Community Conversation

On 21st January 2023 a large event was organised to gather the opinions of the community on issues relating to crime and anti-social behaviour in Hartcliffe. Attendees discussed three questions and the findings were used to create the Eligibility Criteria for the grants fund, ensuring that due priority is given to the projects tackling issues closest to the community's heart. You can review the leading takeaways on this page.

Impact/effects

Q1 – How are people affected by crime and anti-social behaviour in Hartcliffe?

Vandalism (17 mentions)

Violent and threatening behaviour, Setting fires, Vandalism, Criminal damage to property and cars, Attacks on bus services

Wellbeing and mental health(23 mentions)

Anxiety and depression, Makes people worry, People become insular, Mental health suffering, Shame, Becoming the norm, Accepted as part of everyday life, Levels of tolerance, Feeling failed by the system, Lost value in the community, Nothing changes, Feel like you have to apologise for where you live, We accept it Feel powerless, Fear for the children growing up, Prevents people from doing things

Fear and intimidation (8 mentions)

People scared at home, People scared and not wanting to go out – was mentioned another 3 times), Fear, Intimidation, Intimidation particularly at Morrisons, Scared to leave their homes

Litter flytipping and trolleys (7 mentions)

Dumped trolleys, Littering in the blocks (not residents), Flytipping in parks and green spaces, Rubbish

Lack of trust (5 mentions)

Lack of trust in the police, People would have to ring police several times a day to report everything, We don't always want to or have time to report to police, Lack of information

Lack of security (5 mentions)

Lack of security, Flats and Morrisons are hotspots of ASB, Young people running in the shops, Lack of security cameras

Effects on local services (5 mentions)

Staff feel threatened, Bus services under threat, Will Morrisons stay here, Business won’t come here, People don’t want to go to Morrisons – unsafe

Drugs (5 mentions)

Drug runners, Drug houses, Blatant dealing, Blatant use of drugs

Impacts on young people (5 mentions)

They don’t have good options, Impacts their development, Stigma, Bullying, They have nothing to do

Isolation (4 mentions)

People feel isolated in the community

Theft (4 mentions)

Theft of parcels, Stealing from flats construction works, Theft ofbikes/cars, Theft from the flats via the scaffolding

Worklife (4 mentions)

Lack of jobs, Financial losses, Affected professionally, Can’t afford not to work or work longer hours

Driving (4 mentions)

Cars speeding, Using other roads to avoid traffic lights, Dangerous driving, Selfish parking

Addiction (4 mentions)

Drugs alcohol and gambling

Discrimination (4 mentions)

Racism, Disability discrimination, Equality discrimination

Domestic violence (3 mentions)

Child and Adult exploitation (3 mentions)

Drug runners, Long term impacts, Drug houses

Parents and families struggling (3 mentions)

Family issues/issues at home, Long term and newer residents, Who helps?

Connections and community (2 mentions)

There’s more good in the community

Dog mess (2 mentions)

Lack of lighting (1 mention)

Causes

Q2 – Why do you think Hartcliffe has such high levels of crime and ASB?

Lack of infrastructure (21 mentions)

Lack of services, Lack of social groups, Lack of funding, Lack of infrastructure, Lack of activities for young people, Lack of facilities, Not enough free clubs, Poor links, Funding cuts, Nowhere to go, Don’t have their own space, Underused spaces like the community centre

Teenagers (18 mentions)

Council cutting budget for young people’s activities, Maybe young people just don’t want to go home, Boredom, Types of activities are not suitable for all, Lack of activities/nowhere to go, Not enough free clubs, Chaotic family lives, Don’t have their own space, Each child is different, Peer pressure, 1 or 2 in every 5 is unmanageable, Lack of quality time, Schools are underperforming, Not occupied by parents/society/school

Soft touch policing (13 mentions)

Not enough arrests, Police could do more, People causing problems feel empowered that nothing can be done to them, Lots of criminals, Peer pressure, Addiction, People are scared to report in case of repercussions, Shoplifting, Punishment does not fit the crime, High levels of drug use – its more blatant, No action or response from police

Family issues (12 mentions)

Lack of support for families, Poor parenting/chaotic family life, Peer pressure, Addiction, People feel powerless, Domestic abuse, Scared of social services being involved, Stigma of being labelled a bad parent, Each child has a different upbringing, Parents are struggling, Families have become isolated

Stigma (10 mentions)

Social deprivation stigma, Negative outlook from media, Don’t attract big businesses, Social housing, Poverty, Don’t get support from the rest of Bristol, Outside perceptions are damaging, Media hype

Lack of connection (7 mentions)

People are not asked what they want, Young people are not asked what they’d like to do, Lack of conversation and co-design, Lack of connection between people, No support from the council, People don’t know their neighbours, No trust of friendship among residents

Poor education (6 mentions)

Crime will give them more opportunities, Lack of jobs/opportunities, Covid legacy – lost education, Bad parenting, Low expectations, Schools not performing as in other areas

Addiction (6 mentions)

Drugs/alcohol/gambling/scratchcards, Dealing drugs

Low expectations (5 mentions)

Not just young people – adults too cause asb, Schools

Lack of support (5 mentions)

Lack of family support from various ages and stages, Parents feel scared to ask for help, Lack of sustainable support or continued support, Parents feel isolated

It's not all negative (5 mentions)

They are all good its just that sometimes they do bad things, Lots of positives – the people and the community, Its not just young people

Impact on mental health (4 mentions)

Social isolation, Hospital or referrals take too long, Mental health deteriorates

Discrimination (3 mentions)

People feel different, Racism lack of education, Equality discrimination

Lack of authority or role models (3 mentions)

Lack of authority or relatable role models

Poor housing and spaces (2 mentions)

Poor social housing – low quality/wrong insulation/bad repairs/uninsulated, Open spaces not accessible to all and are poorly maintained – can sometimes be intimidating

Volunteers and community (2mentions)

Covid legacy led to a loss of social relationships, Voluntary sector is fragmented and there is nothing to draw people in, The voluntary sector in Hartcliffe is territorial and competitive

Flytipping (1 mention)

Covid legacy (1 mention)

Children lost education and loss of social relationships in community

Lack of jobs and opportunities (1 mention)

Solutions

Q3 – What can you do as an individual to support people impacted by crime ASB and discrimination?

Support and Engage (27 mentions)

Share local information, Campaign local political leaders, Set up community groups, Offer emotional support, Community caretaking/signposting, Be someone to talk to in confidence, Community hub, Mentoring families and young people, Neighbourhood watch groups, Support networks with community links and support workers for families, tenants of the community, Create community links with existing Hartcliffe services, Community action groups, Community kitchen, Welcome people to the community, Take action

Attend (12 mentions)

Attend and encourage others to attend established groups, Street parties, Coffee mornings, Use activities and spaces that connect people together, Events in parks and green spaces

WHAM magazine (10 mentions)

Use WHAM magazine to promote events, Why doesn’t everyone get one, Can we improve how it is distributed, Get local residents involved to share positive stories, Community calendar, Community signposting

Change attitudes (9 mentions)

Change the attitude of Hartcliffe – it’s too negative, Go to community groups, Sense of community- its lacking respect, Help report people’s issues, Breakdown barriers with cultural celebrations and multicultural events, Speak up about crime and anti social behaviour, Forma community alliance

Communication (8 mentions)

Campaign to our political leaders, Share the positives and the love, Knowledge is power, Encourage people to join local activities, Be able to talk to people in confidence, Promote people’s skills, Community calendar, Community signposting

Make connections (8 mentions)

Establish a connection between schools, orgnisations, groups, local events and services, Neighbourhood watch, Open and use high rise community rooms

Increase services (7 mentions)

Expand the BMX track storage units, Lower rates for charities or organisations to hire venues, Health needs not being met – services need to be increased to keep yup with the rising population, Open the library more

Be something (4 mentions)

Be nice, Be kind, Give people the time of day, Treat people how you wish to be treated

Improve skills (3 mentions)

Community kitchen – cooking and bringing people together, sharing recipes, Curriculum for life, Training courses

Neighbourhood policing (3 mentions)

Address the substance abuse and addiction, Tackle knife crime, Neighbourhood policing to be increased (today there are only two officers in the whole of south Bristol)

Fairness (2 mentions)

Funding (which is unfairly distributed), Fairer grants with an easier application process

Street parties (2 mentions)

Make it more accessible (1 mention)

There are a lot of projects in Hartcliffe that aren’t accessible to everybody – this is due to restrictions or disabled access is not always available

Improve CCTV in the area (1 mention)

Council/police need to improve cctv in the area or get businesses to do it.

Clear the path to Dundry (1 mention)

Clear a community path so that people can access Dundry slopes

Download the Conversation Outcomes file [PDF 157KB]