Jongerenoverlast leidt tot dood van Engelse man

Een 64-jarige man is in maart 2011 overleden als gevolg van aanvallen van overlastgevende buurtjongeren. Engelse media beschuldigen de autoriteiten medeschuldig te zijn aan de dood. Zij zouden te weinig hebben samengewerkt bij de aanpak van de jongerenoverlast.Inside Housing meldt:

“A report into the death of a man with learning difficulties has criticised the inter-partnership working between the police and the housing association.

David Askew, 64, who died outside his Peak Valley Housing Association home in Hattersley, Greater Manchester, in March last year had suffered years of abuse from youths.

Mr Askew collapsed after confronting a group of youths who had reportedly knocked over a wheelie bin and tampered with his mother’s mobility scooter.

A report, commissioned by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, found there had been a lack of consistent identification of, and response to the fact the Askew family was vulnerable. It laid the blame with Greater Manchester police for failing to recognise and respond to the incidents as ‘hate crime’.

It also noted an ‘apparent lack of coordination and cohesive action between partner agencies’, including the housing association.

‘It was clear from the investigation that no agency… appeared to recognise the need to deal with the problems being experienced by the Askew family at a more strategic level,’ the report said.

A CCTV system installed by the housing association and the police was found to produce footage that was not of high enough quality to secure evidence.

Phil Corris, managing director of Peak Valley Housing Association, said: ‘From our point of view we have already started to review the way our organisation works with vulnerable adults. This includes the active involvement of our tenants in understanding how we can best meet their requirements.

‘We maintain close relationships with our partner agencies and will look to continually improve the way we communicate.  Our immediate work will focus on all of the recommendations made in the review which will allow us to further strengthen these relationships.’”

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