Police chief pledges to target yobs

A POLICE chief has today pledged to work hard to tackle problems with anti-social behaviour and criminal damage in the east of Suffolk.

Chief Superintendent Martin Jelley, the force's new eastern area commander, said he plans to keep a close eye on crime figures and respond to trouble spots accordingly.

The former head of Suffolk's professional standards department is looking forward to rolling neighbourhood policing out across the sector and said he believes it will help to further reduce crime in an already safe area.

He said: “We have got a great quality of life in this part of the county and have very low levels of serious crime - quite often we don't have a house burglary on our system.

“There are levels of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage which affect people and they are areas we are looking to do more around.

“We are on top of a lot of the serious stuff and need to work on the issues that affect quality of life.”

Ch Supt Jelley said that there were criminal damage problems around Woodbridge and near Felixstowe which were being concentrated on and though while good work is being carried out, more needs to be done.

He added: “If it is your car that gets damaged or your wall that is pushed over it affects where you live.”

He said officers would be working hard over the summer months to promote sensible drinking, particularly in the run up to the World Cup and said the early intervention tactics used over Christmas would continue.

Plans are also in place to target drug dealers over the summer, with a crackdown on drug dealing planned in the eastern region.

Officers will be applying for warrants to search houses for drugs and drug paraphernalia.

What do you feel is the biggest problem that police should concentrate on in the area? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail: eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.