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."