Police Hail Success Following Crackdown On Anti-social Behaviour in Knaphill and Goldsworth Park

Police officers in Knaphill have advised that they have been working hard to restore peace to the area with a crackdown on anti-social behaviour over the last four months.

As well as seizing vehicles and issuing warning letters and fixed penalty tickets, the Safer Neighbourhood Team has been working in partnership with Woking Borough Council, with the local authority lending their support to the crackdown by installing a CCTV camera in the area.

The local Safer Neighbourhood Team, led by Neighbourhood Specialist Officer PC Craig Robinson, decided to take action after a significant increase in the number of calls from residents regarding the misuse of vehicles late at night in and around the areas of Alexandra Gardens and Redding Way. This unfortunately also led to an increase in the number of road traffic collisions in the area.

Officers issued four Section 59 warnings for careless or anti-social driving under the Road Traffic Act., eight fixed penalty notices and a number of VDRS forms to motorists with defective vehicles. One vehicle was also seized for not having any insurance.

The team also worked alongside the Goldsworth Park Safer Neighbourhood Team, as there were similar concerns about anti-social behaviour around Bampton Way and the Waitrose car park.

Woking Neighbourhood Sergeant Mark Bridge explained: "There are a number of residents living near the Redding Way car parks who have had to put up with young people pitching up late at night to socialise. The problem with this is that some of the youths have been responsible for loud music, revving of engines, littering and offensive language.

"The local team has been working extremely hard to restore the peace in this area. With the support of local residents, we have been able to identify the main culprits and deal with them appropriately. Those identified as regular offenders have been dealt with robustly and this has resulted in a number of vehicles being seized, and warning letters and fixed penalty tickets being issued."

Sgt Bridge continued: "Working with our partners at Woking Borough Council also led to the installation of a CCTV camera which overlooks the car park most affected by the problem. The camera is still there and will continue to monitor the situation."

The team has also been working with some of the drivers regarding the use of their vehicles and how they can be more considerate to the local community. A "Drive Smart" evening was run by Surrey Police in partnership with Woking Borough Council, with young people invited to the Vyne Centre in Knaphill and shown a video highlighting the perils of poor driving and the consequences to drivers and their families.

Sgt Bridge said: "Anti-social driving and anti-social behaviour blights the lives of local residents and will not be tolerated in our local communities. We will continue to monitor the situation in Knaphill and will not hesitate to take action should we receive reports of any further incidents."