Category: Days During 2003

Closed Circuit Television In Warminster

Monday 1st December 2003

From In Touch, the Newsletter of Warminster Conservative Councillors, Winter 2003 edition

Warminster Town Councillor Colonel Ultan Ryan writes:

“Warminster Town has for a number of years suffered from a disproportionate number of disorder and crime incidents.” This was the basis on which we established our bid to the Home Office for financial support for a closed circuit TV (CCTV) system for the Town Centre. This followed a comprehensive study whereby every household in Warminster was asked whether they would support such a system. We had a 234% response to that letter overwhelming supporting us. A public meeting followed which again supported us apart from the inevitable complainants who feared an invasion of privacy.

A Partnership Trust was formed to include the Army, Police, Councillors, a prominent businessman, a permanent evaluator from Cranfield University and District Council Crime Prevention staff. An enormous amount of work ensued preparing the bid and establishing progress of grants, should the bid prove successful. On 16th June 1998 we were informed that we had been awarded the maximum £74,525 by the Home Office, only one of nine authorities in the UK to be so nominated. This, of course, was only the beginning. We now had to find a further £92,000 but that is another story. Suffice to say, on 6th May 1999 we had nine operational cameras with the control room in Dewey House [at North Row, Warminster] manned almost entirely by volunteers. In other words, from inception to completion, 21 months.

Within 3 months, we had submitted a further bid to cover the remainder of the Town Centre including our Lakeside Park [Lake Pleasure Grounds]. Although we failed with the Town Centre section of the bid, to our delight, we were awarded £67,000 to install 3 cameras in the Park. With judicious use of the allocated resources and the blessing of the Home Office, we were able to install a fourth camera covering the entrance to the Park thus ‘sealing’ it off. One area of concern remained, viz the old Safeways car park, and the entrance to the Three Horseshoes Walk. Thanks to the Five Towns Initiative, this camera is about to be installed. Westbury and the Trading Estate will go live in the next 2 months, monitored from our control room. The managers of the Walk are about to install 3 cameras with 2 more to follow.

How successful is the scheme? CCTV has made a significant contribution to 3 murder enquiries; it has saved hundreds of hours of Police time producing ready evidence. The Police cannot speak too highly of the system, the operators and the management.

Closure Of Oscars Nightclub At Longleat

Friday 24th January 2003

The Wiltshire Gazette & Herald has reported:

Oscars To Close After 28 Years

EXCLUSIVE: A NIGHTCLUB with a history of drug, alcohol and violence-related crime will close next week.

Mayfield Concessions Ltd has surrendered its lease for Oscars nightclub on the Longleat estate. Revellers only have one weekend left to party because the music stops on Monday.

Longleat will take over the business, which includes a restaurant, but it will not be used as a nightclub.

There have been frequent problems at Oscars during its 28-year history. In September last year, a violent attack outside the club left one man with serious facial injuries. The fight involved a gang of 20 men from London and soldiers from the Green Jackets regiment, based in Warminster. A former bouncer was convicted in March 2001 for savagely beating a man on the dance floor.

Clubbers have been found with drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy and many people were worried that the nightspot was becoming an easy target for suppliers. Helen Meikle, chairman of Parents Against Drugs and Solvent Abuse, said: “You often get drugs where a lot of young people are and dealers seek them out. At least there is now one less outlet they can use.”

Warminster town councillor, John Syme, has spoken out about the club despite assurances from its manager, Keith Widdows, that security measures were as tight as possible. Cllr Syme said: “I have been aware of the problems with drugs and violence for a long time, but now this will end.”

Wiltshire police had tried to get the club’s alcohol and late hours licence revoked in court earlier this month, but the case was adjourned. Officers are now waiting to see what happens to the alcohol licence in February before making a comment.

Oscars has agreed to surrender its Section 77 licence, which allowed it to open until 2am, but no-one has approached West Wiltshire District Council over its public entertainment licence.

Charles Goodbody, of Middleton and Upsall solicitors, is representing Mayfield Concessions Ltd. He said: “The Justices’ licence, which allows the premises to sell alcohol, remains and I will make sure it is transferred to another employee at Longleat in February.”

Brian Mayfield of Mayfield Concessions Ltd and Oscars manager Keith Widdows were unavailable for comment.