The Southampton Federation of Residents’ Associations meeting on 24th April had the theme of “The Respect Agenda”. Roger Honey, the City Council’s Community Safety Manager, introduced the relaunch of the City’s Antisocial Behaviour Policy in the document “Southampton Respect Action Plan 2006-08”. There will be development of Neighbourhood Watch.
Chief Inspector Tim Ashman of Hampshire Police, in charge of Community Safety and Public Reassurance, gave a wide ranging talk on the origin of lack of respect and what was being done in Southampton to tackle it. Since May, there has been a single non-emergency telephone number: dial 101 as an alternative to 999 for reporting less serious or anti-social offences to the police.
John Martin, the City Cleansing Officer, said that the Local Authority had been given more powers to deal with litter. It was an offence to drop litter anywhere, even in your front garden. A clean-up notice could be issued requiring people to remove rubbish from their front gardens. People who left wheelie bins on the pavement could receive a fixed penalty ticket.