Persistent/crimininal cold calling
Reported anonymously at 22:20, Mon 1 December 2008
Sent to Mid Bedfordshire District Council and Bedfordshire County Council 5 minutes later
SANDY Town is designated as a 'cold-calling zone'. Sadly, this problem is still endemic and NCCZ signs are ignored. Such ugly signs litter the landscape of this and other communities with apparent & insufficient effect for the most vulnerable for which they were designed?? Therefore, perhaps, more specific, on the ground literature (not expensive full-colour council newsletters)using our own PCSOs untapped intellect, ideas on design, communication and promotion skills in their own literature (or any other media base) would be more effective for the area in which our PCSOs live, know and understand? Allow our under-valued PCS Officers more input in communicating with our community!
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Updates
Have been advised this issue is for Trading Standards only. Police response was good, but this particular 'gang' of cold callers told police response team they were from 'A... windows' and i had call back from police to that effect. Therefore, police were excellent, although call centre operative was hostile. As for Sandy PCSOs, it must be acknowledged they may be good people, but Bedfordshire does not promote, nor allow our local team to interact enough. Plus local Council, paid councillors and staff seem detached from local community and more interested in issues outside and distant of Sandy itself who pay them to represent the immediate community and it's known and perceived problems. If these councillors are knowledgeable and dispute any decline they are not addressing, then please respond? Try the website for a start.
Sadly not. Apparently all cold calling is Bedfordshire Trading Standards' responsibility who have a dedicated telephone number hot line not distributed or available to all citizens they serve.
The Independent, Mr Ken Lynch, is the ONLY Sandy elected representative who has taken any interest in neighbourhood safety. He has, this week, distributed Home Watch literature. Sandy Town Council have not initiated any pro-active schemes on this, nor have those that represent us, walked or driven the WHOLE of Sandy and observed litter, blocked drains, tatty gutters, shabby industrial estates, broken and bent road/round-a-bout signs, untidy shop fronts all over Sandy. Could go on. Said enough.
Cold calling problem has moved on. Although I stand by my statement about PCSOs allowed to be the leaders on Safer Communities in Bedfordshire, I believe they are still not supported by Sandy Town Council whose members are more involved with their own issues.
local elected Lib Dems are not remotely interested in this issue. Nor do they involve themselves in an increasing 'shabby', weedy and unkempt appearance in all of the Sandy environement, roads, curbs and lack of new tree planting. It's clear that local Lib Dems are more interested in job with Central Bedfordshire and subsequent salary and pension futures?
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