Amanda Martin

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. I hear regularly about antisocial behaviour from my residents across Portsmouth North. For many, it seriously affects their quality of life and their ability to feel safe in their own home. I will give one example. Residents on one road contacted me after enduring months and months of appalling behaviour: motorbikes racing up and down, car wing mirrors being smashed, doorbells being rung late at night, properties being damaged, shouting in the street and, unbelievably, human faeces being dumped on the road—just imagine being woken in the middle of night, wondering what damage you might find in the morning and feeling anxious about simply opening your door. Those residents simply wanted to live peacefully in their own homes. They were angry and exhausted, and above all, they felt that no one was listening. No one should have to live like that. What made matters worse was that, initially, no one seemed to take responsibility. Residents were passed from one service to another, including by our elected councillors—it was someone else’s problem. They and I found that incredibly frustrating. People should not have to navigate a maze of agencies just to feel safe.