Council chiefs pledge to Doncaster village

Council chiefs have vowed to press ahead with tackling problems around violence and anti-social behaviour in a troubled Doncaster village.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Jul 2016, 11:19 BST
Updated 25th Aug 2016, 17:22 BST
The incident took place in Mutual Street, Hexthorpe at around 8pm, when residents report that a street brawl, during which a number of people were threatened with a knife, ledto police being called out and arrests being made.The incident took place in Mutual Street, Hexthorpe at around 8pm, when residents report that a street brawl, during which a number of people were threatened with a knife, ledto police being called out and arrests being made.
The incident took place in Mutual Street, Hexthorpe at around 8pm, when residents report that a street brawl, during which a number of people were threatened with a knife, ledto police being called out and arrests being made.

The authority has pledged to do ‘everything within its power’ to address the concerns of people living and working in Hexthorpe.

The promise comes after a well-attended community meeting on Tuesday night, when residents drafted a list of concerns they want police and the council to address.

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Greater transparency, in terms of the response to incidents and resources available, was one of the things residents at the meeting were calling for.

Pat Hagan, the council’s head of services and communities, said: “We are very keen to respond to residents’ concerns and frustrations.

“We would encourage everyone to report each and every incident. We are doing a lot of good work in the area but we aware that there are some very real problems in Hexthorpe that we are committed to tackling.

“I know there is a perception that the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) isn’t being implemented, but since its introduction we have issued 85 fixed penalty notices, 15 PSPO notices and 13 warning letters.”

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He said 75 per cent of landlords in Hexthorpe were signed up to a selective licensing scheme, and that five landlords who were not signed up had been prosecuting.

“There are another 37 cases relating to those not signed up to the scheme,” said Mr Hagan.

Public spaces protection orders were introduced in Hexthorpe last summer in a bid to calm community tensions and cut crime there.

Tuesday’s meeting came days after police were called out to Mutual Street in the village to deal with reports of a car theft and of children being threatened with a knife.

A man was slashed in the face with a knife on Urban Road last month.

The incident sparked concern among residents that problems in the village were beginning to escalate once more.