Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jul 2007
Source: Evening Star, The (UK)
Copyright: 2007 Archant Regional
Contact:  http://www.eveningstar.co.uk
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1695

CRACK HOUSE CLOSURE WELCOMED

IT took Magistrates just three minutes to agree to a  three month 
closure order but it had taken the  residents of Downside Close 
months of patience and  perseverance to get the evidence together.

The residents of the close in Ipswich fought back to  make their 
community safe and secure by helping to  impose a closure order on a 
crackhouse.

The fed-up residents completed log sheets documenting  all activity 
along the road on a day to day basis and  let their safer 
neighbourhood team as well as their  housing association, Sanctuary 
Hereward Housing, aware  of what was happening.

This then led to police officers gaining permission to  close the crack house.

The house was officially closed by Magistrates at south  east Suffolk 
Magistrates Court on Friday, June 29.

Karen Denny, 29, has lived on Downside Close with her  husband and 
three children for a year, she said: "My  children saw the house get 
raided and they were asking  me what was going on, it's not very nice 
for them to  see that.

"There are so many children around here and it is  worrying with 
people walking around on drugs.

"So, we all had a meeting at a neighbour's house to  discuss what we 
were going to do about it and then we  told Hereward Housing and they 
told the police."

Mrs Denny said although the area use to be quite rough,  thanks to 
the efforts of the rest of the community it  is starting to get better.

She said: "There's still quite a few to go but as long  as they get 
them all out it will be much better around  here."

Sue Macrae, head of housing services at Sanctuary  Hereward Housing, 
said: "We are determined to get  anti-social behaviour on that estate 
stamped out and by  working closely with the residents we have been 
able to  do this.

"The police can't work in isolation, they need the  co-operation and 
help of everyone, it's so important  that members of the community 
work with us and the  police."

PC James Hurden, the officer in charge of the closure  order, said: 
"I would like to thank all those who  helped, including residents and 
the experts who helped  with the application.

"We would ask local people across Suffolk to support us  to tackle 
anti-social behaviour and drug-related crime  - this is an example of 
the action that can be taken  when communities work together with police."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman