A THIRD PUBLIC meeting, held this week to address the need to tackle anti-social behaviour in Aberystwyth, is a “step in the right direction”.

A public meeting was held on Monday, 4 April, to discuss the need to tackle anti-social behaviour in the Rheidol Ward.

After not attending the initial two public meetings, held in December and March, representatives from Dyfed Powys Police were present. Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llewelyn, Chief Constable Richard Lewis, Local Inspector Gareth Earp, and Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Gemma Edwards were on hand to answer questions, alongside Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales Jane Dodds, Ceredigion MP Ben Lake, County Councillor Endaf Edwards, and Town Councillor Mair Benjamin.

Councillor Kerry Ferguson, who organised the first and second meeting and has been vocal about her disappointment in the authorities responses to the issues, said the meeting was “a step in the right direction”, but that there was a need to engage all the partner agencies, including Ceredigion County Council and local housing associations.

As part of the meeting, various residents spoke of their frustrations, with many noting a desire for more CCTV in problematic areas, a better system for reporting crimes - with one resident claiming “101 is failing” - and cause of the issue being the concentration of housing associations and “bad landlords”.

Resident Brendan Somers claimed many are considering “withholding council tax until they get a better reaction and action from police”. Another resident has set up a neighbourhood watch Facebook page, patrolling the streets every night.

Aberystwyth Mayor Cllr Alun Williams also said he had spoken to many security guards, on the doors of pubs and bars, who had pointed to an increasing prevalence of cocaine as a potential reason for the issues. Dyfed Powys Police said they had set up a Behave or Be Banned group, which sees owners of local organisations sharing lists of banned individuals.

Guy Evans, executive director of Care Society, a subsidiary of housing association Barcud, said:“In my experience, working for them for the past 22 years, the last few years have been challenging. Most of the time these people who are housed are local people in mental states of anxiety.”

Guy said the problem is “multifaceted” and, while housing associations are “doing as much as we can”, the problem also stems from HMOs and “bad landlords”.

Liz Rees and Glannant Davies were from the Christian community outreach group The Well and said some of the ones who are causing the trouble “are desperate to change their situations but there is not enough support”.

Glannant is a recovering cocaine addict himself: “I think police are doing a great job. But we need that multi-agency support for the people.

“People tend to generalise, addicts coming here and being dumped here. But they’re real people and they need the love and support.”

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed Powys Police has committed to completing a review of CCTV infrastructure across Aberystwyth in a month.

During the meeting, one of the key issues raised by all residents was a desire for further CCTV in the area.

In response to these requests, Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llewelyn said they review the location of CCTV in the town every year and committed to completing the review by the end of April.

Mr Llewelyn offered to, prior to the review, complete a public consultation on their locations, but this would take three to six months. The panel agreed to the review.

Mr Llewelyn told the Cambrian News: “So the month would be to review the current set up in Aberystwyth, where the cameras are located, community concerns as I mentioned, and the professional input from the police as well as to where they would like the cameras to be placed. We would do that during the moth of April.”

He added the process of potentially moving and installing cameras could take months: “It would be nice if we could do it before the summer - but I can’t promise that. As Aberystwyth is a university town, it might be nice to do it before the start of the next term in September. But it’s difficult to be specific because it just depends on what the review might come out with.”