Safety in the community (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Safety in the community

THE impact on anti-social behaviour must be considered when making licensing decisions, councillors said on Wednesday.

West Wiltshire District Council's External Overview Committee also urged that all sections of the council contribute to its new community safety strategy.

The meeting saw representatives from the police and community safety officers outline how they are tackling anti-social behaviour in the district.

The committee used these to draw up a list of recommendations for the full council to implement.

Insp Glynn Ashforth, community safety inspector for west Wiltshire, said: "The biggest problem is 15 to 17-year-olds on the street corners whom people perceive are doing something wrong when they are just behaving normally. They've got to go somewhere."

Westbury town councillor Pamela Cox-Maidment said: "When pupils are excluded for a short time they are roaming around the town centre and they are not under supervision."