THERE has been a marked increase in the number of police in my neighbourhood of late.

It all started a few weeks ago with some goings on across the street. I try not to be a curtain-twitcher, but it is quite difficult to ignore the sight of uniformed officers in protective helmets with sniffer dogs and heavy-duty vehicles.

Then there was the weekend when, in the early hours of the morning, I was rudely awoken by the piercing wail of a siren and the flashing lights of two police cars.

Peering out into the gloom I figured out that some kind of altercation was going on with a motorist on the kerb.

I wouldn’t say I live in an area of particularly high criminal activity, but since then there have been a couple of other incidents involving the long arm of the law, and although it is comforting to know that they are never far from the doorstep, there should really be a law against sirens in the early hours.

It started me thinking about the effectiveness of law and order generally – and one or two recent cases in particular.

Much has already been said about the court trial of a group of young people who carried out a vicious and unprovoked attack on a passer-by. The volume of comment is an indication in itself that this kind of attack is something that we rarely see in our Island community.

There is, thankfully, as yet no Bronx or Brixton in Jersey and citizens do not expect to be harassed or attacked or terrified out of their wits when they walk Island streets. But in recent months there have been a couple of instances, both reported and anecdotal, where gangs of youngsters have got it into their heads to behave in a totally unacceptable way.

A number of commentators have called for naming and shaming and/or harsher punishment. But from personal observation there will be some who get the message – clearly enough to make sure that they will never appear in court a second time – and those whose names appear on the Magistrate’s Court listings time and time again.

The enforcement process – being arrested, police interviews, the parish hall inquiry, the court appearances – are in themselves intimidating enough for a juvenile with half a conscience.

Nor does the punishment stop when the custodial sentence is over and the community service is completed. It takes far longer than that to live down a criminal record and, for those of working age, getting a job will be so much harder. Ultimately the goal must be to turn irresponsible yobbish behaviour into law-abiding and responsible citizenship.

By the same token, people with mental illness sometimes end up in court not because of criminal intent but because they fall through the net of social support and are not really able to cope without it. Political changes, promised this week, are long overdue.

Skiing at Fort Regent
THE idea of a multi-storey car park at Snow Hill, proposed last week, appeals to me.

At the moment the space is used for cars anyway. It is at a central point in town, which needs regeneration and would provide an easy access to the Dome on the Hill.

I was also pleased that the debate over the future of Fort Regent seems to be taking both its historical importance and strategic position seriously.

I’ve long believed that a ski slope and winter sports centre would be a viable option, even more so now that our climate is becoming ever warmer. With the snow melting in the Alps, 30 years from now the opportunities to ski au naturel may be few and far between.

Another facility which seems to thrive elsewhere, but which for some reason we don’t have here, is a marine aquarium. There used to be a small one at the Fort when it first opened, as I recall. People have talked for years about making Jersey a specialist centre for marine research, although Fort Regent is perhaps not the place for it.

At the same time, there seems to be some doubt about whether those who run the Fort are making the most of what is already there.

I’m actually quite surprised that no one has come up with the idea of turning the Dome into luxury flats, given recent assurances by developers that the ones on the Waterfront have buyers at the ready. There can’t be many other places in the Island with such fabulous views.

Giving Jersey status
IS the tourism industry missing a trick? The query has been prompted by a question from a visitor which really did take me aback. Admittedly it came from a City high flyer, on a flying visit. ‘Is there tourism in Jersey?’ she asked, innocently.

In all fairness there has been a scheme in recent months, launched by the Jersey Conference Bureau, to get us all to be Jersey ambassadors and encourage associations and groups and the like to hold their conferences and jollies here.

There’s also been a suggestion to turn Jersey into a World Heritage Site. Undoubtedly such a plan would be plagued with problems – not only is it a costly process, apparently, but also hugely limiting in terms of building developments. Opponents might argue that heritage status would made a mausoleum of the place, with no leeway to modernise for the 21st century.

But it might also bring the tourists flooding back. At the very least, it would put Jersey on the map as never before. Anyone in any doubt about the Island as a tourism destination would find themselves in the minority and mildly ashamed at their lack of general knowledge.

If the Economic Development Department is serious about diversifying the economy, perhaps they need to give the idea more than a passing glance.