Neighbourhood Watch Tackle Antisocial Behaviour at Bideford Old Town Cemetery

Torridge District Council is working in partnership with the Police, the Bideford Bridge Trust and the local community, via Neighbourhood Watch, to tackle anti-social behaviour in the Old Town Cemetery.

This project is part of a new joined up approach that both Torridge and the Police are committed to - tackling crime and anti-social behaviour that matters to local communities.

In a joint clean up operation, Torridge has removed fly tipped bulky waste and many bags of empty bottles and other hazardous waste. In addition, a team of landscapers has been sent in to prune back overgrown bushes. Visibility in the Cemetery is much better now and a new Neighbourhood Watch sign has been erected. Further work is planned throughout the year to improve the environment.

The Police are in regular contact with the local Neighbourhood Watch team and are making regular, targeted patrols in and around the Old Town area.

Old Town Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator Mrs Armstrong-Marriott, whose grand-daughter Miss Manuel-Farmer was instrumental in setting up the scheme when she was only 16, said, “Everyone has a right to live in a peaceful neighbourhood. We now have 17 members in the Old Town Watch and it is so much quieter at night now. We all feel a lot safer. I’d recommend anyone to start up their own Neighbourhood Watch scheme and working so closely with the Police has been really good.”

PC Derek Broadribb (Neigbourhood Beat Manager) said, “The crime rate has definitely gone down but our aim is to continue to patrol and monitor this and other nearby areas to ensure that crime and antisocial behaviour in the community is nipped in the bud. Communication with Mrs Armstrong-Marriott and the Old Town Watch is a 2-way information sharing street and is working very well.”

Torridge District Councillor and Bridge Trust (who own the Old Town Cemetery) Trustee Peter Christie added, “The Old Town Cemetery is an important part of the town’s history. The Bridge Trust is delighted with the clean up and building work done so far. The new lowered wall, new coving and railings look great, and inside the tidy up is well under way. Torridge District Council has certainly breathed new life into the cemetery!”

To find out more about Neighbourhood Watch schemes in your area or to discuss setting up a new scheme, go to www.neighbourhoodpolicing.devon-cornwall.police.uk or contact your local Neighbourhood Beat Manager or Police Community Support Officer (PCSO).