Let's make the message -

"Welcome to Boston"

not -

"This is Boston and

you're welcome to it!"

We mentioned last week about the appearance of a giant hoarding which tells visitors to Boston and residents alike that the town is a hotbed of anti social disorder.
Back on the borough’s website, two links to an anti social behaviour survey now appear – so there is clearly some imperative on the part of the borough to get people to come up with a complaint or two.
According to the website, “Anti-social behaviour has a massive impact on people's quality of life and Boston Borough Council's Community Safety team is working with partnership agencies to address and reduce anti-social behaviour issues. It is our intention to ensure that those who live in our community are allowed to enjoy a way of life free from this sort of behaviour and disruption.”
All well and good – but how serious is the problem in reality?
Residents are asked exactly this question – in particular “How much of a problem do you think each of the following are in your local area? ….”
It then goes on to list: noisy neighbours or loud parties, teenagers hanging around the streets, rubbish and litter lying around, vandalism, graffiti and other deliberate damage to property or vehicles, people using or dealing drugs, people being drunk or rowdy in public places, abandoned or burnt-out cars ….
The questionnaire also goes on to ask “Which, if any, of the following are you most worried about being a victim of in your local area? (Please tick one answer only) - and follows the question with another exhaustive list… anti-social behaviour, arson, burglary, domestic abuse, fraud/forgery, hate crime, racial attacks/abuse, robbery (mugging,) sexual offences, vehicle crime, violent crime (eg assault) or … none -I'm not worried.
By now, we think that you get the drift of all this – a determination to get figures to justify the argument that all this stuff is a big problem – and who can say with any certainly that their local area isn’t seething with fraud/forgery? Here’s another question that compels the person completing the form to categorise their area as a problem one – because there is no alternative answer.
“In your opinion, what are the major causes of crime and anti-social behaviour in your area? Too lenient sentencing, poverty, lack of discipline from school, lack of discipline from parents, drugs, alcohol, unemployment, breakdown of family, too few police, Other.
Note that at no point is there an option to say that the area has no problems to speak of.
Last weekend saw many people take to their gardens to enjoy the sunshine and a few drinks. To most of us, that is a reasonable thing to do, but to some, it could be seen as the actions of “noisy neighbours or loud parties,” when in fact it is nothing of the kind. But it’ll bump up the statistics, won’t it?
We’re not saying that Boston is not without its problems. But for some reason, efforts appear to be going on to push this issue further up the agenda than it may actually merit.
The figures from Lincolnshire Police give a clearer picture.

click on picture to enlarge

In April, the lion’s share of anti-social behaviour took place in the town centre, around the park and around the college. Oh yes, and in the Ingram Road/Shaw Road area.
What a surprise.
Figures for our neighbours put Boston somewhere in the middle, with Spalding on103 and Skegness on 382 - which seems about right.
Later this year, Boston’s Community Showcase will be focussing on hate crime. In previous years, it has been an excellent place for locals to see the range of community services available to them. But no longer.
Things like this, coupled with the poster campaign, send the wrong message about Boston.
We should be highlighting the area’s good points, not repeatedly running it down.
The poster site stands athwart the main road through town. Instead of depicting – as it has in the past – Boston as a flood risk area, or as it does now, a place where no-one may feel safe, why don’t we take the opportunity to spread a little light, rather than gloom.
The message should be Inviting … not Intimidating.
The message should be Welcoming … not Warning.

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