Residents in a County Durham community are being invited to raise any crime and anti-social behaviour issues at a monthly meeting tonight (Thursday 22 February.)
A Police and Communities Together (PACT) meeting takes place at Blackhall Colliery, giving local people the chance to discuss any concerns they have with representatives from the Safe Durham Partnership.
The meeting takes place at Blackhall Resource Centre on Middle Street at 7pm and will allow residents the chance to speak to representatives from Durham County Council and Durham Constabulary.
PACT meetings give a forum for local issues to be identified and discussed, with a view to priorities being agreed and action ultimately taken.
The scheduled meeting follows a disturbance at Tenth Street in the village on Saturday.
Two men were arrested by Durham Constabulary and have since been charged with criminal offences. The council is also supporting with the relocation of one private tenant following the incident.
Ian Hoult, the council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: “We are conscious that the incident at the weekend will have caused some understandable anxiety among local people.
“However we’d like to reassure residents that incidents of this kind are rare in the Blackhall area.
“Nevertheless our neighbourhood wardens will be carrying out additional patrols in the community and our housing team will continue to work with police, landlords and other agencies to take necessary steps should there be any disturbances involving private tenants.
“We would urge residents to attend the PACT meeting if they have any concerns to raise or to contact us if they see or hear of any anti-social behaviour so we can investigate.”
Inspector Lee Blakelock, from Durham Constabulary, said: “We have been speaking to residents and local councillors who have raised concerns about anti-social behaviour and crime in the Blackhall area over recent weeks.
“We will take the opportunity to listen to residents’ concerns in a constructive way at the next of our regular Police and Communities Together meetings, which takes place on Thursday night.
“A representative from Durham County Council will also be there to assist in answering residents’ queries.”
Residents are encouraged to report anti-social behaviour to the council by phoning 03000 260000 or by calling police on the emergency number 101. Emergencies should always be reported by phoning 999.