Crackdown call on anti-social behaviour in Welshpool

Dyfed-Powys Police said it attended 100 crimes in Welshpool in November and December last year, with 35 of those classed as anti-social behaviour.

Now Councillor John Corfield of Welshpool Town Council has called on the force to do more to tackle boy racers and louts in the town centre.

He said: "We met with Christopher Salmon, the police and crime commissioner, just a few months ago and he vowed to do all he can to tackle the problem in the town centre.

"Well I say the proof is in the pudding and he hasn't lived up to that yet. If more than one in three crimes in the town is related to anti-social behaviour then he needs to do more to tackle it.

"Boy racers are a long standing problem, especially in the Berriew Street car park and for years they have been using the car park and the town as a racetrack.

"Everybody knows it is happening, it is a long-standing problem and the police know what goes on, but still it persists."

Councillor Corfield added that anti-social behaviour still persists around the former Spar store in Church Street and at Maesydre Recreation Ground. "I thought it had eased somewhat, but these statistics seem to disprove that," he said. "We have long had problems at the recreation ground, with people throwing glass bottles onto the football pitch, setting fire to the chairs in the stand and leaving papers around.

"Also up by the Spar there has been a persistent problem for many years with people drinking alcohol in the street.

"It is not a case of people being regularly attacked, but there is often an intimidating atmosphere that I believe the police could tackle."

Councillor Corfield said the town council had put a lot of time and money into tackling the problem, including running and upgrading the town's CCTV system. He added: "We have put a lot of money into it and have colour pictures now. Our message as a town council is we will catch you and prosecute you and we have successfully done that already."

Mr Salmon said he is working hard to reduce anti-social behaviour in the town.

He said: "I want to keep communities safe against problems that blight people's lives. I'm focused on improving behaviour and tackling causes of anti-social behaviour."

He added that he has recently appointed two housing support specialists to work across the force to help tackle the problem in towns.