Police to step up their presence at Beau Sejour

Beau Sejour users will see a regular police presence at the leisure centre as its management and police take a zero tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour.

On Tuesday evening four young people were arrested in connection with setting a bin on fire within the Beau Sejour grounds.

But this was not a standalone incident.

‘We’ve seen an escalation in anti-social behaviour at the centre in the last month or so, which is where I think the fire has come to a head,’ said Sam Herridge, head of recreation services.

‘We’ve also seen young people being rude to customers, rude to staff, and minor damage. It’s behaviour that makes our customers and staff feel uncomfortable, which we won’t tolerate.’

Beau Sejour’s operational team is trained to deal with day-to-day situations, but has had to call in police to help with the increase in incidents.

The centre sees 550,000 visitors each year.

‘Beau Sejour is a welcoming and safe place for everyone to come. It’s got a cafe, it’s open, you can come indoors and it’s manned from 6.30am until 11pm, and for the vast majority of the time it’s a welcoming facility for the whole community. However, there are occasions where people come in and upset people,’ said Ms Herridge.

Chief inspector Andy Hockey said that officers dealt with anti-social behaviour on a daily basis, but he was unsure why Beau Sejour had become a hot spot.

‘Recently there’s been an escalation of anti-social behaviour at the centre and the skate park that previously Sam and the team have done a great job in managing, but there comes a point where they’re going to need our assistance,’ he said.

‘Police presence will be more centred around here, anti-social behaviour is business as usual for us and we’re always doing it in the background, but this is a more highlighted case.

'It’s a bit more acute and people will see more resources around Beau Sejour until we resolve the issues.’ Police and Beau Sejour staff will be taking a robust and zero tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour.

The lift at Beau Sejour is also out of action due to vandalism.

It is expected to be fixed within a couple of weeks once the required part has arrived.

‘All of the staff are available to help with buggies and wheelchairs to make sure that everyone can get where they need to go,’ said Sam Herridge from the centre.

‘This won’t prohibit anybody from undertaking their activities.’