WHAT CAN be done about crime and anti-social behaviour at Poole's beleaguered bus station now that official figures show that in March alone there was, on average, more than one crime reported there every day?

The problem is not an invisible or even a recent one.

Last autumn Councillor Elaine Atkinson spoke of her concerns.

In an email sent to colleagues, Mrs Atkinson said she had taken a bus to Parkstone from the station at around 3.30pm on October 3.

"Frankly, it was like being in a war zone and actually quite scary," she said.

"There was a crowd of young people, looking about 14, 15 and 16. There was also a baby, of about six months, in the mix being passed around the girls.

"They were all smoking, shouting and swearing. None were in school uniform.

"When the group of girls with the baby left to get a bus, the remaining young people congregated together and were pushing each other around in an abandoned shopping trolley by the Subway. "There was the sound of walls being hit by the trolley and kicked."

She said the atmosphere felt "very unsafe" and suggested possible solutions, including a ban on unaccompanied teens in the bus station between 3pm and 5pm.

In March this year Borough of Poole councillor Andy Garner-Watts, who was also one of the directors with Poole's Business Improvement District (BID) – the body representing 500 town centre firms – admitted the bus station's troubles were causing problems with footfall in the area. "I work very closely with the anti-social behaviour teams within the council, obviously the BID itself is very concerned about the effect this is having on business," he said.

"It is affecting footfall as people don't want to come into town on the buses if they are going to have aggravation."

At the time he said the BID, police, council, MoreBus, and L&G, were working together to put something in place to tackle the issue.

Town Centre councillor Andy Hadley, who represents the Poole People's Party on the new BCP Council admitted there had been a problem with a 'group of young people' who, when moved on from one town area, then 'cause problems' elsewhere.

He admitted the crime figures seemed high and that the station was a 'focal point' where people come together.

"We've tried to get a multi-agency response to it but we need to find out more about what we can do," he said.

He felt that permanently stationing a police officer at the bus station would be difficult because of 'stretched' resources.

"In the longer term we are looking to redesign the bus station to make it a nicer place to be but it's a place where members of the public come to and whatever we do, we are still going to have to deal with people there," he said.