As many of you know since last November I have been unfortunate enough to be living in the flat below a young woman who runs what is known as a ‘crack house’ (its also a knockin shop as well). I am extremely happy to say the police were at long last able to shut it down on Friday!
The police had been trying to do this for some time and despite many raids this year have not been able to do so. Then in May a new team was set up in Wycombe (Public Safety Team) to address problems exactly like this and other anti social behaviour and take the process through the civil courts rather than the criminal courts. The rules are totally different, with things like ‘hearsay’ being allowed in evidence etc.
Because three of us, the neighbours most affected, were willing to give evidence in court it made the case very strong, despite the landlord (slimy greedy git!!!) initially opposing it as he would loose rent! He finally changed his mind (probably because it would cost him money to fight it and he would loose) and the place now has a steel door in place and no one is allowed in there for three months.
Some of you are aware that it has not just the noise/music/arguments/fights/smashing up the place through out the nights that has been going on but several times a week I have had water coming through the ceiling mainly via the central light fitting but also other places. This is because the female tenant used to do stuff like leave the bath taps on till the bath overflowed cos she was so stoned, she never bothered to put the shower curtain in the shower, etc etc. Consequently this meant that I had to turn my electric off at night and whenever I was out as I was terrified there would be a fire. I used to hear the light fitting fizz as the water started coming through. Just one of the inconveniences has been that I could not use my freezer, as it just wasn’t on enough to keep stuff frozen. To say nothing of the permanent buckets, sheets of plastic, and newspapers that were all over my sitting room floor.
I am sure there are thousands of people having to endure similar experiences and it is galling to realise that we are supporting these scum via our wonderful welfare system. These people make themselves unemployable by being drug addicts and get paid to do nothing via our benefit system. Of course should we stop their benefits we then get all the do gooders shouting about their human rights… well what about mine.
I don’t know whether this new police team is a pilot type of scheme or whether there are several others being tried throughout the country, I am sure some members on here would know. All I know is that it is working and this is at least the second ‘crack house’ that this team have been able to shut down in High Wycombe in the last two months.