WIRRAL'S police chief has written a comprehensive response to criticism levelled at him by Birkenhead MP Frank Field.

On the front page of today's Globe, we reported how Mr Field had written to Wirral Area Commander Chief Superintendent John Martin asking him to step-up the campaign against yobs, who the MP said were forcing people to live in misery and fear.

Mr Field listed a catalogue of incidents which had been reported to him and asked Mr Martin for his opinion on what more can be done to make our streets safe.

Here, the police chief gives a reply:

THE issue of anti-social behaviour has been highlighted once again by Frank Field MP when he expressed his concerns about the impact on the residents of Birkenhead, of the actions of ‘yobs forcing a life of misery and fear’.

Mr Field has written to me citing examples of drug dealing in our parks, thefts of and from vehicles, criminal damage and incidents of violence all of which paints a rather bleak picture for our communities.

He is right to raise these concerns on behalf of his constituents and I have committed to ensure that those affected by this behaviour continue to be given the best possible response from my officers and staff.

I am acutely aware of how the behaviour of a relatively small number of individuals can impact hugely on the lives of some members of our community.

Whilst I think it wrong to characterise the problem of anti-social behaviour as one which is endemic and widespread, I agree that there are parts of the Wirral including, and indeed beyond the borders of Birkenhead, where persistent anti-social and criminal behaviour is causing real and significant problems for law abiding citizens going about their business.

It has always been my stated aim to make the Wirral as safe as possible for those who live and work here.

The issue of anti-social behaviour has always been one of the top priorities for my teams to tackle and I have never hidden behind the spectre of budget cuts as an excuse for failing to deliver a service to our communities.

It is true there has been a rise in the number of reported crimes in Wirral and there has been a significant rise in demand relating to some particular crime types, including all forms of domestic abuse and violence, that has stretched our capacity to the limit.

It is also true, however, that the overall level of reported anti-social behaviour has fallen steadily across Wirral during the past five years.

That said, I recognise that statistics can be misleading and potentially mask issues and cause us to overlook areas, estates or individual roads where problems are acute and where perhaps some residents have given up, or are too scared, to report incidents of anti-social behaviour.

I want to be clear when I state that we have not, and will not give up on fighting those types of crimes and incidents that affect our communities the most and I will continue to deploy the resources I have to those areas where the need is greatest and they can be used to best effect.

We cannot, and do not, tackle this problem alone.

We are part of a wider group of agencies including the Local Authority, Fire Service and housing providers that meet regularly to discuss how we can pool information, experience and resources to tackle anti-social behaviour.

We have been involved in many joint operations in our parks and open spaces, executing warrants and enforcing new legislation to control the behaviour of those individuals, groups or families bent on causing problems for those around them.

There is of course more that can be done and in addition to the work that we continue to do with our partners we need the help of our communities.

If you have a problem, I want you to report it. If you have information I want you to share it either to one of my team by speaking with your local officer or PCSO, by calling 101, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Where you report an incident, we will respond, where there is evidence we will pursue the offender through the system.

We must not be tolerant or accepting of this behaviour. Individuals must behave responsibly or face the consequences, and parents, carers and families must also be aware of their own responsibilities in discouraging this behaviour.

The Local Neighbourhood Inspector for Birkenhead Georgina Minnery and her Team are absolutely committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and all other form of crime and disorder and they work hard to provide the best service they can, and I know that this attitude is shared by the rest of the officers and staff across the Wirral.