Residents: Rhys might be alive if police acted

Residents: Rhys might be alive if police acted

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/25/nshot725.xml

Rhys Jones might still be alive if police had heeded calls for extra security, the head of his neighbourhood residents' association said.

Dave Saville said they had offered to raise £20,000 to pay for a police "pod" - a permanent unit - to be manned in the evenings but had been turned down because of a lack of officers.

Locals had become increasingly concerned about yobs from other estates hanging around the Fir Tree pub and the parade of shops on the Croxteth Park estate, causing trouble and intimidating people.

Police refused to staff the pod but said they would put up a City Watch camera, which can zoom in and follow suspects. But the camera will not be installed until next month.

Mr Saville, 42, the chairman of Croxteth Country Park Residents' Association, said: "If that camera had been installed it would have captured the whole incident.

"I am angry that the pod wasn't put in as well. When we were told the police would not resource it we asked for community support officers to be placed there, or just go there to have their lunch. All we wanted was a police presence. The manager of the pub even said he would fund the maintenance of it."

Mr Saville set up the association last year because of growing concerns about safety. He said most of the problems came from yobs from Croxteth and Norris Green, rougher estates which border Croxteth Park.

He said: "They come here to do their drug deals because as soon as they see a police car coming they can be away on their bikes along the many rat runs and alleyways that we have. Whoever killed Rhys could have been out of the estate and back in Norris Green or Croxteth in minutes.

"They used to use quad bikes to come over the fields into our area but the police then got quad bikes.

"This is a good area and the kids here are too scared to go out. Even if they did, there is nothing for them to do.

"We want youth services for them but we are told the area is too affluent. They can go to Croxteth or Norris Green but they are too scared to do that." Mr Saville met Beverley Hughes, the youth minister, and police leaders in the aftermath of the shooting. He was told that police are immediately implementing powers to stop and search youths on the street.

One woman, who lives in Crompton Drive, a few doors away from Rhys's house, said: "They all congregate at night in the alleyway that backs on to the fields here. They have learned that they can get away with whatever they want to do without the problem of the police being here or any security cameras."