One of the things that makes Basingstoke a great place to live is our town centre with its vibrant mix of sports facilities, shopping centre, independent shops, museums, cinemas, theatre, concert hall, bars and restaurants.

This range of local facilities attracts a wide cross-section of residents to the town seven days a week.  

Over the years our shopping habits have changed. Online shopping becoming the norm, leaving town centres like Basingstoke needing to change too.

Basingstoke has always had more than shops alone and future plans for the town centre and Leisure Park, already announced, involve new leisure facilities and ‘experiences’ that reflect this trend and will be at the heart of the future of our historic town centre. 

At whatever time of day, when people come into Basingstoke they need to feel safe. Families out on a Saturday evening or older residents in Festival Place on a weekday afternoon should all feel secure and so making streets feel safer is a real priority for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.  

Security in the town centre has been “state of the art” since Festival Place was built. But that doesn’t always stop antisocial behaviour which can create havoc and upset. So, the town centre has been given extra funding for additional CCTV cameras, street lighting and other security measures. 

Crime levels in Basingstoke are relatively low in comparison with similar towns and the local Police are focused on keeping it that way.

But we have seen a rise in unacceptable nuisance caused by a small number of people engaging in anti-social behaviour around the centre of town. All too often these individuals are school-aged, acting with impunity, under the misapprehension that the rules of decent behaviour don’t apply to them.

Tackling this takes parents, schools and the whole community to act together. 

Everyone has a right to feel safe in our town. As a community, we must have zero tolerance for this kind of behaviour because it can be a pathway to criminal activity: including criminal damage, harassment or theft.

It’s in everyone’s interests to stamp out antisocial behaviour particularly if young people are involved.

Anyone who witnesses anything of the kind should contact the police on 101 or 999 if it needs immediate attention. These reports are then used to inform where Police Officers patrol. 

I have met a wide range of local retailers across town to discuss the impact of antisocial behaviour. The police have an ongoing operation in the town, focusing on school holidays, to make it clear any antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated.

I regularly meet the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office with retailers and will be taking retailers’ suggestions forward with the police. 

We know that one of the ways to tackle crime is more visible policing which acts as a deterrent and enables the police to respond quickly and effectively.

More funding from Government for Hampshire Police means by the end of the year we will have 600 extra new police officers, with 50 of these new officers in Basingstoke. 

Basingstoke is a great place to live but we must remain watchful. Stopping antisocial behaviour is an important way to ensure our town feels safe.

I will continue to work with the police, police and crime commissioner and local retailers to make sure the focus is on keeping crime rates down.