Anger as police don't turn up to car cruising event in Peterborough which caused misery to residents
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There has been anger after police did not attend a car cruising event in Orton on Saturday night which caused misery to residents living near-by.
The issue of anti-social driving associated with car cruises has been an issue in the Ortons for some time now, despite a number of attempts to find a solution.
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Hide AdWhile many of the people who take part in the events do not cause issues, a minority have been known to cause problems for residents, with loud exhaust sounds, screeching tyres, and by leaving a large amount of rubbish following the events.
RELATED: Peterborough council's car cruise injunction plans to tackle anti-social driving hit speed bump
Another event was held on Saturday at Tresham Road, which has become a hotspot for the issues.Orton Waterville councillor Julie Stevenson said it had been ‘very bad’ on Saturday night, and she had received a number of complaints about the issue from residents.However, she said exacerbating the issue was the police response. She said: “I'm not aware of any police attendance. The response from 101 was that it wasn't a priority and police wouldn't be attending.”
The police contact issue was made worse, as the force’s webchat service was not active in the evening, due to a trial which has seen the service switched off between 5pm and 8am.
Cllr Stevenson said: “The local police keep telling us to report it in every time there is a problem, yet when we do we're made to feel like we're the problem.”
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Hide AdA Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson said: “We received four reports of anti-social driving in Orton on Saturday evening (10 June) and are aware of the disruption this may have caused.
“Officers were not able to attend the location due to a high number of immediate graded calls which took priority based on the threat, harm and risk posed.
“The local policing team will continue to work with the local authority and engage with residents over this issue, including putting in place intelligence led patrols and enforcement action.”
The spokesperson said that between 8pm-2am they received 64 calls which were graded for immediate attendance, with incidents ranging from domestic incidents, violence and missing people.