Report to HRA Committee 8 April 2025 on HRA Crime information sharing WhatsApp Group

Report to HRA Committee 8 April 2025 on HRA Crime information sharing WhatsApp Group

 

 

1.Reported incidents since the last HRA Committee Meeting of 11 March 2025: (15+++)

 

There have been at least 15 reported incidents since the last HRA Committee Meeting on 11 March, compared with 9 reported during the previous period; an increase of 6.

 

(i)Anti-social behaviour incidents in Portswood Broadway – (10+++ ):

 

There has been a noticeable increase in ASB in Portswood High Street which is of concern. This issue was raised at PACT on 24/3/25:

• A wheelchair bound man was in Chaiwalla with his carer. Three males came in and were very loud. The carer asked them to quieten down. They set upon the carer, including hitting him over the back of the head causing a large gash showing on his skull. They ran away. The carer was very badly injured and the wheelchair bound man was very traumatised;
• An incident on the corner of Portswood Broadway and Westridge Rd: bare chested man walked into road, then threw bricks into the road and also hit his head with a brick;
• 3 men high on something, waving arms around, in Bus Shelter outside Waitrose. Our member had to walk to another bus stop;
• group of street drinkers in Bus Shelter outside Waitrose, shouting across to other street drinkers outside former Iceland shop;
• groups of 5/6 street drinkers (sometimes more) with open cans/bottles outside former Iceland store, almost daily. They appear to have set up home there. Very loud, intimidating and sometimes frightening;
• groups of 5/6 street drinkers with open cans/bottles on the forecourt of the Victory Gospel Church. Loud and intimidating;
• man walking up the road, shouting and swearing;
• separate groups of street attached people and street drinkers in four different locations along the pavement from October Books to Boots. One had a cream/leather armchair which protruded into the pavement. This was replaced with a striped armchair when the other armchair was removed. Excluding the furniture, such incidents are not uncommon;
• possible zoned out drug users sitting on seats outside Cha Sha;
• police in attendance / 3 police vehicles at crossroads in Portswood (near Sue Ryer) / bottom of Brookvale Road for what looked like an incident involving 5 street attached people. No details of actual incident but must have been serious to involve 3 police vehicles.

(ii)Incidents away from Portswood – (3)

 

• A blue BMW car parked in Abbotts Way was badly damaged (windscreen smashed in) by 6 youths;
• 2 youths with faces covered were doing something shifty on top of a bin in Nile Road;
• Near miss to cyclist on Brookvale Road. A car came towards them when it was the cyclist’s right of way. Photo of car registration taken.

(iii) Reported in the Daily Echo (2)

 

• 10/3/25: Man charged with sexual assault of woman and grievous bodily harm on Southampton Common;
• 14/3/25: Arrest of 3 men from Sirdar Road for attempted murder and suspicion of assisting an attempted murderer in vicinity of Derby Road.

All crime and anti-social behaviour incidents are listed here: https://www.highfieldresidents.org.uk/crime-incidents/

 

2. Notes of PACT Meeting, 24 March 2025 and future PACT Meeting dates

Official PACT Minutes: Here

Informal notes taken by Nadine Johnson:  Here

Future PACT Meeting dates:

Monday 16 June, 6.30-8pm 2025 (Hall, Highfield Church Centre)

Monday 8 September, 6.30-8pm 2025 (Lounge, Highfield Church Centre).

Nadine Johnson

Digital Communications