PRIME Minister Tony Blair has been told that the people of Macclesfield can no longer rely on the police as the problems of Upton Priory and the Moss estates were put under the national spotlight.
MP, Sir Nicholas Winterton questioned the Prime Minister about the failures of the Macclesfield police during last week's Liaison Committee which brings together all the heads of select committees to hear evidence from the Prime Minister on matters of public policy.
He won a promise from Tony Blair to go back and change the law on anti-social behaviour if there were problems about the way new laws were being used.
The discussion in such a prestigious national forum comes just three weeks after Upton Priory vicar, Rev Janet Fife wrote directly to Home Secretary David Blunkett asking him to intervene.
Now the Home Office has passed the issue on to Salford MP Hazel Blears, Minister of State with responsibility for crime reduction, policing and community safety.
She says the Chief Constable has asked Macclesfield's top policeman Supt Richard Strachan to draw up an action plan and that this will be reviewed in a month's time.
Richard Strachan has been meeting with the borough council as well as local organisations about how best to use resources, but he was clearly put out by Sir Nicholas' claim that Macclesfield police can no longer be relied upon.
"It is very disappointing that is what he thinks," he said. "He should know about the issues there and I am concerned that he could undermine confidence in the area even more."
Nick Winterton had a better response when he asked Mr Blair: "How is it that many people on the Upton and Moss Estates in Macclesfield - a delightful town - are having their lives made hell by the yob culture, anti-social behaviour, low-level crime involving theft from cars, stealing of cars themselves, burglary, by the activities by a limited number of people, often driven by drugs?
Tony Blair said he accepted "these are real issues in communities up and down the country". He said it was "important that we take forward and implement the measures of anti-social behaviour which give the police more powers than they have ever had before, and, in particular, we single out and deal with the issue of drugs and the relationship between drugs and crime".
That was not enough for Sir Nick who pushed further, asking: "Would you also accept that many of these people whose lives are being made hell can no longer rely upon the police because the police say they have inadequate manpower to respond to incidents on an estate such as the two that I have mentioned?
"They are forever telling me that they have inadequate resources to devote to going to the various incidents that are reported. What is the Government going to do about that?
"And what are the courts going to do about dealing with these young people who are apprehended, who are making people's lives hell, because so often they appear to pat them on the back and say: 'You have done wrong. Please do not do it again.' But many of these people are recidivists and go back and do it again because the punishment is inadequate?"
The Prime Minister insisted he was sympathetic and pointed to the government's legislation on anti-social behaviour. He added: "I think the point about anti-social behaviour is that a lot of the crime is low level crime.
"The trouble is the combination of these types of low level disorder make life hell for people." He went on: "It is people putting bricks through the window. It is people writing graffiti on the walls, or burned-out cars.
"There are powers for the police to deal with this now, and a lot of these have come in recently. I think what is happening in different parts of the country is that the police are working out: 'How do we use these new powers to the most effect?'."
Still unsatisfied, Sir Nick pushed again, asking about the police claims of a lack of resources.
Tony Blair insisted there were record numbers of police but admitted: "For the public you can give them whatever statistics you like; if they do not see the copper out there on the street they say, 'So what'.
"I think we have got to approach this in a slightly different way, and that is why I favour the expansion, as well as of the police, of community support officers and street wardens."
He suggested setting up a team, led by a police officer with two or three community support officers or street wardens patrolling an area.
"That does not necessarily mean that you catch all the criminals, but it is a big deterrent effect, it gives the public a lot of reassurance and - armed with the new powers, which mean, for example, they can do on-the-spot fines - that is very, very important."
He suggested that the police were unwilling to take low level cases to court because it could mean hours of work with the offender only getting a small fine.
"All I am saying is I think there are areas where the local authorities and the police have got together and really worked out how they can use these new powers."
And the Prime Minister went on to make a promise: "I am very willing to go back and legislate again on this anti-social behaviour if there are problems in the way the law is being used because it is a big, big issue for people."
After the exchange Sir Nick said: "The Prime Minister was very sympathetic to the matters that I raised and I was to an extent encouraged by his assurances. But of course, what we want to see are these assurances put into effect!"
Away from the Westminster spotlight, at Upton Priory, Rev Janet Fife has been having yet more meetings about the problems of the estate.
"I am quite encouraged by the response we are getting and just hope that their actions speak as loud as their words," she said.
Last week Macclesfield's top policeman Supt Richard Strachan met with her, the Bishop of Stockport and the Archdeacon of Macclesfield to discuss Upton Priory.
She said afterwards: "I am reassured that the police are responding to local concerns but they need the support of the whole community.
"I call on the whole Upton Priory community to join us in working together to make the estate a safe and good environment for all its many law-abiding residents."
Supt Richard Strachan said that he had been talking with the council about working with community wardens but pointed out there were only three in the entire town. He has appointed a PC as liaison officer for the estate and is planning a meeting to encourage the setting up of HomeWatch schemes in the area.
