A very worrying sign of the times. As reported in the Echo here.
A TEENAGER has been stabbed at a playing field in Rayleigh.
The 19-year-old was stabbed at King George V playing fields near to the skatepark.
He was taken to Southend Hospital at about 2.20pm today.
Some of the comments left on the Echo site are informative….
I commented on the Echo site, and have been asked to speak to a Crime Reporter regarding King Georges field.
I’m furious, truth be told. I banned my sons from there some time ago, due to one of them being beaten up and chased on more than one occasion. The kids are like a feral pack and quite frankly anyone that didn’t see this coming has a screw or two loose.
Its certainly a no go area for anyone intimidated by large groups of teenagers. I had to physically force my way through a large group of them to reach my son who had phoned me in a panic. They deliberately stood in front of me to try to frighten me. Fortunately I am NOT easily intimidated.
They also follow kids who don’t conform, almost to our home on one occasion. I have spoken to the police, and also had one of the kids who was physical charged. He has been to court and pleaded guilty. I told the police when we made our statement that something was building up and clearly I was right.
More police presence, more checking for drugs and weapons(I believe the stop and search process could be utilised more), kids from 11 or so on the streets at 10pm at night? Did you know we have kids coming from Rochford and Southend in the evenings? Why are they coming to Rayleigh, whats here? All questions the authorities should be asking!
My thoughts go out to the young man who was stabbed and his family. This has been coming for some time now and unless this 16 year old is dealt with properly we could see much more of this type of crime in Rayleigh.
I have commented on this website numerous times regarding where this town is going. We have large numbers of youngsters allowed out late at night, by their parents who do not know where they are or who they are with. With that scenario and drug dealers and knife thugs moving in, can we not see where we will be in a couple of years time?
It is time for the ‘this will never happen in my town’ people to wake up, taste the coffee and come to terms with what is happening.
If the parents do not take control of their offspring, the Police and courts do what is right, to protect us and our Council step in give our youngsters something to keep them occupied, we do know what our lives will be like in a couple of years time (or maybe less). The parents must start this off by really taking care of their children. This means doing things as a family, teaching them to respect others and teaching them social manners that we were all taught as kids.
If parents do not take control of their children, there are plenty of low lifes who frequent King Georges Field and Websters Way who will take them under their wing.
Re: your comments regarding youngsters allowed out late at night I’ll think you’ll find that this incident happened in the afternoon. Please do not assume that all the youngsters of Rayleigh are low life. My son is fifteen and is allowed out in Rayleigh until 10.00 pm – I can’t lock him away until he is eighteen – he needs some freedom and my trust. By the way he does have manners and respect as do his friends.
Local Parent, I am not branding all youngsters as low life, my comments were about the older youngsters who will and do lead the younger ones astray. I have been in Rayleigh town centre on a Friday night and there are young children, far younger than your son, still there wandering around with large groups of children, who should be home. My comment was not aimed at your son but while young children are allowed to stay out late without supervision anything can happen to them.
We are in a situation where there are many people moving into Rayleigh from for example, London, who have lived in a knife and gun culture who know no different and as happened here will use a knife to gain respect. We can either turn our backs as a one off or we can show these yobs that are moving here that we will not tolerate the things that are happening. I am glad that your lad is respectful and has good manners but there are many more that are not brought up the way your son or his friends have been. I have lived in London and have witnessed what we are going through, that is why I moved out to Rayleigh to give my children a better upbringing. Rayleigh train station is a no go area at night and also when I get off the train after working late there are youngsters there intimidating commuters, there have also been gang fights outside the station. This town now has a drugs culture that youngsters are being brought into. We have less policing and more anti-social behaviour.
I just think it is time we recognised what is going on and demand that the police and our district council take some action before we find ourselves with a culture where knives (or worse) are common place.
I apologise if I have offended you.
You didn’t offend me – its just a subject I feel strongly about and unfortunately there is always a certain element that will give the rest of the kids a bad name. Its a shame there is not more for the youngsters to do (14-18 year bracket) but I’m not entirely sure this would make a huge difference. Having more to do also cost money. A trip to the cinema train fare and adult prices from 15 for a couple of hours entertainment; bowling expensive; go-karting expensive etc. All great activities but you can only do so many in the six weeks holiday before bank of mum and dad goes overdrawn. Fortunately my son and his friends are quite into sport so football and cricket can keep them reasonably busy. Time to get off my soap box.
Mike, sadly I think you are right about Rayleigh developing a drug culture. I had a very eye opening chat with one of our local taxi drivers recently who stated that the majority of the pubs in Rayleigh High Street are rapidly becoming no go areas becuase of open drug dealing activity and youths intimidating people trying to enjoy a quiet civilised drink. This guy was not a bloke to be easily frightened but he refuses to pick up fares from certain pubs on the High Street because of all of the problems he has experienced.
I think it would be helpful if the local Police were more transparent about local crime issues so that local residents are not lulled into a false sense of security and have an accurate picture of what “our” yougsters actually get up to at night – no not all but I wonder how many parents actually know what is happening?
I’ve said this before but there is little (actually nothing) to attract me or my partner into Rayleigh in the evening and I suspect that I am not alone in this! No wonder then that the town is slowly degenerating…
There are still good places to go to Rayleigh Town Centre , though not enough.
But you know, TWR- It’s been a pretty dispiriting week, hasn’t it? The last I saw in the Echo was the guy who got stabbed is still recovering.
Going off topic a little – What galls me at the moment is that in the last week I’ve had useful discussions here online, with a trader in Berry’s Arcade, with some residents in Lincoln Way, and will be there for some surely meaningful discussions at Rawreth Parish Council on Wednesday. But the Rochford Full Council meetings have nearly stopped being places for meaningful debate (about anything, not about Kings Georges Field in particular).
Three-quarters of councillors at last week’s meeting didn’t speak at all, except to say “Amen” at the end of prayers. After prayers we get a few announcements basically stating that things are generally fine, and nobody on the Conservative side (with the exception of Heather Glynn) seems to want to question anything. And I’m starting to detect a feeling that they expect us to sit quiet as well. You often have to hold your hand up a long time to get noticed these days! The Conservatives attitude towards Full Council seems to have shifted from an eagerness for debate into a kind of baffled hostility that anyone wants to say anything.
I’ve always felt that after the shops and businesses closed in the town centre/High Street at 6pm, the area is effectively abandoned until the pub and restaurant businesses kick off from 9pm onwards, and these businesses don’t tend to attract families to use them, or other couples or groups of friends that may not want to use a pub or restaurant as a meeting place.
Contrast this with European towns, and the difference is huge. However the Government’s short sighted attempt at “Continental Café Culture” seems to be based solely on extended drinking hours in pubs and increased ability for shops to sell alcohol. They completely missed the “Café” bit.
There are no places that I would want to take my kids in Rayleigh town centre of an evening. Restaurants are a bit too formal and expensive, and the pubs are…well, pubs – not usually very suitable. A café on the other hand would offer a place to get something light to eat, and the chance for a swift lager and fruit based beverage for the wife as well. In Europe, places like the Baker’s Oven would serve alcohol, and would stay open until 8-9pm, and they would be packed with families.
I’m not suggesting we should use innocent families as a human shield against the unsavoury elements that may move into the town centre in the evenings, but encouraging a wider spectrum of people to use the town in the evening would make it less attractive to those who persist in anti-social behaviour.
My thoughts go out to the young boy and his family I hope he recovers well.
At a risk of sounding a little Royston Vasy !!! the housing ect should be kept for local people with families, thus hopefully curbing the amount of people moving from other areas building blocks of flats everywhere is no good for encouraging families, the reason people move to Rayleigh is because it is considered a safer area then others.
I am not saying that people from outside the area are any better or any worse, you only have to see the difference of a couple of years to notice that Rayleigh is getting less and less family friendly.
Unfortunately when a lot of these incidences’ happen it usually people who live outside of Rayleigh that cause the problems.
I used to be happy to meet friends for a drink in the pub on a Friday then walk home by myself without a thought!!! Now I get a taxi as I am scared of the young teenagers who hang around the station, these tend to be large groups of children that get off the trains…..
Only very occasionally will I see police at the station and even then thats only when something has happened.
Rochford Council really needs to think seriously about the sort of people they want living in their borough as they don’t seem to be doing a very good job at the moment.
Why aren’t these councillors’ being more pro active ! Things only seem to get done when it is to there advantage, this is not good enough they need to make a stand about the state of the area and put an action plan forward.
Quote from Chris above:
“Council meetings have nearly stopped being places for meaningful debate (about anything, not about Kings Georges Field in particular). Three-quarters of councillors at last week’s meeting didn’t speak at all, except to say “Amen” at the end of prayers”.
How interesting for you to raised this Chris as I am also galled about it.
At the last West Area Committee meeting on the17th June I recorded in writing, which councillors did or did not speak as I am fed up with councillors being paid to attend meetings and making no contribution what so ever.
Here are the results. Figures in brackets show how many times each member spoke.
District Councillors
Cllr. Aves (2) Cllr Black (2) Cllr. Dillnutt (0)
Cllr. Gibbs (0) Cllr. Grey (0) Cllr, Humphries (0)
Cllr. Livings (2) Cllr. Merrick (2) Cllr. Mockford (2)
Cllr. Oatham (2) Cllr. Smith (0) Cllr. Webster (5)
Parish Representatives
Cllr. Matthews (3) Cllr. Sperring (3)
In The Open Forum, Cllr. Livings had to ask the Chairman if he was allowed to speak or not. The Chairman was unsure and had to consult the Council officers.
Five turned up, had nothing to say and got paid for it. How can we judge a councillors performance or hear their views if they do not speak. Shamefull!
I intend to carry out the same exercise at each meeting I attend for a while and will report my findings.
I think the District Council have lost the plot. They seem to have no answers to the problems, we as residents, are suffering or are about to suffer. TRW you are right regarding a precedent being set for the reasons that the application for the nursing home was turned down. I would like to know from the Councillors who voted against the application if they will vote against the housing developments, when they come up at the planning meeting or will they tow the line?
I don’t know when the next West Area Committee meeting takes place but maybe we need to table these questions then. Also, law and order, we keep hearing how safe Rayleigh is, how are these figures being massaged. There are lots of drug offences taking place, however as the Police actually catch very few of these evil people selling their stuff, it appears that we do not have a problem. We do have a problem and the sooner the Council wake up to this instead of hiding we can start doing something about it….
Admin, Would you please let me know when the next West Area Committee meeting is taking place.
Mike:
Rayleigh Methodist Church on September 15th http://cmis.rochford.gov.uk/CMISWebPublic/Meeting.aspx?meetingID=5867
Greenbelt: I think Area Committee meetings are a different kettle of fish.
After all, these are the meetings that the public can speak at, so the councillors role here is often to listen as much as speak.
Maybe the most effective way for a councillor to operate here is to encourage residents to come and fire questions on all cylinders… and only speak to ‘mop up’ at the end or intervene if the answers are inadequate?
If you are disappointed by the area committee meetings , believe me , try full council.
(and by the way, the allowances we get are not based on the number of meetings we go to)
Thanks Admin, We need to make this a meeting to get all the answers to the questions we have all been wanting answers to. It appears me that this Council is getting further and further away from a transparent and open local government to where people and Councillors are just ‘bit players’ in our own lives. We need to get back to where people work together for the good of the community, this is just not happening here. I do not know if this is because the Council have had it all their own way for so long or they are just deluded by their station in life. Whatever, it is just not good enough and they are letting many residents down. There, off my soapbox and enough said!
Chris, the problem is that most questions from the public are answered by council officers and in general elected members do not respond. I believe the chairman should encourage discussion from all parties on the committee. Surely when the answers to some questions are not accepted by the public the councillors should be encouraged to give an opinion, be it in favour of the councils response or in support of the questioner. After all, councillors are elected to represent the views of the residents.
Secondly, your point about encouraging more residents to attend and submit questions would be beneficial, but the time allocated for questions is very limited and is often rushed through. If this is a meeting aimed at hearing the views of residents, surely as long as the discussions are meaningful, no time limits should be set.
Greenbelt, your views are valid but it is not always in the interest of the Councillors to have open and transparent debate about issues where the council may be seen to have an opposing view to the general public. Our Council have their own agenda where they do not respect residents views. It reminds me of the end of the ‘Thatcher years’…..
Im a teenager in rayleigh and life is not as fun full as you think, their is hardly anything for teens to do in rayleigh , and these things do not appeal to everyone, i strongly agree that knife crime is wrong and so do most teenagers in rayleigh , but from my knowledge the attacker wasent from rayleigh, and from the lady that wrote the comment at the top, king geourges park may be full of kids , but were not always doing bad things, okay your son may not have deserved that but “feral pack”is an unwise comment to make, just because some teens do bad things does not mean to say we all do, the generation of older people immediatly think that were up to no good and were always commiting crime, if you think that your seriously wrong, maybe the council should invest some money into the younger generations and give them something to do , this will decrease the ammount of kids on the street and theirfore decrease rayleigh’s very low crime rate.
Thanks for this .:.:
We’re making your comment into the start of a new item.
I agree, so good to hear from a young person, only they really know what they feel would help with their boredom and frustration. If they feel they are being listened to I am sure it would help to get them involved and hopefully work with authorities to achieve something for their future.