In the early hours of last Saturday morning, an eighteen year old was attacked by two thugs wielding a knife and a piece of wood, when walking along Gaunts Way, Hallwood Park. The victim has been treated for head injuries.
Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward. Witnesses can call the police on 0845 458 0000 or leave information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Now Graham is renewing his repeated calls on Halton Council to do more to work with police and help reduce crime and the fear of crime.
Graham commented 'The Government is doing all it can to free police from the burden of paperwork and to get them back on beat visibly fighting crime, where residents want to see them. But councils can and should also be doing more to help tackle crime locally. This is a priority for Runcorn residents and it should be a priority for the Council.'
Graham, who served for four years as a Special Constable in the Cheshire Police, went on to explain 'Councils have legal powers to help tackle crime in a number of innovative ways. An increasing number of local authorities across the country are choosing to listen to local residents and use these powers to full effect.'
'They can install CCTV in areas that are real crime hotspots. They can even allocate funding to provide enhanced neighbourhood police teams so that the areas with the highest crime can have round-the-clock 24/7 beat policing. Councils can also help encourage greater engagement between police and local communities and help residents to set up neighbourhood watch schemes on their own streets.'
'Experiences in other parts of the country have shown that these initiatives can have a huge impact on reducing crime and the fear of crime.'
Graham continued, 'I must admit that I am increasingly frustrated with the Labour Council. Despite residents repeatedly raising anti-social behaviour issues and even going to the extreme lengths of buying their own private CCTV, the Council says that they have 'chosen not to prioritise CCTV cameras'.'
'In my view, Halton Lea ward would be the perfect place to have a pilot scheme for an enhanced neighbourhood police team. If the Labour Council are serious about tackling crime in Runcorn, they will look into the possibility of such a scheme in future.'