There has been a serious escalation in anti-social behaviour at the former Broadwalk Shopping Centre since it closed, particularly during the summer holidays.
Young people have repeatedly broken into the site and treated the empty buildings and condemned car park like an urban theme park, a trend that has been encouraged by posts on social media. Residents living around Broadwalk, Ryde Road and Oakmeade Park have felt intimidated and, at times, terrorised by the resulting noise, damage and disruption.
The Broadwalk security team has remained on site 24 hours a day and the police have been called numerous times. However, with just two security officers covering such a large site, and police response times being what they are, those responsible have often been able to evade capture. The most recent and serious incident involved arson.
That is why further action is now being taken.
Representatives from Friends of Redcatch Park, Knowle Neighbourhood Planning Group, Redcatch Community Garden and Redcatch Community Centre recently joined local residents for a meeting with Councillor Cam Hayward, Redcatch Quarter Project Lead Nick Spencer, the head of security at Relyon, Sergeant Joe Iles and PCSO Kyle Jones.
The group walked around the site to see the problems first-hand and agreed a series of measures.
ADDITIONAL SITE SECURITY
• The perimeter has been hoarded and will be further secured with additional anti-climb measures, including more razor wire.
• Site gates will be kept locked.
• Access doors will continue to be bolted shut. (Those breaking in have even managed to force open metal doors).
• Strategically positioned security cameras and motion sensors will be installed.
• Relyon security officers will remain on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will respond to and fix further entrance breaches as quickly as they can.
• Retailers along Broadwalk are being consulted to assist in measures to prevent access where they can.
POLICE ACTION
The police will:
• Use available photographs and video footage to identify those responsible and pursue arrests.
• Increase patrols around the site.
• Visit local schools to talk about anti-social behaviour, its impact on the community and the consequences for offenders.
• Work closely with the developer, security team, residents and community organisations to address further incidents.
Residents who witness anti-social behaviour are asked to take photographs or video (only when it is safe to do so) and upload to the portal. Please report all incidents by calling 101 and through their portal, where supporting information can be provided.
IF A CRIME IS TAKING PLACE, THERE IS AN IMMEDIATE DANGER OR SOMEONE’S SAFETY IS AT RISK, CALL 999 STRAIGHT AWAY.
An important message to parents and carers
The police believe that much of this activity involves young people from the surrounding area, some reportedly as young as eight.
Please talk to the young people in your care and make sure they understand:
• The former Broadwalk centre and car park are extremely dangerous. The car park has been condemned and is structurally unsafe.
• Anyone caught breaking into the site or causing criminal damage could face arrest and prosecution.
• They are putting themselves at risk of serious injury, or worse.
• Police are now taking a coordinated, zero-tolerance approach towards those committing offences at the site and are identifying offenders via photos and video that are being shared with them. They will be knocking on the doors of those indentified, and conferring with schools.
Many of us in the stakeholder group are parents. We understand that young people are bored, rebellious and looking for excitement during the summer holidays. On social media, an abandoned shopping centre may look like an exciting playground.
It is not.
It is a dangerous and deteriorating building site. Our overwhelming priority is to prevent a young person from being seriously injured, or worse, in the pursuit of a few minutes of fun or online attention.
Please talk to your children, show them this update and implore them to stay away.
What is happening with the development?
We also want to correct a misunderstanding about the continued presence of the empty buildings.
The Redcatch Quarter developers are not responsible for the delay in moving to demolition. The project has been held up within Bristol City Council’s planning process. We understand that progress has recently been made and that demolition is expected to begin before the end of the year.
The condemned car park is expected to be demolished first, followed by the former library. Demolition and construction will then proceed in phases.
The developers expect to issue a fuller statement within the next couple of weeks. We will share that update as soon as it becomes available.
We would like to thank Nick and the Redcatch Quarter team for taking the actions so far and continuing to listen to residents.
Please report any activity and upload photos and footage here: https://bit.ly/ReportASBBroadwalk
Contact Relyon Security 24/7 – if you witness anyone attempting to get into the centre or hanging around with the intents to do so. 01454 631 621
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