People living in flats in Bracknell have slammed police for ‘doing nothing’ to stop antisocial behaviour after officers forcibly closed their flats in summer.
Police officers obtained a court order to close the flats in Calfridus Way on July 21 to stop persistent antisocial behaviour of two problematic but ‘vulnerable’ tenants and ‘unwanted visitors’.
The police have tried to hail the closure order as a success, but tenants in the flats have accused them of serious failings.
One of the tenants said on one particular occasion they were left feeling suicidal as a result of desperation when police ‘turned up too late’ after an attempted burglary of her home on Sunday, August 10.
READ MORE: Claim vulnerable neighbours will be moved after Bracknell police forcibly close flats
Explaining the incident, she claimed: “One of my neighbours tried coming through my sitting room window while I was indoors.”
Adding: “I couldn’t take it any more. I’m surprised I’m still alive.”
She said she was able to scare the neighbour away, and was eventually taken to hospital here she was given treatment for three days. She has blamed police for not acting fast enough.
The tenant added: “They’re doing nothing. They’re not doing their duty.
“I’m very upset and unwell because of this. I know I can’t stay here anymore.
“I never should have moved here. The council only moved me here because I couldn’t get up the stairs at my old place.
“And even if I move, I’m scared this is going to happen to someone else. Society needs to know and needs to realise there’s been no justice done here.”
Thames Valley Police acting chief inspector Helen Kenny hailed the closure order in a report delivered to Bracknell Forest Council on police activity on September 15.
During the presentation, C/I Kenny claimed that two problematic but vulnerable residents would be moved away from the flats by Silva Homes, which manages the properties.
But one of the residents got in touch with the Local Democracy Service to say that C/I Kenny had got it wrong, claiming no tenants have been moved out, and accusing the police and Silva Homes of not doing their jobs.
“They’ve not done anything for seven years. I’ve had to put up with it for that long.
“They did the closure order on all of us because it makes us easier to police. But it doesn’t make our lives easier.
“How the council can big themselves up and think it’s a wonderful result I don’t know. No one has been moved out.”
Another tenant reacted with fury at the suggestion that the two ‘problematic but vulnerable’ neighbours would be moved out before her.
She said: “I’ve been fighting to be moved for months and to see the ones who cause all the trouble who live in filth and make our lives in the block a living hell will be moved before me… I’m absolutely livid.
“Police and Silva Homes are absolutely useless.”
The tenants have been anonymised to protect them.
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A spokeswoman for Silva Homes confirmed that none of the tenants have been relocated yet, contrary to what C/I Kenny said in the presentation.
The spokeswoman said: “We have been working in partnership with Thames Valley Police (TVP) and Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) to obtain Partial Closure Orders for the block in Calfridus Way.
“The closure order was put in place by TVP to protect all residents in the block and to prevent ASB from escalating.
“The order was in place for three months between July 2021 to October 2021 and many of the types of issues previously reported saw a dramatic reduction which is really positive.
“Our specialist team is working hard to ensure there is a positive outcome for all customers involved.”
She continued “All residents in the block have been signposted to support services such as the community mental health team and adult safeguarding for the duration of the closure order and beyond.
“Regular meetings have been taking place between Silva, TVP and BFC to monitor the situation and the most recent one took place on October 12, 2021.
“Although the closure orders have come to an end, there is ongoing support available to the residents through Silva, the police and other support agencies.
“Whenever a customer requests a move, we will always help them explore the options.
“Due to the shortage of housing available this can take some time and be difficult to achieve as quickly as we would like.
“If any customers at Calfidus Way have individual questions they would like to ask we encourage them to contact us in the normal way.”
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C/I Kenny said anti-social behaviour had been ‘drastically reduced’ as a result of the closure order during the meeting.
A spokeswoman for TVP added: “We take all reports of anti-social behaviour seriously.
“In this particular case we worked with partners and implemented this closure order that directly resulted in a reduction of anti-social behaviour.
“We would continue to encourage anyone to report incidents to us by using 101 or our website so that we can take the appropriate action.”
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