weekend, even if it’s just for an hour or so.

‘The more Neighbourhood Watch we have, the less trouble there will be, so it’s really good that people have joined.’