Peace at last for car park neighbours

Local residents and guesthouse visitors in the Victoria car park area of Paignton are enjoying a a good night's sleep thanks to joint efforts by Torbay Council and the police to tackle noise problems caused by "boy racers."

In a bid to prevent boy racers using the car park, Torbay Council has installed a night-time access control barrier and closed off the coach area, providing a coach parking area in front of the car park on Garfield Road.

Guesthouse owners have been given access cards for the main car park free of charge and coach drivers now have keys to the barriers in the coach area.  

The Paignton Neighbourhood Policing team became aware of the severity of the issue through a dramatic increase in police logs and resident complaints via street surgeries, PACT surveys (Police and Communities Together) and community partnership meetings

In conjunction with Torbay Council’s CCTV team and the council’s Security Team, police officers attending were tasked with recording the registration numbers of vehicles at the scene. Warning letters were sent out to potential perpetrators alerting them to the nuisance they were causing to residents and businesses in the surrounding area and reminding them that the car park was not a place for social gatherings.

In excess of 50 letters were sent out to drivers of the identified number plates. Of those, only two returned to the car park. They were issued with a second stage letter and as a result have not returned since.

High visibility patrols were carried out on a regular basis as a deterrent to potential anti-social drivers and in conjunction with Torbay Council, the new barriers were installed at the end of March.

Paignton Neighbourhood Policing Team’s PC Graham Arkell co-ordinated the targeted operation. He said: "This is another great demonstration of how partners working together under the Safer Communities Torbay multi-agency umbrella are able to deliver tangible results for the community.

"Addressing local issues is top of our priority list. It is all about understanding the communities we work for, what issues matter to them and delivering positive results to better their quality of life."

Torbay Council's Cabinet Member with responsibility for car parks, Cllr Chris Lewis, said: "This has been a real team effort. The council and the police have worked together to address a problem and find ways of improving the situation. We are really pleased that the actions we have taken have resulted in such positive feedback from local residents."

Among those welcoming the action are Mark and Alyson Wildman, who own the Brampton Guesthouse in nearby Beach Road.

Said Mr Wildman: "We want to say a massive thank you to the council and the police for all the measures they have put in place in the car park.

"They have made a significant difference to us and our guests with hardly any noise coming from there."

To find out about your Local Neighbourhood Policing team go to http://neighbourhoodpolicing.devon-cornwall.police.uk