'Ello, 'ello, 'ello - Joanna Pazucha meets Inspector Tim Stuckes to talk about crime in Keynsham

Ello, ello ello – Joanna Pazucha meets Inspector Tim Stuckes to find out about crime in Keynsham

"This is a low crime area," Inspector Stuckes announces and points at two graphs on the wall above his desk. "In 2001 there were 250 crimes a month, but last year there were between 100 and 120." He smiles: "At this rate, in a few years’ time, there’ll be no crime in Keynsham at all!"

While he does believe the police force’s actions have helped to reduce the number: "it’s about the style of policing – we try to be more visible to the public," he also thinks: "social and economic factors play a part."

Keynsham has a ‘mixed bag of crime’ he says, although the stabbing outside the Pioneer pub on Friday, March 25 was a rare event – the first in five years. "All the people knew each other, the person who was stabbed was released from hospital in the same night. We’re actively hoping to resolve it," Inspector Stuckes said.

The area may not be a hotbed of crime, but residents still have their concerns – one of which is anti-social behaviour. Inspector Stuckes believes part of the problem is that people are less tolerant of teenagers than they used to be. "People might complain to us about youngsters in the park during the summer months. I ask them: ‘Where should they be?’ We’ve provided them with facilities such as the skate park and bandstand and if we saw them hanging around the streets, we would say to them: ‘Why not go to the park?’

"People forget what it’s like to be a teenager, do you expect them to stay indoors?"

In spite of this, Inspector Stuckes says police will always try to respond if a complaint has been made about anti-social behaviour. The person who has complained will be contacted to find out if they know the people involved in an effort to resolve the issue. Depending on the seriousness of the circumstances, police patrols may also be increased and the youngsters spoken to and asked to move along. "The youngsters generally engage with us – there are no no-go areas in Keynsham."

The inspector and his team are still waiting to hear whether they will be affected by proposed Government cuts, although Inspector Stuckes hopes they will not be. "We’re a small area with a low crime rate and the staff we have are commensurate with a low crime rate." 

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