- Town Park to host permanent skate park after successful trial
- Jersey Youth Service provided equipment in move supported by police
- Skaters warned not to use steps at front of the park
- Should skaters be allowed to use the roads? Take our poll
A SKATE PARK is to become a permanent feature at the Millennium Town Park following a successful trial.
The Jersey Youth Service provided skateboarding equipment which was installed in the ball court area of the park on a trial basis last year to see how popular the facilities would be.
At the end of last year the States police, the Youth Service, Freedom Church and the Transport Department met to discuss the impact and use of the skate park.
And it was agreed that as a result of having the designated skateboarding area, calls for police to attend the area had reduced and fewer complaints had been made about anti-social behaviour.
However, St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft has urged skateboarders to use the facility rather than skate on the steps to the park, which he says can cause a nuisance and be dangerous for passers-by.
‘I am pleased that long-standing commitments to include facilities for skateboarders are being honoured by TTS, and the St Helier Youth Committee’s financial assistance with the new facilities will be appreciated by its users.
‘However, it is important that the message goes out that the front steps of the Millennium Town Park cannot be used for skateboarding, as this is dangerous for passing pedestrians and road users, as well as causing considerable nuisance for nearby residents.’
An extensive range of new skateboarding equipment has now been purchased and will soon be permanently installed in the park’s ball court area.
Education Minister Rod Bryans said: ‘Here is a good example of responding to young people’s needs whilst being respectful of local residents’ concerns. It appears this provides a successful solution.’
To stop skateboarders from using the steps, the Transport Department also plan to install additional features.
However, it is yet to be decided what those features will be.
A NEW skate park would cut down on the amount of anti-social behaviour and noise complaints at Millennium Town Park, according to people who use the area.
In February last year the States police stationed a command post in the park in response to complaints about low-level crime and nuisance behaviour.
During the operation, officers were talking to park users to gain feedback about the park.
The JEP also spoke to a number of park users and many said that the complaints appeared to centre on youngsters using the area, which has a no-skating policy, as a skate park.
Despite signs being placed around the site warning against skating, as many as 15 youngsters in just one hour were asked to move on by officers after being caught skating.
Many of the people the JEP spoke to said that although they do not find the skaters a nuisance, skating facilities should be provided elsewhere or in a separate area of the site, away from the road and other park users.
Mary Lumsden (74), from St Brelade, who was in the park with her husband, Hugh, and nine-year-old grandson Finley, said: ‘A new skate park would be a brilliant idea. Teenagers need somewhere to go. A lot of them do come down here in the evening but a little area would be a good idea.’
Police are also worried that teenagers are skating too close to the road, which could result in a fatal accident.
THE leader of a support group for the Millennium Town Park called for more police patrols and higher security measures in September after two teenagers were sold drugs in the area.
The teenagers both suffered panic attacks and had to be rushed to hospital after buying what they thought was a normal cigarette.
It was later discovered that the roll-up contained a mixture of drugs that were formerly known as legal highs and household cleaning products.
Now, Bernie Manning, chairman of the Friends of the Millennium Town Park, has called for the police to crackdown on dealing in the area.
Mr Manning said: ‘I felt sorry for the lads who got sold the drugs. I felt really annoyed that someone can be selling drugs in the park, too.’
Asked what the group was doing to try to tackle the issue, he said: ‘It is on the agenda and up for debate in our next meeting but I would like to see the police patrols being stepped up around the park.
‘We have recently also had some more CCTV cameras installed. I would like to know how much they are being used and if they aren’t why not?
‘If they are, I would like to know how good the coverage of the park is and if it can be improved.’
He added: ‘I understand that the parish has wardens. Maybe we could use them to patrol the park, alongside the police.’ The States police launched an investigation after the boys fell ill but no arrests have yet been made.
