Concern over serious violence in Lancaster with students among those being targeted

The district has the fifth highest rate of serious violence in Lancashire, with Lancaster city centre having the highest volume of incidents locally, according to a report for city councillors.

Over the past two years, concerns about issues including domestic violence, street drunkenness, anti-social behaviour, alleged ‘spiking’ in bars and nightclubs, door staff conduct and reported assaults on some Lancaster University students have been raised at different council meetings.

But a new report says progress is being made in various ways. It includes updates on police activity, city and town centre CCTV systems, and new activity to keep people safer at night.

Police, fire and health services, councillors, the business community and voluntary groups come together under a group called the Community Safety Partnership. Cutting crime and anti-social behaviour, and people’s fear of crime are among its priorities.

Lancaster City Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee has the task of reviewing the partnership’s work.

A new scrutiny report states progress is being made in various ways and there is growing knowledge about the impact of violence, those most at risk of being a perpetrator or a victim, and different ways to tackle problems.

It states: “Serious violence is made up of the following crime types: homicide, knife crime, gun crime, assault resulting in injury, rape, robbery, aggravated burglary, domestic abuse and violence, and child exploitation, criminal and sexual.”

The district’s Community Safety Partnership has gained external funding to address a number of issues that residents and businesses have highlighted as concerns, according to the report.

It states: “In Morecambe, this focused on Poulton ward where a bid for £10,000 was submitted to a Police & Crime Commissioner fund. Match funding has also been provided by Morecambe Business Improvement District (BID) for additional CCTV cameras covering areas that have been identified as hot-spots for anti-social behaviour and serous violence.

“In Lancaster, the Community Safety Partnership and its West Lancashire counterpart have secured a joint bid of £288,000 to develop a bystander awareness training programme, aimed at the student population and late-night economy, as well as additional CCTV cameras focusing on hotspot areas for violent offences.”

Elsewhere, extra cash has funded additional police patrols in anti-social hotspots, November bonfire weekend work and an advertising campaign to highlight the dangers around charging of e-scooters and cycles.

Work is ongoing with Lancaster & Morecambe College around educating students about the dangers of speeding and safer driving advice.

Almost two years ago in December 2021, a local legal order, the Lancaster District Public Space Protection Order, was approved by Lancaster City Council following increased complaints about anti-social behaviour. It covers specific public location, such as streets, and aims to prevent bad behaviour, similar to anti-social behaviour orders imposed on individual people.

On anti-social behaviour, the council report adds: “It is reassuring that the work by the local neighbourhood policing teams around education, rather than enforcement, has seen a decrease in the number of complaints received. Over the last 12 months targeted work has been undertaken with the very small minority of individuals who continually breach the restrictions, causing residents to feel unsafe.”

But arson is a concern. Lancashire Fire Service is seeing an increase in deliberate fires. from waste bins set alight to deliberate fires in empty building, such as the former Ridge Lea Hospital, the Alex and A1 SupaSkips., the report adds.

The city council’s scrutiny committee meets at Morecambe Town Hall on Wednesday, November 15, at 6pm.