Neighbourhood watch organiser starting another group in Bournemouth town (From Bournemouth Echo)

Neighbourhood watch organiser starting another group in Bournemouth town

5:50pm Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News By Arron Hendy

NEIGHBOURHOOD watch organiser Norman Decent is starting another group in Bournemouth town centre.

Norman has gone from running the West Hill Neighbourhood Watch near the West Cliff to adding the Triangle area and renaming his meetings as the Poole Hill group.

And the 55-year-old is now setting up meetings for the Madeira Road area near to the magistrates court and the town centre police station.

He believes the new area will be “a different kettle of fish” to his existing group but he is hoping that the community is prepared to pull together.

He said: “It could be very challenging.

“You’ve got noise with a lot of people coming out of the nightclubs near there.

“And there’s been a killing in that area over the past year.”

Spanish student Sergio Retamar Marquez died at his flat off Lansdowne Road last July.

Norman’s Poole Hill area also saw trouble last year.

Drug dealer Daniel Smedley, 30, of Milnow Road, Sheffield, was jailed for five and a half years after admitting possessing firearms, ammunition and drugs found at St Michael’s Hotel.

But Norman feels the Poole Hill area is improving with a children’s soft play area set to open in St Michael’s Road.

“We’ve still got beggars around the Triangle but I’m optimistic about St Michael’s Road,” he said.

“Something is happening there and it has helped having CCTV.”