ONLINE POLL: Do you feel safe in Chesterfield town centre?

A warning has been issued to an individual who set up camp in front of Chesterfield Town Hall '“ amid continued fears about loutish behaviour.
Chesterfield Town Hall.Chesterfield Town Hall.
Chesterfield Town Hall.

The person spent about two weeks in a tent which was pitched on the grass verge outside the prominent building.

A Chesterfield Borough Council spokesman said: “There was an issue of one person with a tent on council-owned land. It was in Shentall Gardens between the central path and the old magistrates’ court.

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“The person was issued with a Community Protection Warning but has now left the area.

“They were there from mid-August and had left by the end of August.

“There was one tent although other people may have been hanging around.”

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Over the weekend, the Derbyshire Times received an email from a concerned resident who said: “Anti-social behaviour is getting out of hand in the town centre.

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“I was walking up to the town hall from Queen’s Park and there were about ten people in a tent on the green outside. They all had beer cans and were shouting and swearing at 3pm.

“I’m a young woman and it’s getting to the point where I don’t feel safe here anymore.

“Why isn’t anything being done about it?

“I’ve reported things to the police numerous times and I’ve been met with nonchalance.

“The town centre is getting a bad reputation and it upsets me greatly.

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“I dread to think what visitors think when they see people drinking on the town hall and people asleep on benches with cans all around them.

“I have lived here all my life and I have noticed it is getting worse.

“I hope it can be dealt with sooner rather than later.”

Speaking to the Derbyshire Times earlier this year, Sergeant Dave Nicholls, the man in charge of the team which polices Chesterfield town centre, told how his officers do not see a lot of anti-social behaviour in the area.

He said the area around the town hall, New Beetwell Street and the Crooked Spire’s grounds were ‘priority’ locations for police.

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Sgt Nicholls said: “In my view, anti-social behaviour is not out of control in the town centre. We don’t see it a lot.

“I’m not saying it doesn’t happen but personally I don’t believe it’s a massive problem.

“Saying that, one incident of anti-social behaviour is one too many and we’ll do all we can to tackle it.

“I want everyone to come here to enjoy this beautiful town and its facilities – but if you come here to create crime, we’ll do everything we can to make sure you can’t.”

Report crimes to police on 101.