Dear Resident

Serious incidents are still rare in Shotley but on Friday, 27 April at 7.30pm , a woman was verbally abused and assaulted near the tennis courts at the Shotley Gate play area, by a large group of youths, both male and female.

Shotley Parish Council and Suffolk Police take this situation very seriously and are doing everything we can to make our neighbourhood a safer place and as part of the continuing investigation into the above incident, we are asking if you have any additional information which may assist us.

At the present time we are appealing via a letter to the high school and this letter to all residents of Shotley, for information relating to this incident.

We know that despite the media attention given to such incidents, these are still rare, but we know that they are upsetting to all who live in the area. This is why we are contacting you directly. Dealing with concerns of residents like yourself is a key part of making the local area safer. As you may know, the new Safer Neighbourhood Teams have been designed to work in partnership with local residents, organisations and authorities to build communities that people feel safe to live and work in. They are designed to give local people real influence in deciding what their local priorities are. This will be achieved by listening and identifying local concerns, working together to tackle the issues such as the one addressed above and keeping people informed on the progress. You may have more to tell us, whether it be about this problem or others, where you feel police assistance would be helpful.

It is vitally important to report each incident of anti-social behaviour as we rely on overall figures when deciding where to direct our resources. We want you to talk to us directly. Your identity will be kept confidential. If you would like to speak to your local team about this or anything else, feel free to ring Sgt Bryan Scanlan or Sgt Trevor Smith on 01473 613500. Further useful contact details are listed below.