Alley scheme for resort hotspots

By George Herd
BBC Wales news

The alley gates fitted in Rhyl

Nowadays, Olivier Vigneresse and his family sleep a little more soundly.

Gone are drunken teens squabbling into the night, along with the discarded syringes scattered in the alley.

And that is because he lives in one of 20 or so homes in the seaside resort of Rhyl which now have an alleygate blocking access past their houses.

It is just one measures by the Denbighshire Community Safety Partnership that is being rewarded, along with three other Welsh schemes.

The partnership's approach, which has focused on Rhyl, has seen crime drop in the county by more than 40%.

More than 20 alley gates have been installed across parts of the town, targeting anti-social behaviour hotspots in the west end.

It has made life calmer and quieter Rhyl resident, Olivier Vigneresse

"What you would see during the day is cans of lager, bottles broken, shards of glass, that sort of thing.

"We had quite a few syringes in the alley or even thrown in the gardens, but that's all gone.

"The other thing that has gone is at night a lot of teenagers, young adults used the alley because it was dark and recessed from the street, just to have that extra beer, a bit of chat - sometimes have a fight - all that has gone.

"We do sleep better, because that little niggly feeling you had before at the back of your mind that something might happen, that these voices you hear five minutes down the line might be a big fight, that's all gone.

"It has made life calmer and quieter."

But it is not the only initiative that partnership has undertaken in Rhyl.

Alcohol

Working with pubs and clubs, it has been targeting the issue of late night drunkenness and the disruption and violence that all to often can follow.

The partnership has also stepped up tests on shops, to see if they are selling alcohol to underage drinkers, in a bid to cut juvenile crime.

Roly Schwarz is the partnership manager, who used to walk the beat as a young police officer in Rhyl 30 years ago.

"The green roots of a new Rhyl are definitely visible for those who want to come and have a look," he insisted.

"Our priority is to work together with common objectives and that we work in partnership to make Rhyl and Denbighshire a much safer place."

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Another of the initiatives he has overseen is a giant graffiti wall on the edge of the children's village attraction on the resort's promenade.

The wall had been targeted by local youths who had covered it with abusive scrawls.

"We were constantly as a partnership having to clear that off," admitted Roly Schwarz.

Now, the wall is a mix of graffiti-style artwork and images portraying Rhyl past and present.

"It has really worked. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it has been very successful in reducing graffiti, so I am a fan of it."

The work of the partnership is being recognised at a ceremony on Thursday in Newport, for its holistic approach to tackling crime.

As well as cutting crime as a whole by 42%, criminal damage across the county has dropped by 35%.

The partnership is joined by projects in Torfaen, Bridgend and Aberystwyth to be given special awards for their work.