Topic ID 504
Have I just been unlucky recently or is the sight of men/boys fighting in the street in Hertford on a Friday and Saturday night on the increase. If so why?
Reply ID 4664
I don't know if it's on the increase but from reading the Mercury it appears that most charged for these offences are not from Hertford.
Reply ID 4669
I witnessed a brawl from inside Baroosh Saturday evening. From where I was standing it looked like it was the youngsters piling out of the Corn Exchange after their disco.
Reply ID 4699
There was a nasty fight outside the Blackbirds on Friday night, well not really a fight a guy getting a good kicking. Continuous police presence needed around town I think Fri and Sat nights.
Reply ID 4709
Sadly if I told you that our Police cover of 1 van and poss. 1 car, spread out over Ware, Hertford and all surrounding villages, and I have this from our own Hertford Constabulary, then you;ll understand why we don't see them. A lot of out of towners come to Hertford for Baroosh and the ease you can cause trouble. If we're not careful I can see curfews coming in as the Police only come out when the speed cameras get trashed! George Orwell, why did you predict our miserable future so accurately... We can do something about this, its general election year.. lobby your MPs give them something to earn their money by.. I will certainly be giving mine the sort of grilling only McDonalds can do!!!!!
Reply ID 4711
Dam out of towners,CULLING itells ya[;)]
Reply ID 4718
Quote: Too many shoddy pub refurbs making them into chav holding bays and disco fight emporiums! I thought all the fights happened in side the Chav disco emporiums??
Reply ID 4726
I have been living in Hertford for 2 years. The main reason for moving here was because it was a quaint town not too big and not too small. I used to walk into town on Friday nights to have a meal and a pint or two and used to take great pleasure in showing my friends from London what a great town I lived in. I am sorry to say that this has changed. I no longer go into town on Friday/Saturday nights mainly due to the drunken yobs who will not think twice about verbally abusing you. I am now ashamed to invote friends to Hertford for the w/e as the town centre is no longer a safe place on w/e nights (not to mention Sunday afternoons!!! Something needs to be done about this before we lose the quaintness of a what used to be a lovely little town with so much potential!!!
Reply ID 4727
Having lived on Sele Farm for 9 years (doesn't time fly?) I always thought the Golden Griffin was a bit of a rough pub. I only go in there to watch the football but it seems to be one of the less yobbish places to have a drink in Hertford. Looks like Hertford is heading the way of Cheshunt and pretty soon we will become a further extension of Enfield. With a bit of luck I'll win the lottery in the next few years and I can join my mate in Braughing or somewhere equally obscure.
Reply ID 4728
I went in the Griffin on a saturday afternoon with my Father-in-Law, seemed a very friendly atmosphere.
Reply ID 4731
A year or two ago, the police stepped up their presence with regular patrols through the town at weekends. It was quite reassuring - just a few drive-throughs, really but it seemed to work. I have to say that as a Hertford "lifer", it is not good at the moment and has seen better times. I do think it's those damn out of towners from Ware, of course, and blame the parents completely. Bring back National Service. But walking home through Hertford late on Saturday nights in the summer, we have not felt threatened yet because, generally, the "yobs" want to antagonise each other and ignore us - as long as we ignore them. What makes me sick is when they vandalise the town. Perhaps we could put up border controls at the stations to keep out the Ware louts and Stevenage chavs?
Reply ID 4733
A "Passport To Pimlico" type scenario!
Reply ID 4739
The real measure will be the next major football tournament. If Parliament Square becomes a 'no-go' area after each game in the next European Championship or World Cup then it would be just like the Old Pond in Cheshunt.
Reply ID 4743
quote:That Didnt happen after the Rugby world Cup. I think you all know what I am saying!!!!
Originally posted by Ewoowar
The real measure will be the next major football tournament. If Parliament Square becomes a 'no-go' area after each game in the next European Championship or World Cup then it would be just like the Old Pond in Cheshunt.
Reply ID 4746
you dont get the beer boys wanting to fight after rugby!
Reply ID 4747
And you probably won't get the cricket types rioting in the streets when we win back the ashes next summer...!
Reply ID 4754
Actually Hertford was the quietest town in Hertfordshire during the last Euro cup. Licensees got a pat on the back from the police. Seems for once everybody else **** in their own back yard.
Reply ID 4755
quote:Exactly. The measure is always the next one.
Originally posted by sloopjohnb
Actually Hertford was the quietest town in Hertfordshire during the last Euro cup. Licensees got a pat on the back from the police. Seems for once everybody else **** in their own back yard.
Reply ID 4770
And as for Netball ladies.. never hear a peep out of them!
Reply ID 4775
quote:That's ASBO's taking effect thn![:D]
Originally posted by Drama Queen
And as for Netball ladies.. never hear a peep out of them!
Reply ID 4788
You guessed!!
Reply ID 4822
Interesting views on this..... http://www.collins.co.uk/wordexchange/Default.aspx?it=277&pg=-1
Reply ID 4939
A good friend of mine works for Hertford Constabulary and had informed me that they will be arresting and prosecuting known offending individuals from CCTV video of Friday and Saturday nights in town. AS you may or may not know, there is not much of the town center that is not covered by cameras, so maybe this will see decrease in the fighting.
Reply ID 4943
Does that mean that they will be responding immediately when the fighting is spotted by the CCTV cameras? Or will they wait to view the footage and then try to track the culprits down afterwards?
Reply ID 4944
As far as I am aware they already respond as quickly as they can when they see fighting. I have witness (from Baroosh window)them arriving pretty quicky before.
Reply ID 4946
Cynic I am.. Sometimes the cameras are facing the wrong way in town and they don't catch "action" and quite frankly the old adage "prevention is better than cure" ie: be there before it all kicks off, is a much safer and better idea than them having a nice cup of tea in the Police canteen and jumping into the hooley wagon.. I must be getting old.. Why do I think this plan will foul up, maybe past experiences????
Reply ID 4948
4 points. 1) how often do you look up at the CCTV cameras at 9.00pm onwards at the weekend?? Personally never. 2) when was the last time you were in the Police CCTV control room? Personally never, but I have been told by someone in the force that they capture everything that goes on at the weekend. 3)How many Policemen would it take to control the whole of Hertford from 8.00pm until 3.00am?? Certainly more than their current budget will allow. I have a pal that has been waiting to go on the force since last september only to be told they did not have the budget to accomodate him! 4)The Hooley wagon patrols the local area all weekend. Just be aware, that the next time you fall out of your preferd watering hole, big brother will be watching you all!!
Reply ID 4950
But what happened to the people who vandalised the Christmas tree outside the Hart? They were caught on CCTV. Okay, so it's not a fight but it is still relevant.
Reply ID 4953
This is my point. Things ARE going on in Hertford and regardless of what we're told so many either get off and funnily enough the vandalism of shop windows that seems to happen a lot.. I never see the B**stards getting caught for it!!! Sorry reality might be they are watching us, but reality is also they are still under-manned to do sweet FA about it, unless they think there;s mileage in it. As for house burglaries.. don't even get me started on that one!!! Lets open our eyes really and say the resources are spent on cameras that only get checked and acted upon if there is a change of a definite conviction if not.. Joe Public is left in no doubt where he stands.. I too have friends on "the force" so know it from their point of view too. I am not dismissing comments made, but perhaps we should all respect the reality and actual in this scenario and not tell other forum members that basically what they are saying is rubbish when we know its not.. I rest my cast your honour..
Reply ID 4954
Drama Queen, it is true cameras cannot be looking at everything all the time but the operators are well aware where the town centre hot spots are. More importantly all the licensed premises in town apart from the usual suspects where nothing usually happens, have a radio and are connected directly to CCTV control. So if anything 'kicks off' everyone, inclusing an officer at CCTV who can contact police control anyway, knows about it. It is, in the words of the prophet all about partnership. The Mercury pages usually reflect the input of CCTV. As for the Christmas tree. Incident picked up by CCTV, relayed to police who arrested the offenders close to scene. Images perfect!! Despite my misgivings, things are starting to move in the right direction in this case. Apparently the first time 'goolies' has been printed in the Mercury. I feel much better know thank you. We would all like to see more police out and about on the streets, including the police - but unless someone finds the money to recruit etc there will always be a shortage of beat officers. Victor, are we talking about the same person who is still waiting to hear about a training course spot - until it comes up owing to budgetary restrictions - he will not be joining the Herts Constabulary. His patience must be wearing a bit thin!
Reply ID 5078
A Police friend of mine told me that if we knew how few officers were now covering Hertford on certain shifts we would be shocked. CCTV is an excuse.
Reply ID 5092
quote:But which shifts? I've seen minor scuffles on a Friday night quickly attended by what seems like the entire constabulary plus cars. They seem to have the cover when they need it most.
Originally posted by Dude
A Police friend of mine told me that if we knew how few officers were now covering Hertford on certain shifts we would be shocked. CCTV is an excuse.
Reply ID 5114
quote:And I have seen people get there head kicked in while the police walked by (worried about numbers). Its alll relative to what you have witnessed.
Originally posted by Jobyquote:But which shifts? I've seen minor scuffles on a Friday night quickly attended by what seems like the entire constabulary plus cars. They seem to have the cover when they need it most.
Originally posted by Dude
A Police friend of mine told me that if we knew how few officers were now covering Hertford on certain shifts we would be shocked. CCTV is an excuse.
Reply ID 5124
quote:True. The fight we saw could probably have been split up by my wife at a push (in fact, it was pretty much over by the time the first of the nine officers arrived.)
Originally posted by Dudequote:And I have seen people get there head kicked in while the police walked by (worried about numbers). Its alll relative to what you have witnessed.
Originally posted by Jobyquote:But which shifts? I've seen minor scuffles on a Friday night quickly attended by what seems like the entire constabulary plus cars. They seem to have the cover when they need it most.
Originally posted by Dude
A Police friend of mine told me that if we knew how few officers were now covering Hertford on certain shifts we would be shocked. CCTV is an excuse.
Reply ID 5126
the big fight on fore street last year where one feller got serious head injurys, went on for at least ten mins befor the first female officer turned up alone,she went in and tackled a few, but the door men plus others in cars from everywhere appeared befor the police and seemed to join in the fight. there must of been between 20+30 people in that fight with cctv on a weekend night why did it take so long?????????
Reply ID 5134
There is no real answer other than to have Policemen patrolling every hotspot in every town from Thursday to Sunday, which unfortunately in Blair's Britain is not cost effective. However patrolling policeman or CCTV cameras will NEVER prevent people fighting, as unfortunately in this country we have lads that enjoy a punch up. This is also not a regional, we hear about these problems all over the country. Face it, although I do not condone it we are a country of fighters and have always been one. I think the only way of preventing it completely, would be to turn the town off at the weekend! At least we have the CCTV cameras, so that if you are an innocent person that gets caught up in the fray or set upon, you will have a better chance of catching them and pressing charges. Obviously this wont make a blind bit of difference if the incident is very serious, but hopefully the town will never get to that.
Reply ID 5540
http://www.herts-essex-news.co.uk/news/Hertfordshire_mercury/2005/03/24/violence%20on%20the%20streets%20put%20three%20in%20hospital.lpf I believe 2 of the 3 incidents reported in Hertford are in areas covered by the cameras. So I expect to reports of arrests in next weeks edition or stills so the public can help to identify the perpetrators.
Reply ID 5545
AS much as anyone including the police would love to release photographs of persons suspected or even caught on camera committing an offence the law prohibits this. Members of Hertford Town Watch have photographs of known and active offenders ie those that have been arrested and convicted of an offence, usually shoplifting. The main word here is 'active'. Those caught on camera committing an offence such as affray may not be known to the police or even the victim, and as such their photo cannot be released into the public domain unless and until they have been successfully prosecuted and convicted. The Data Protection Act controls the release of such information. It is frustrating but that is the law as it stands.