A UK town has become besieged by antisocial behaviour, with one local saying the “system is broken”.
One disgruntled resident of Tipton, just outside Birmingham, described how the recently shut down Wilkos had “major shoplifting problems”, adding “people just walked in and out with stuff”, and that other shops also suffered, reports Birmingham Live.
A third described how a customer was spat on as they walked through the town and that elderly customers are afraid of using outdoor cash machines because of the risk of being harassed.
The claims come as Sandwell Council (the borough which Tipton is in) announced “Operation Eternity” – a scheme which will see them partner with West Midlands police to “target antisocial behaviour in some parts of the Great Bridge area of Tipton”.
According to Sandwell Council, issues in the area include “drug dealing/use/littering, intimidation and harassment, and motor/quad bikes used in an antisocial manner in public spaces”.
Dean Marks, a local funeral director, said “Antisocial behaviour in [the Great Bridge area of Tipton] is a problem. There is a lot of homelessness and rough sleepers.”
He described how a woman who was visiting to arrange her late husband’s funeral was “spat all over on” by one local, adding the police “never seem to do anything” about such incidents.
Mr Marks thought a greater police presence might help, but said the Police Community Support Officers “are basically laughed at by them because they know they have got no powers to do anything”, adding: “it is quite sad really”.
One woman noted how there were “needles all over the floor” by a nearby canal, while a local shopper gave his verdict: “If you don’t get stabbed around here, you will live until you are 70.”
The Great Bridge area of Tipton has one of the lowest male life expectancies in the region, at 72 – well below the national average.
Sandwell Council’s “Operation Eternity” plan will see extra police patrols and new youth service sessions.
The Council said the aim was both to enforce punishments, but also to make those engaging in antisocial behaviour have a “genuine desire to identify underlying causes and divert them into wider support provision”.
Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for public health, Councillor Syeda Khatun, said: “By bringing people with us, engaging with them and understanding their needs, while also using enforcement where needed, we can make Great Bridge a better place for everyone.”
