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West Swindon's 55
Magazine
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140

THE

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No. 106 January 1991 • Circulation 10,500
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Dining for charity raises cash Operation Mirror to reflect
There was an alternative to turkey, on crime prevention
tinsel and tv in the weeks leading
up to Christmas when volunteers
from churches all over the town
worked at the Christmas Cracker
restaurant set up to raise money
for third world projects. Under the
theme 'dine for mankind' the res-
taurant served snacks and meals
to shoppers in December and
£4,800 was raised.
All the food was donated, along
with just about everything else re-
quired to run a restaurant. Sun West Swindon volunteers at the
Affiance paid for the premises, Christmas Cracker, from left, Shirley
Southern Electric lent a cooker, the Boxhall from Shaw, Christine Dams
rates were waived by the council, a from Toothill, head cook Audrey
familyeven gave up its dishwasher Hutchinson and Karen Walker from
for a few weeks. Freshbrook.
Surplus food was donated for Swindon's Pilgrim Centre, tinned
Christmas care of the homeless at items will be sent to Romania.
Inspector Steve Chandler takes a break in training at Intergraph for a mug shot
West Swindon is soon to be the the 'northern sector' of the town
Grange Park residents take scene of a unique computerised will be quite similar. One of our
crime prevention project, the first aims is to reflect on what has taken
lights fight to ombudsman of its kind in Europe. place in the west, and to consider
The area has been chosen to pilot what might take place in the north.
A group of Grange Park residents plan which did not show the prox- an experiment called Operation "Once we have entered all the
are reporting Wiltshire County imity of the houses which had been Mirror which will use high-tech information we have on incidents
Council to the Local Government built since the original application. methods to identify how crime can into the computer, we will start to
watchdog, the Ombudsman. "1 have been in touch with the be prevented in housing develop- analyse the reasons why they took
The residents who live in Gower Ombudsman and have advised the ments of the future, as well as in place," said Insp. Chandler. "Could
and Askew Close, and Mulcaster residents to take the matter fur- areas already built. it be that there is poor street light-
Avenue are protesting about the ther. Nobody wants to stop the Working with locally based ing, should shrub beds be cut back
sitingof a flood lit all-weather play- improvement of leisure facilities, computer mapping company or removed to increase safety, how
ing surface surrounded by a ten but it appears that a decision was Intergraph at the Delta Business can pedestrian subways be im-
foot high fence at Greendown taken without really knowing how Park, the police are setting up a proved?
School, within yards of theirhouses. much nuisance might be caused." systemwhich shows the streets and 'The advantage of using a com-
They say they put up with con- MarkFisherofGowerClose said housing layout of West Swindon puter is that we can bring together
struction during the long dusty that residents were horrified when in detail. The places where crimi- a great deal of information on in-
summer last year, but when eight the lighting columns were put up nal incidents take place will be cidents, compare it and look for
lighting columns each measuring in early November. "We have a plotted on the map along with in- similarities - over a period of time.
59 feet tall were erected around the letter from the County Solicitor formation on the action taken to It will help us build a better picture
playing area, they started to voice stating that the 'floodlights are prevent similarcrimes taking place. and will allow us to go to the
their protests with local council- designed and positioned to illumi- Project Co-ordinator Inspector planners with good arguments for
lors and their Member of Parlia- nate the pitch area only, and every Steve Chandler explained that us- improved housing layouts.
ment. precaution has been taken to pre- ing a computer will allow the po- "We will also be able to press for
Swindon M.P. Simon Coombs, vent spillage of light off the area.' lice to analyse patterns of crime changes in existing areas if we feel
who visited residents on 15 De- 'The reality is that you are and to look at the causes more that safety in the community can
cemberto view the floodlights, said, blinded when the lights are in use. closely. "West Swindon has not be improved."
'The County Council deemed itself It's like day time in our gardens. been selected because it is a bad Police staff spent a week train-
planning permission inl984,before Three people have already lost area. The level of offences in the ing at Intergraph in December and
the houses were built. There was a house sales because of this and area are relatively low. But it is a the new computer mapping sys-
second application last year, when large, separate area of Swindon, tem is expected to be up and run-
county councillors were given a Continued with photo on next page and secondly, the development of ning by mid-January.
TURN TO PAGE 14 FOR ADULT EDUCATION COURSES 1991