ALCESTER may be an attractive market town, but it’s one with a problem if the increasing complaints of anti-social behaviour to police are anything to go by.
Officers have been asked to deal with motorcyclists and motorists driving around the area creating a nuisance, loud youths, offensive comments being shouted and people dropping litter the streets. The Conway estate seemed to be at the forefront of the reports.
Standard reporter <b><i>Lauren Jeal</i></b> took to the High street to see if it really was a serious problem.
Local resident Mike West agreed there is a big problem with anti-social behaviour: “Something really needs to be done about it. If it carries on something really bad is going to happen. They don’t even seem to do it in the evenings but in broad daylight.”
Another resident added: “I think there might be particular parts of Alcester where it is present like in any town but I don’t really think it is a problem here. It really is a quiet and gentle town.”
Sue Ross, who has lived in the area for the last 18 years, said: “There does seem to have been a spate of it recently but until then I would not have said it was an issue here. There has been car damage and and a fair few burglaries.”
Dave Skinner added: “There are problems in Alcester but they are more on certain estates. It isn’t everywhere.”
Sheelagh Fleming, who has lived in Alcester for 37 years, said there were issues in the town but anti-social behaviour wasn’t one of them.
“I mostly find it pretty good,” she said.
“There are youngsters littering and there’s dog fouling but I don’t think anti-social behaviour is really a problem.”
Another resident said he had experienced racism from youngsters hanging around the streets: “Luckily it doesn’t really effect me. I just brush it off but I think more sensitive people would be upset by it,” he said.
