Passengers said up to a dozen homeless people were regularly sleeping by the public toilets, and despite police moving them on they often returned to drink and cause anti-social behaviour throughout the day. Nearby businesses reported drunken abuse hurled at women passing by and threats of violence towards staff. However, since the council and Dorset Police's latest steps to tackle the issue, the problem seems to be subsiding, traders say.
One coach station worker, who asked not to be named, said: "Basically, the council has been playing bagpipe music through the night and it seems to be doing the job. They just cannot stand it, you try getting any sleep with that going on. We've had hardly any problems with people sleeping next to the toilets since the council started playing it." A Bournemouth Borough Council spokesman said reducing anti-social behaviour in the borough is of the authority's key priorities. "The council and the police have been undertaking coordinated action around the travel interchange site to help address the street anti-social behaviour issues," added the spokesman.
"This has included regular police patrols, proactive input from our rough sleeper team and we have been trialling the playing of music in the evenings and night time to deter rough sleeping. All of these activities appear to be helping but we will continue to monitor the situation and will target further resources as needed." Meanwhile, Mayor of Bournemouth John Adams, himself a keen bagpipe player, said: "The pipes have to be very carefully administered. You cannot play them for too long, it is somewhat of an acquired taste. Lets just say, you have to be careful that your audience appreciates them."
5 comments:
The solution for bums and loitering is the same as it's always been: have a couple of cops show up once a night, pick out one of the bums at random, and proceed to beat the tar out of the piece of trash. Three nights of that and the rest of the them will find someplace else to be post haste.
What a wonderfull person you must be anon
If the poor bastards sleeping there resort to brinkmanship and playing accordion music in response, where will it end? Mutually assured (ear) destruction.
Playing bagpipes solely to harass people who are homeless is the very definition of anti-social behavior.
@Miss Cellania: Not to mention that it also keeps the aliens away.
But you're right. Seriously right.
Lurker111
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