FOR a small market town, Alton has Òa virulent drugs problemÓ .
In a shock revelation during last ThursdayÕs meeting of Alton Town Council, newly arrived police chief Tony Tipping said that while his initial impression had been of a friendly and mainly law-abiding town, the drugs problem in Alton was ÒunacceptableÓ.
But, he assured, it was a problem he intended to crack down on.
ÒI take my job seriously and I will not tolerate this kind of anti-social behaviour,Ó he said.
Nor did he have any truck with those who felt that cannabis was OK. In speaking of Òthe evil that is drugsÓ he told councillors that he will not tolerate the use of cannabis and he will prosecute anyone found smoking in public or dealing in it. Cannabis, in his opinion, paved the road to ruin.
A forthright, no-nonsense Scouser, Tony Tipping is already on the case. While assuring councillors that he would not hesitate to take action against anyone indulging in anti-social behaviour, his is a pro-active approach.
He had been told of plans to stage a SNAP (Say No and Phone) Disco at Alton Sports Centre earlier this year - shelved due to insufficient response from young people - but was still willing to put effort into such a venture provided it could be seen to act as a deterrent rather than encourage anti-social behaviour. As long as it had adequate community support he would be happy, he said, to take advice from colleagues at Petersfield where SNAP Discos have met with success.
He was also keen to work with AltonÕs newly formed youth council to look at ways of tackling anti-social problems.
ÒYoung people are the life-blood of a community and deserve police protection as much as anyone else - they are very often the victims of crime,Ó he said.
Convinced nonetheless that his job is to tackle Òthe fear of crime which, in the Alton area, far outweighs the actual crimeÓ, the new inspector is a firm believer in a visible police presence. Building on plans put in place by his predecessor, Steve Mote, he has already reintroduced regular foot patrols.
He has also earmarked nuisance Òhot spotsÓ which will attract increased police attention, among them Anstey Park and the Public Gardens.
In response to a question about whether the gates of the Public Gardens should be locked at night to deter use by young people, Insp Tipping was adamant: ÒGates keep policemen out,Ó he said. He wants his officers in there and aware of everything that is going on.
On the somewhat emotive subject of CCTV, he told councillors that while he would support any campaign that would help deter crime and anti-social behaviour in the town, he was not convinced of the case for surveillance cameras.
Given the low level of crime in Alton it would be difficult, he believed, to provide sufficient evidence to support a bid for central government (GOSE) funding.
Furthermore, should the application be successful the on-going running and monitoring costs would probably prove prohibitive.
Inspector Tipping was, however, prepared to put forward a case for speed cameras on the busy A339, A31 and A32 roads where the level of fatalities, he felt, had become intolerable.
In recognising the need to reduce speed on these roads, Tony Tipping told councillors that while it might take time, one had to start somewhere. Now, he believed, was the time to fight for safer roads in the area.
He was toying with the idea too of displaying grisly pictures of motor cycle accidents during biker rallies at Alton Station on a Wednesday night in a bid to shock riders into driving with more care.
ÒAs recent incidents show, the A339 in particular is clearly dangerous, especially for motorcyclists - it is traumatic to hear of deaths on the road, it affects the whole town and we need to put a stop to it.Ó
On a less disturbing if somewhat sensitive note, Inspector Tipping applauded the work of AltonÕs new traffic warden in seeking to improve the townÕs parking problems. This was a view supported by town clerk Steve Parkinson, who said that the town council no longer received endless complaints about illegal parking.
In welcoming the fact that Tony Tipping was keen to work with the town council in enforcing law and order and in making sure that people in Alton felt safe in their living and working environment, Alton Town Mayor Pam Jones was appreciative of the inspectorÕs direct approach.
ÒIt is nice to hear from someone who shoots from the hip,Ó she said.