The Bradley Stoke Journal

Local police have named Bradley Stoke’s new Council-funded Police Community Support Officer as Paul Baxter, who currently works on the Filton beat.

PCSO Baxter, who has been with the force for two years, will join the Bradley Stoke beat team in September.

Bradley Stoke is one of five neighbourhood police teams being strengthened by the addition of a PCSO funded directly by South Gloucestershire Council.

News of the appointment comes in the August/September edition of the Bradley Stoke neighbourhood policing team newsletter.

The newsletter also contains a report on a cricket match that took place recently between police and residents.

Sgt Steve Ives and a team of PCSOs from Bradley Stoke and Patchway took on local people in a contest on Patchway Common on Sunday 9th August. On this occasion, the residents’ team cam out on top by 202-160 but police say they are looking for a rematch to even the score.

Residents are invited to suggest further ideas for improving contact between police and local residents.

More Information and Related Links:

• Bradley Stoke Police Newsletter, Aug/Sep 2009 [PDF, 295KB]
• Bradley Stoke Police (The Journal)

A road traffic accident on the Winterbourne Road in the early hours of Saturday morning (22nd August) has left two men dead and three others injured.

The accident happened at the junction of Winterbourne Road and Old Gloucester Road, close to where the Winterbourne Road passes under the M4 motorway.

Avon and Somerset Police say a Mercedes collided with a Royal Mail lorry at around 2:30am on Saturday morning.

The driver of the Mercedes was pronounced dead at the scene. A 17-year-old passenger in the Mercedes died later on Saturday.

Two other men remain in a critical condition with life-threatening injuries at Frenchay Hospital.

The Royal Mail driver, 44, is at the Bristol Royal Infirmary suffering from a serious back injury and a broken leg.

Sunday afternoon saw friends of the deceased and injured gathered at the scene, where flowers and tributes have been tied to railings at the side of the road.

Police want to hear from anyone who witnessed the accident or saw the Mercedes earlier travelling in the Winterbourne area. Anyone with information should contact Bristol police on 0845 456 7000 or on Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

An attack which saw a group of youths force a snake to bite their 14-year-old victim in Bradley Stoke has hit the national headlines.

The story was broken by the Bristol Evening Post (BEP) at 10am on Sunday.

Their report, titled “Teen attacked by Bristol gang ‘brandishing snake’“, said the incident had occurred in Merryweather Close, Bradley Stoke, on Saturday afternoon. The victim is said to have been subjected to racist comments from the gang.

The paper went on to say that the boy was taken to Frenchay Hospital, where he was treated for a bite wound on his right arm.

The story was soon picked up by the national press, with BEP stablemate The Daily Mail [report] leading the way. Other nationals covering the incident included The Telegraph [report] and The Guardian [report].

More details were revealed in a BBC Points West report on Monday, in which the victim was named as Dan Buddington.

Confusingly, the BBC report said the incident took place in “Patchway Common, Bradley Stoke”. Video footage in the report showed images of Patchway Common Pavilion and Patchway Common Skate Park, both of which are in Patchway rather than Bradley Stoke.

An updated report in Monday’s BEP says: “A 16 and 17-year-old are helping police with their inquiries following the incident.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Staple Hill police station on 0845 456 7000.

A 29-year-old man is fighting for his life in hospital after being assaulted in a Bradley Stoke street, according to a report from the Bristol Evening Post.

The report says the attack happened at around 11pm on Saturday night (25th July) near the junction of Pye Croft [map] and Westfield Way in the north of the town.

The paper quotes an Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson as saying:

“I can confirm that a 29-year-old man is currently in a serious condition in Frenchay Hospital following an assault in Pye Croft, Bradley Stoke, at around 11pm on Saturday.

“Two 15-year-olds have been arrested and are helping police with their inquiries.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or believes they have information which could help the inquiry is asked to contact the police on 0845 4567000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The incident comes just weeks after an assault involving a knife that occurred near the town’s Jubilee Centre on the night of Sunday 28th June.

Earlier this year Bradley Stoke was classified a low crime zone in figures released by Avon and Somerset Police. Despite this, the force plans to assign a further police officer to the local beat team in September and has managed to persuade the Town Council to fund half the cost.

Bradley Stoke Town Council has agreed to meet half the cost of providing an additional part-time police officer in the town.

Avon and Somerset Police had asked the Council to pay half the wages of former beat team manager Claire Fletcher when she returns from maternity leave in September. In return, the force promised that the officer would be considered “dedicated” to Bradley Stoke and only rarely called away to deal with incidents in other areas.

Inspector Bob Evely of the Filton Neighbourhood Team briefed Councillors on the proposals at a meeting of Full Council on Wednesday 15th July, where he revealed that the Willow Brook Centre has agreed to provide a room for the new officer.

The town centre office would act as a drop-in centre where members of the public would be able to ask for advice and notify crimes, he added.

Mindful of setting a precedent, some Councillors wanted to know if any other Town Council within South Gloucestershire contributes to the funding of police officers. Inspector Evely said he was not aware of any such cases in South Gloucestershire but that it did happen within the Bristol City Council area. He added that police officers at UWE and The Mall (Cribbs Causeway) are funded by the respective host organisations.

Asked why Bradley Stoke needs a further police officer, Inspector Evely cited the diversification of the town’s population in recent times as a driving issue. Also mentioned were the recent spate of arson attacks and an increase in anti-social behaviour, which was said to “present challenges”.

Husband and wife team Cllrs Julian Barge and Elizabeth Todd reiterated their view, expressed at an earlier meeting, that police funding should be a government matter. Both Cllrs then went on to vent their anger at South Gloucestershire Council (SGC), with Cllr Barge claiming that Bradley Stoke “has been the milch cow of SGC since day one, 20 years ago”.

Cllr Robert Jones, who had described the offer as a “no brainer” at an earlier meeting, said he “understood where Cllr Barge was coming from” but warned that to decline the proposal “would be denying our residents a very good offer”.

When it came to a vote, the proposal was unanimously supported, with a proviso that the arrangement be reviewed in November each year.