Wrexham.com Q&A – Put Your Questions to Town Centre Inspector

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  • #127902

    R T
    Keymaster

    [quote quote=127892]Another one for Inspector Wycherley – this question is from an anonymous reader!

    Can he get the phone boxes between Hays Travel and RBS removed? I have to sit and watch drug deals going down everyday in them and I’m sick of ringing the police. I’ve never seen so many people in a single phone box.

    [/quote]

    IW: Our crime prevention officer has recently liaised with british telecom / openreach about telephone boxes right throughout Wrexham town centre. Some of the ones which are not profitable are being removed, some of the ones that are profitable are having their doors removed, to make them like an american style booth, and therefore less attractive for illegal activities.

    Some are being switched to only outgoing calls, as we know those that have incoming calls are being used to arrange drop offs of illegal drugs.

    I cannot insist they remove their boxes, but I can ask.

    #127904

    R T
    Keymaster

    [quote quote=127894]Next question is from Matthew and is about homelessness in Wrexham:

    Over the last 2 years the number of homeless has risen! They are begging persistently surely they should be barred from sleeping in the town centre we need more homeless centres?

    Is is this begging and congregating in large numbers in shop doorways not North Wales Police problem?
    [/quote]

    IW: As I have said in other answers things have to be prioritised and this is something we are aware of and deal with. Until about 18 months ago there was a very persistent beggar in Wrexham town centre, about whom I received about 200 complaints about him begging. We arrested this individual, processed and I received 300 messages that I was being heavy handed with people who are in need. So I would like you to understand the difficult position I am in.

    Whilst my officers need to be compassionate and assist people who are in need, clearly we also have to protect other members of the public who object to being approached for money.

    With regards to homeless centres I am aware there are a number of third sector providers in the town centre assisting people in need, and that is commendable. They tell me however the provision does not match the demand.

    HJ: The Council are actively working with those who present as homeless in Wrexham, some of whom actually have regular personal accommodation, and often there are vacancies in our homeless provision in Wrexham.

    #127905

    Am jones
    Participant

    Question:- Insp W… If you had £1 million pounds extra budget for policing what would you do with it? Same question to Cllr but on a council spend not policing

    #127906

    R T
    Keymaster

    [quote quote=127895]Why have the police & Wrexham council allowed undesirables & beggars to roam around Wrexham at will?
    This has been going on for years & now we are seeing the results. Wrexham is a no go area for decent people & is the reason why there are so many empty shops.
    The council have a cheek asking shop keepers to pay rates
    You should both hold your head in shame
    [/quote]

    HJ: In partnership with North Wales Police we are actively tackling the issue of visible vulnerable people in the town centre of Wrexham. Where the law is broken the police act, and where the people need attention by service providers they are encouraged to engage however both the police and the council can only within the law laid down by Parliament.

    We believe that our current strategy is beginning to reduce the problem but I accept more needs to be done. In terms of commercial rates, these are collected by the council on behalf of the Welsh Government who in turn fund many of the service provisions in Wrexham.

    IW: I cannot prevent people who you think are undesirable to be anywhere. They are at the end of the day the most vulnerable people in our society, and I have a duty to work with them to ensure their safety and welfare as I do with all members of the public. That said where they break the law clearly we have to get involved as ultimately they are as culpable as any people who break the law.

    #127907

    D R
    Keymaster

    As you might expect there has been a few questions about the bus station – two questions about safety here:

    Karl – Would he/her feel comfortable taking their kids to the bus station ? If not why?

    Michaela – For 12 months my daughter travelled by bus to Wrexham to get the connection to her place of work, I am horrified and what I have seen on tonight’s news..

    The drug issue really needs sorting. Put the fag end situation on hold and deal with this. It’s awful

    #127908

    D R
    Keymaster

    Another about the bus station from Tony – this time about CCTV…

    Are the CCTV cameras in, and around, the bus station monitored?

    If they are, why do the public have to phone the police when there are issues at the bus station?

    Not just druggies but kids cycling inside and people ignoring the no smoking signs. It makes people very uneasy.

    #127910

    R T
    Keymaster

    [quote quote=127897]Not town centre specifically, but a wider question through about policing in the villages across Wrexham:

    The main issue is not the town centre. It’s burglary armed theft and arson. Why isn’t there a greater Police presence in the villages and towns estates?

    [/quote]

    IW: Because resources are finite. I wish I had some seeds I could plant and grow police officers and PCSOs. I would have one on every street corner. The fact is I have only so many officers to spread around.

    With regard to the arsons that is highlighted in an earlier answers.

    With regards to the armed theft, believe you mean the recent knife point robberies, there was a team of individuals who were targeted, arrested and all remanded. Thankfully that problem has now been reduced.

    #127911

    Transportuser
    Participant

    From a comment on facebook it would appear that the security cameras at the bus station are faulty, the lack of response without calls from the public seems to confirm this.
    If it is the case how long has this been the case and when are repairs likely to be completed?

    #127912

    R T
    Keymaster

    [quote quote=127901]1, More and more often we are being made aware that calls to 101 are not being answered. What number should we use in this instance?[/quote]

    IW: That is not my understanding. It used to be the case we would be assessed on having calls answered in a 40 second period. So if someone had been waiting 41 seconds or longer and call was waiting less than 40 seconds the temptation was to answer the call that was within the first 40 seconds. We have now altered our working practices so calls get answered in the order they are received.

    However, in the case of a serious road traffic collision on the A55 for example, it is not uncommon that we will get 40 or 50 calls about that incident almost simultaneously. All of those calls have to be answered and details recorded, as those people are potential witnesses we need to speak to. So you can see that it is very difficult to predict the level of demand coming into the control room, so in some occasions people wait longer than we like.

    [quote quote=127901]
    2, Since the Traffic Polic3 moved to Deeside, the chance of seeing a traffic officer in Wrexham is virtually 0. (Aside from the mobile phone usage push) Do you believe this is the reason that driver standards have fallen so badly in Wrexham?
    [/quote]

    IW: Although traffic police are based in Deeside they do not sit in Deeside waiting to be tasked to jobs. They are on patrol. They patrol the areas which our experience and information tells us are the routes we should concentrate on, as they are the areas we get the most collisions. Our goal is to reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads. That is why they operate in that way.

    However, North Wales Police are operating as a ‘one team’ unit now, rather than specialities. It is not unusual to see traffic officers in Wrexham dealing with incidents I have asked them to look at in the housing estate areas where I have received reports of inappropriate driving.

    #127913

    D R
    Keymaster

    Two questions in from Colin:

    The amount of burglaries and attempted break ins that are happening in Garden Village and Acton at the moment surely there should be made a more police on foot patrol around there. Why is there not more police around garden village and Acton when quite clearly a lot of burglaries are happening?

    The ongoing drug issues and homeless in wrexham has been at fever point over the past week within the media,what are the proposals on how they will deal with it?

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