Pete, you really ought to stand as a Labour councillor; at least you engage in debate on local issues unlike your party’s candidates who avoid this site, and in particular this forum, as if it was cursed.Before the Rev David Brammer of St Mary’s went off on a sabbatical to the US, he put in an appearance at an Acton Central ward forum where he tore a strip off the local police for their failure to tackle street drinking on the Mount. I was surprised by his vehemence, not least as he was one of the last people I had down in the hang’em, flog’em and lock’em up brigade. The Council can do practical things, such as using its CCTV network to alert the police to the presence of groups of street drinkers, but also act as a facilitator to bring relevant parties (the police, charities, licensees) together to get them to talk to each other (one should not assume that they do) and put pressure on them to take action. It’s been done before but it needs to be done consistently or the problem comes back. I’d also challenge your suggestion that there is some conflict between compassion and wanting a quiet life, presumably by letting street drinker continue to do what they do. There’s nothing compassionate about turning a blind eye as someone drinks themselves into a stupor. I was walking across Haven Green this evening and there was someone unconscious on the grass, an open can next to him and two police officers (wearing surgical gloves) standing beside him looking as if waiting for assistance to arrive. It would have been more compassionate if he’d had his collar felt after he’d opened the first can of whatever had later caused him to pass out.
Vlod Barchuk ● 4502d