Police crackdown cuts violent crime
Tuesday 28th June 2011, 2:59PM BST.
Mike Bowron will be appointed the new States police chief, if Members agree
A NEW police crackdown targeting binge-drinking has led to a reduction in violence and vandalism on the streets of St Helier.
Police chief Mike Bowron said he believed that the improving crime rates were linked to having more bobbies on the beat and the creation of specialist licensing officers now working with pubs and clubs to stamp out excessive alcohol consumption.
In the first five months of this year, the force recorded 61 ‘stranger assaults’, compared to 86 in 2011. During the same periods, the number of reported assaults committed at night in the streets, pubs and clubs of St Helier fell from 142 last year to 117 this year.
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2 weeks ago was supposed to be the worst week end ever regarding crimes !!!???
They are reconverting from binge drinking to thieves
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compared to 2011?
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Seems to have been an impressive start which I hope will be maintained. Maybe at last we have a police chief who understands policing in a small island community.
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Its a bit too soon to be patting yourself on the back Mr Bowron. Lets see a sustained reduction before we court praise.
Its a decent start, thats about it.
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“creation of specialist licensing officers”
What happened to the old Licensing unit created in the late 1980′s was it disbanded at some point?
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This guy is a god! best investment Jersey ever made was employing this guy!
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I personally have helped to reduce the number of crimes – I haven’t assaulted anyone whilst out clubbing, have not driven under the influence, have not done drugs at all for well over six months, it has nothing to do with more cone-heads on the beat – I ain’t got the money!!!
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How often did Harper or Powell go out on the street ???
Mike Bowron is out there virtually every day being visible and approachable. He has also pushed his officers out on the beat and away from the paper work. I believe if he doesn’t see another officer within 10 minutes then he calls in asking where they are. If the result of this is a reduction in crime, is that so bad ????
Jersey use to be a safe and pleasant place to live, I for one would like this to return.
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Best Department in the States for massaging figures.
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Tony you’re right about the licensing unit…they’re nothing new. What about all the burglaries going on at the moment? Oh, they’re not being publicised. I’m one of many to have been violated, lost £7,000 worth of property and had to wait 15 hours for police to attend What’s he doing about those….oh I forgot….he’s too busy walking about with a smile on his face in town in this seaside paradise he refers to as opposed to getting involved in all the strategic stuff and sorting the real problems.
The recession, the rise in GST, inflation, unemployment etc etc …that’s what’s causing the binge drinking statistics to drop and the thefts to rise …dear dear dear …of course we forget…the City Of London doesn’t have a night time economy!
No wonder Mr Gravitt left.
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Probably because of the recession – town is much quieter now. – Only really busy 2 nights a week and not as busy on these nights as it used to be.
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Take a walk at dusk on a Friday or Saturday evening from Havre des Pas to Green Island and you will see that all that this crackdown has done is move the problem from licensed premises to the completely unregulated beaches.
Starting from HDP I have seen groups of Poles having barbecues (with all their litter left behind to be washed away with the tide), loud music flooding across the beach from Pirozzolo’s licensed bathing pool premises (this weekend), frequent rowdy noise from the al fresco area at the White Horse (licensed), then around the rock to the Dicq where the largest crowds of all gather to light barbecue fires and drink cans of supermarket beers at the (unlicensed) al fresco area outside the Thai kiosk. It doesn’t look like many of them actually purchase anything from the Thai kiosk- a lot seem to come canned up already. If you go down to the Victor Hugo rock area you will see where a lot of these cans end up after use. Despite the large crowds, I have never noticed any police presence at all at the Dicq at weekends. That is probably why it has become so popular of late.
The situation continues across the bay with sporadic smaller groups of youths gathering at various locations after dark, including the Millards slipway and bunker area. Last week I came across more than a dozen teenagers (including one or two much younger children) all congregating on the rocks near the beach wall which separate the end of La Mare from the beginning of Green Island beach. A few weeks before that a large (and very drunk) group of teenagers aged about 16-17 years were causing a massive noise disturbance in the car park at Green Island. Nearby householders and patrons of the restaurant could not have failed to hear the music emanating from their cars.
It’s so sad for those who remember this area from the 70′s to see how the authorities have allowed it to decline in this way.
So Jersey Police- tell your good news story to the hand because this particular face isn’t listening!
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I’m sick of seeing binge-drinkers on the streets… I no longer get a good night’s rest on my street and I no longer go out to town weekends for the disgusting atmosphere. I say put a law in place to limit the consumption per individual seen as people are obviously incapable of controlling themselves. And the whole legality concerning Cannabis???… Don’t even get me started. We never behaved like this. (AND DON’T EVEN THINK ON COMMENTING ON THAT SUBJECT IF YOU’VE NEVER EVEN TRIED IT).
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Jeepers Homonucleus Dave what a bunch of whingers. Give the guy a break, its clear he’s made a positive impression and I’m sure will continue to do so.
You can’t help but notice the police presence on the streets over the last six months or more.
Only question I guess is where were they and what were they doing before this man arrived?
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C’mon guys, this guy has made a significant improvement in a short period of time. I think he’s doing a great job and leading by example, I wish him well.
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@ 12 Jerry
You should put them all in jail until they get to 21.
Tell them that drinking is bad (same thing to their parents)
Listening to music is forbidden after dawn.
Looking at the size of the marvelous Jersey accommodations, I do not know if you can fit a dozen of teens in someone bedroom.
No Police goes there because there is no need.
No fires allowed Jersey beaches. This is one of the first thing man kind did and we are not allowed to enjoy a fire on the beach when the temperature hit 5 Degree C at night.
What we should do is teach them to clean after themselves, that s all.
I do not know what the 70 s were like over here, but no dancing allowed on Sundays as well as no petrol and no video tape rental sound like fun to me.
Peace and love in the USA Vs How to make big bucks in Jersey. Very fun
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Gerry 12. are you sure you were driving by Havre-des-Pas/Green Island. Personally, I’ve never seen the nuisense you mention, just some folk enjoying themselves.
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It is with great regret that I have to post that the back slapping and general merriment is alas too soon and not really justified … YET.
Picture the scene….. walking around town at the weekend at 8pm….. people just finished work (if they have any) they relax and meet a few friends at the drift … enjoy some late evening sun down at the THE bar on the waterfront and are getting ready to enjoy themselves and socialise with friends for the evening.
Well that’s the spin done with… the reality is very different. People are so stressed out at work they can’t wait too hit the pub to down as much alcohol as possible. This is the effect of long hours at work and pressure of the recession that has been exacerbated by the massive increase in taxes by Ozouf and the COM.
People who live in rabbit hutches find the only way to forget the tragic situation they are in is by getting drunk or high… or both. Jersey has a massive drugs problem and its not going away. And neither is the drinking.
The new police chief needs to get a grip on the rampant drugs problem that is prevailing in town not just the drinking. How is he going to stop people drinking a bottle of vodka before they even leave the house to go to a club? O rt he line of coke that they just hit?
He can’t … if you believe his spin that’s up to you but I have seen the extent of the problem we have here in Jersey and it’s not going away. Never mind the fact that half of people who are assaulted never make a complaint about it.
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#12 If these places are licensed and the licences are being adhered to then what’s your problem. Naming owners (but only of some places) seems particularly chirlish if they’re not breaking any laws
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“If these places are licensed and the licences are being adhered to then what’s your problem” – Leah Holmes (19)
I think you will find that licensed premises are NOT adhering to the terms of their licences by emitting noise that can be heard outside the premises. I know this from my years of experience at parish and licensing assemblies… and I don’t recall meeting anyone called Leah Holmes at any of those assemblies.
They COULD in theory lose their licence if the Bench became aware of successive complaints from neighbours. Therefore it is perfectly justifiable to name the White Horse and Pirozzolo’s Bathing Pool premises because this would be reported by the Press if a parishioner complained about the named premises at a parish assembly. Furthermore, by mentioning their names on this board they will learn about it and hopefully be a bit more careful in running their establishments before things get noticed at a higher level.
In the case of the Bathing Pool, it seemed to me that the problem was music being played through open doors. If an establishment intends to be playing music this loud they should ensure that the noise is being contained behind closed doors… or if they can’t ensure this then turn the noise down!
In the case of The White Horse, there was no music being played- it was just the general noisiness of patrons sitting in the al fresco area, which arouses obvious suspicions as to how much those patrons had drunk.
In the case of the Dicq, I have not pointed the finger at the establishment itself. I believe the problems are happening on unlicensed land next to the licensed premises and it is the fault of the relevant public authority for creating an unlicensed drinking area where nobody appears to be accountable for any subsequent bad behaviour.
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#20 By mentioning their names (and actually you only mention ONE name) what really happens is that you come across as having a personal grudge. That’s how it read to me and I’m not a proprietor of any of the places named.
Also, you didn’t mention a name, you mentioned what I presume is a surname, and may apply to more than one person.
Whether or not I have attended Parish Assemblies really doesn’t matter a jot because if these people are genuinely breaking their licences then you can call the Police. THEY would be the proper people to investigate, and it beats badmouthing people on a forum who presumably aren’t breaking their licences or you would have called the Police and their licence would have been withdrawn. Or maybe you are the only complainant, who knows?
Personally my first port of call would be the venue itself, aren’t we all adults after all. Then the Parish, then the Police (Police first if it is past 11pm and the noise is excessive). And I have done exactly this myself because I live near venues that cause bother to the surrounding inhabitants.
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Jerry :creating an unlicensed drinking area where nobody appears to be accountable for any subsequent bad behaviour.
You are talking about the beach.
My best memories as a kid were from parties on the beach. I never had a fight in my life, never been to prison and I don’t get your problem with kids trying to have fun.
You can’t socialize at home due to seriously small accommodations and grumpy neighbors.
Where else do you go if not the beach (green island) , the pub (White horse) or the restaurant (the Dicq ) ?
I already know that you are against later opening hours concluding that Jersey would be a even more boring place if you were to be in charge.
In this difficult financial climate , pointing your finger at those businesses is unnecessary .They are struggling enough as it is, and closure won’t help the economy and unemployment.
And if it was as bad as what you are saying, they would be the first one to call the police .
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The Licensing Team is not a new innovation as a previous Chief Officer, David Parkinson, introduced such a team in the late 80s. It was very successful in reducing drink related public order. The Licensing (Jersey) Law makes it an offence to be drunk and quarrelsome on licensed premises and for a licensee or his agent to sell alcohol to persons who are drunk. Similalrly it is an offence for anyone to purchase alcohol for anyone who is drunk on licensed premises. If this law is enforced robustly it often prevents problems at a later stage. In the late 80s and throughout the 90s the police liaised closely with licensees and nightclub managers and worked together to reduce drink related crime and disorder. It was in the mid 90s the police set up a licensing scheme for door supervisors and organised a training programme, that all doormen and doorwomen had to complete before they could be licensed. By working with the licensing trade and the British Institute of Innkeepers, the police made deep inroads into cutting down on drink related disorder. The reintroduction of the licensing team must be a positive move – one can only wonder why the team was disbanded in the first place.
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@20 – Jerry Gosselin
What a whinger! What do you expect people to do? Sit around all the time reading booka and sipping tea? Get in the real world..
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Blade – #18 “The new police chief needs to get a grip on the rampant drugs problem that is prevailing in town not just the drinking. How is he going to stop people drinking a bottle of vodka before they even leave the house to go to a club? O rt he line of coke that they just hit?”
Rampant drugs problem? Who are you trying to kid?
Fine Jersey may have relatively high Heroin use, but that is behind closed doors. Where is the problem in town? Personally i would feel much safer in town if the majority of revellers were taking a few E’s or smoking a joint and coming up wanting to give me a hug, rather than coming up trying to pick a random fight as is the case now with alcohol. Coke problem? I doubt it with average purity hovering around 1% in Jersey…
If you’ve got an issue with drugs and the people who use them, you would support decriminalisation, which as in the Portuguese example (they decrim’d all drugs in 2001) works very well. Less drug use, less crime, more people who really do need treatment getting it, and off drugs for good.
So successful it is that the EU has given member countries the green light to decrim if they want, and the UN have just set up a committee looking into decriminalisation.
Disagree with me? Lets have a debate, i’ll blow every excuse you’ve got for the ridiculous War on Drugs straight out of the water..
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25. Peter H, your last comment made me smile… and shake my head. In response,
Why should any government legalise any Toxic substance that is currently illegal? And more importantly, why would anyone have the desire to take these toxic substances especially if they are illegal? Is your (as a consumer of illegal drugs) outlook on life that sad, that horrible that you need drugs, just for something to blame on life’s woes? is there nothing else you can do other that sitting inside, alone, with you pot paraphernalia, is the most excitement you get? Please, debate this and blow it out the water?
To get back to the subject, Alcohol is legal, but the excessive consumption often leads to non-legal activities, and as Blade at 18, describes, the common attitude that alcohol is required to relax or when feeling “Stressed” has lead to the alcoholic situation we have in both Jersey and the UK. Anything the police can do to make people more comfortable, less stressed and less reliant on a depressant to cheer themselves up (!) is a good thing.
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