Gwent Police assisted ASDA Blackwood last Thursday night (Thursday 6th October 2011) in giving cruisers a wake up call by issuing 12 month banning notices to anyone found congregating in an anti-social manner in the car park.
Over the course of an hour, both the entrance and exit of ASDA were controlled by Gwent Police and 85 banning notices were issued by staff at the store. Index plate numbers of all 85 cars have all been recorded which will now be recognised if the car enters ASDA Blackwood through a new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system fitted by the store this month. Any car ignoring the notice will now incur a £60 penalty every time they enter the store. They will also incur the penalty if they enter any ASDA store within the UK fitted with an ANPR system.
The operation saw Neighbourhood Policing, Roads Policing, the Armed Response Unit and Air Support targeting vehicles and drivers throughout Blackwood between 9pm and 12pm. The main aim for Gwent Police on the evening was primarily a supportive role to ASDA which included: preventing a breach of the peace, ensuring the safety of all involved and protecting and supporting staff at ASDA. Gwent Police and ASDA were also joined by Caerphilly County Borough Council Community Safety Wardens and the Caerphilly County Borough Council Environmental Officers.
Car cruisers in Blackwood has been an age old problem, at its peak up to 400 car cruisers, some from as far away as London and Manchester, congregated around ASDA, McDonalds, KFC, and council office car parks in Blackwood every Thursday night. The area was notorious for car cruising with meets advertised on the internet, it was once the UK’s second most popular cruising destination.
New Inspector for the Blackwood area, Inspector Mark Smith explains: “The evening was a great success and we have already been thanked by many members of the public and ASDA. We’ve done a lot of targeted work over the years ranging from education to enforcement – both have helped tackle the issues, but lately the problem has began to escalate which has led to us seeking long term solutions.
“The new banning notices will be a huge deterrent to motorists thinking they can congregate in ASDA on a Thursday night. With the road closure of Blackwood High Street in place from 7pm till 4pm we now feel we are tackling the cruiser issues in Blackwood head on.”
General Store Manager for ASDA Blackwood, Warren Cook says: “The issue of the cruisers has been causing a lot of distress to the local community for a very long time. We’ve been working very closely with the Police who have been a great support in finding a long tem resolution to the problem and now we can look forward to a better future for customers and colleagues of ASDA.”
On the night, other offences included:
- 1 Arrest for Excess Alcohol 61/60 (Female repeat offender)
- 2 Endorsable Fixed Penalties – 1 No L Plates (3 points and £60 fine) and 1 Defective Tyre (3 points and £60 fine)
- 2 Non Endorsable Fixed Penalties – 2 Glass Not as prescribed (Dark Tint) (£30 fine)
- 1 Warning for turning and re-entering High Street
- 1 Cannabis Warning
- 8 Negative Breath Tests
- 1 litter (Reported)
No ASB cruiser calls were recorded during the evening throughout the period of the operation.
