SAFER COMMUNITIES a perception of a lack of safety , particularly at night .
While , during the day 58 % of respondents said West Ealing ’ s public areas were either very safe or fairly safe , 17 % said they were ‘ neither safe nor unsafe ’ and the remaining 25 % thought they were either fairly or very unsafe .
These answers changed dramatically when the survey asked how safe the area was at night , with 77 % of respondents saying it becomes fairly or very unsafe ; 10 % opting for ‘ neither safe nor unsafe ’; and only 11 % choosing very or fairly safe .
Several local groups that help vulnerable people in the area had already been consulted on the ideas being proposed , including Ealing RISE Drug and Alcohol Service and St Mungo ’ s homelessness charity . The contents of the proposed order were revised several times following their feedback .
‘ MAKING SURE PUBLIC SPACES ARE WELCOMING ’ Councillor Ranjit Dheer , the council ’ s cabinet member for community service and safety , said : “ Anti-social behaviour can intimidate people and prevent them from enjoying public spaces such as parks or playgrounds .
“ Residents ’ associations told us they were concerned about littering of drug paraphernalia and the impact this has on children ; and local companies pointed out the negative impact on their business of street-drinking and associated congregation in certain spots .
“ The PSPO is a way we , and our partners like the police , can work together to deal with these issues effectively . It is about making sure public spaces are welcoming , and not about restricting access to them . The idea is to discourage unwelcome behaviour from happening in the first place but , if a problem persists , the order would make sure it can be dealt with effectively .”
The order was drawn up with the aim of complementing a number of other schemes currently operating in West Ealing . For example , in one project , council has worked with the police and RISE and other partners to target specific individuals regularly in trouble involving public drinking – to either penalise them or get them help , as appropriate .
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT ? The PSPO was due to come into force across West Ealing on 3 April . It will last for three years , until 2020 , unless the council looks at varying its length during that time .
MORE INFORMATION For more information , email safercommunities @ ealing . gov . uk or call 020 8825 5994 .
WHAT DID PEOPLE SAY ?
Some of the comments made by people completing the survey were indicative of the swell of opinion in favour of the zone .
“ I think this idea is fantastic and will make the area nicer for all . There are lots of young families in the area so it should feel more safe ,” said one respondent . And another simply said : “ The questionnaire covers all the points . Fundamentally , West Ealing needs ‘ cleaning up ’”, while another said : “ I witness groups of people and individuals drunk , high and sometimes fighting among themselves ” and said they felt scared to take their dog for a walk in the dark . “ I live with my young family on a road a short walk away from Uxbridge Road ,” said another resident ,
“ and am regularly faced with seeing drug taking , drug dealing , street drinking and the detritus left from such activities on my road . I want my family to feel safe and to be able to use public facilities without fearing for their safety either as a direct or indirect result of anti-social behaviour . The powers that a PSPO area would give law enforcement seem appropriate to tackle such problems .”
And their view was supported by another person , who said street drinkers were so intimidating that it “ affects [ my ] home and day to day life and makes me feel unsafe and I often need to change my day to day activities to avoid them .”
With a positive hope for the future , another comment was : “ West Ealing will prosper once more when residents are proud of their town , and visitors are not afraid to visit !” around ealing Spring 2017 17