A neighbour living in an estate in Reading has complained about the behaviour of ‘wannabe gangsters’ and the near constant smell of weed in the area.
The resident who lives in the Amersham Road Estate in Caversham with his family.
He has begun to complain about anti-social behaviour in the area and more serious crime.
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The most recent notorious incident of crime in the estate was the murder of Yannick Cupido, who died on Valentine's Day 2021 after being stabbed following a disagreement outside the Best One shop in Nire Road, which is part of the estate.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the neighbour concedeed that there are a lot of nice people on the estate, but crime and anti-social behaviour remain an issue.
He said: “It was my neighbour, the guy who did it [murderer O’Neal Joseph], he lived on the corner of my street.
“It was not the best, it re-affirmed what the area is like.
“You can’t judge everyone, there’s a lot of nice people here but generally the crime rate is not good down here.
“There’s never really a day when you can’t smell weed, it’s quite prevalent.
“There are a lot of noisy, obnoxious lads down there who are angry all the time, it’s that sort of behaviour.
“There are a lot of wannabe gangsters here.”
Previously, the Dad said he was considering leaving the area.
The LDRS spoke to councillor Jacopo Lanzoni (Labour, Caversham), who lives on the estate, and fellow councillors asking them whether they are familiar with the issues raised.
Cllr Lanzoni said: “I must say I do not, especially in terms of the gang violence.
“Not to that level, yeah there probably is people smoking weed, as you get probably everywhere.”
Cllr Matt Yeo (Labour, Caversham) interjected: “You get that all over Reading, when I walk from Caversham to the university, you can smell it through the town, it’s not particular to any part of the town.”
Cllr Lanzoni added: “We have a lot of young people who are using our facilities, the parks, but I’ve never perceived, at least as an individual, an issue of gangs, neither have I heard from it from residents or the police.
“When we’re speaking about gangs, we’re talking about quite precise and specific issues, which should be addressed properly.”
Cllr Jan Gavin (Labour, Caversham) said: “The fact of the matter is recorded crime on the estate is very low, reported anti-social behaviour on the estate is very low.
“Whether there is unreported crime, that is another matter, it hasn’t been reported to us on a large scale, but nothing that has raised any red flags or alarms.
“That part of the town is one of the lowest crime areas in the town.”
READ MORE: MAPPED: Most reported crime in Reading in 2022 and the streets where they happened
The Amersham Road estate is incorporated into the Peppard and Caversham area for recorded crimes on the Police.UK website.
A total of 134 crimes were reported in the area in January 2023.
Of those, 40 were recorded as violence or sexual offences, 29 were designated as ‘other theft’ – which typically refers to the theft of items the victim was not in possession of at the time of the offence, and 13 were public order offences.
More crimes were reported in the Abbey and Battle area, where 725 crimes were reported, and the Park and Redlands area, where 164 crimes were reported.
Two murders occurred in Caversham in 2021, the Valentine’s Day murder and the earlier stabbing death of Olly Stephens at Bugs Bottom on January 3 of that year.
The councillors said that there is a blade amnesty bin at St Martins Precinct in the centre of Caversham.
Cllr Lanzoni repeated a call for neighbours to report any criminal activity and anti-social behaviour to police.
Reports can be made on the Thames Valley Police website or by calling 101.
The LDRS spoke with the councillors following the full council meeting on Tuesday, March 21.
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