BLOG: My Community Day in Charnwood

Thursday 22nd August 2024

My day in Charnwood began in Mountsorrel. I’d not visited this village for a while so, although it was not part of my official itinerary, I thought I’d drop by. I had a nice cup of tea in the BOxKITCHEN Coffee café and chatted to the staff and customers before venturing out to talk to passersby. The consensus seemed to be that Mountsorrel is a great place to live. Other than some concerns about anti-social behaviour nobody had much to complain about.

Reassured, I headed off to my first formal appointment – to meet Cllr Jewel Miah, the Leader of the Council, on the Warwick Way Estate.  We saw the local community centre – the “Altogether Place” – and had a walk around the estate.  With us were the local beat police officers and Borough Council staff.  Among the issues that we discussed were fly-tipping, motorbikes being ridden down pedestrian alleys and vandalism – as well as various ideas for solutions to these problems.

My next stop was in Hathern, where the bookshop was to be playing host to a “Police Drop In” the following Saturday.  I wanted to thank the shop owner, and while I was there to knock on some doors to talk to residents and chat to passersby.  Aside from one lady who had her catalytic converter stolen some months ago, nobody knew of any crime in the village – except at the Esso petrol station on the A6 heading north toward Kegworth.  The manager here told me a tale of frequent shoplifting and people driving off without paying for petrol. New security measures were helping and the police were avid in prosecuting when enough evidence could be collected.

Then it was back to Loughborough to meet local residents at the All Saints with Holy Trinity Church.  This meeting had been arranged by Baroness Morgan, one of the church wardens. There were some real problems with anti-social behaviour in the churchyard, memorial garden, wildlife garden and next door in the Old Rectory Gardens.  The fact that the church lay just outside the town centre Public Space Protection Order area no doubt played a factor, but so did the lack of bright lighting and CCTV.

The residents told me hair-raising stories of drug dealing, drug taking, prostitution and physical attacks.  But despite these issues the area remains a charming and much-loved area in the town centre.  Children were playing there during our visit and people were walking their dogs.

As one resident told me “We must not allow the troubles to become the “new normal”, this area is far too nice for that.”

Rupert Matthews
Police & Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland