'Immediate action' promised to tackle anti-social behaviour making residents want to leave Peterborough street
Residents in Figtree Walk have been tormented for several years by anti-social behaviour.
Cross Keys Homes has promised to take ‘immediate action’ after residents reported anti-social behaviour concerns so bad that it made them want to leave the area.
Residents in Figtree Walk in Dogsthorpe have been tormented for the past two years by large groups of youth and men that have been using the car park at the end of the estate.
Among the long list of complaints from residents have been dangerous driving, noise late into the night, drug use and dealing, damage to cars and properties, sexual acts being performed in the presence of children, street drinking.
One resident said: “I’ve had grief since the day I moved here.
"I won’t even sleep in my bedroom at the back of the house since it all started happening. I picked all my things up and moved it into my living room. I won’t sleep in my bedroom, I’m too frightened to.”
Another added: “It’s not safe, all of it.
"As cars are driving in, they are treating it as a race track. They are climbing up to 60mph. We had one car chasing a man on a bike down here; speeding down the street, driving on the grass, they were trying to run him over.
“They’ve crashed into the walls in cars that are untaxed, uninsured and they’ve got cloned plates and what we’re all sure are underaged drivers. We’ve seen drivers going on the pavements. It’s just non-stop down here.”
In response, Cross Keys Homes, which owns the car park and the neighbouring estate, has promised action.
A spokesperson for Cross Keys Homes said: “We are extremely sorry to hear that residents are facing these problems.
"We are taking immediate action to investigate what options are available to deter this behaviour and currently have a team on site, speaking to residents. If criminal activity is identified we will liaise with the police on the best course of action to take.
“In general, where anti-social behaviour is reported to us we will always have, and always will take action, working with the police and other agencies where appropriate.
"We always urge residents to get in touch with us as soon as they can when facing anti-social behaviour in their communities.”
Residents have also expressed their dissatisfaction at the police response, detailing accounts of police officers arriving and advising residents to wait for cars on cloned plates to simply pass by ANPR cameras and failing to ask to apprehend underage drivers because the keys were taken out of the ignition before they arrived.
Police have said that they have received five reports of disturbances in the past year.
Sergeant Sarah Phillips, from the Neighbourhood Policing Team which covers Dogsthorpe, said: “I understand the impact anti-social behaviour has on our communities, however it is important for the public to contact us with reports of specific incidents or crime so we are able to fully understand issues in an area and target our resources appropriately.”
Information can be passed to police online at www.cambs.police.uk/report or by calling 101. If a crime is in action or someone is in immediate danger, always dial 999.