DRUG dealing, needles and rubbish left on the floor, people sleeping rough and, on more than one occasion, human poo left behind on the floor.
These are just some of the reasons why one Bournemouth resident, who asked for anonymity, said she is now scared to leave her flat on her own.
The 49-year-old moved from Southampton to Bournemouth nearly two years ago after buying a £370,000 sixth floor flat at Amberley Court for its sea views and “amazing location”.
She leaves her car in a carpool area underneath her Bath Road apartment block just on the outskirts of Bournemouth town centre.
- Warning: This article contains graphic images
But too many incidents and, in her words, no police presence left her and her two daughters, 10 and 13, scared to get in the car.
The woman said: “We moved in and then I thought, ‘oh my god, what have we bought?’ It was horrendous, I had panic attacks, I thought ‘what have I done wrong?’ and ‘what have I brought my daughters to?’
“I park my car in the corner where people tend to sleep and do other things that are not very pleasant. Not only that, but they leave daily rubbish, needles... this is a joke.
“On one occasion, my youngest daughter saw a guy by our car sleeping there and she was really scared, she thought he was dead.”
She said residents have been requesting the property management firm Owens and Porter close the area off.
But as well as that, the resident has pleaded for more police: “The police say that they are going to send somebody here to sort it out but I haven’t seen them in two years being here.
“But even if they did come, they move along and then what? We’ve seen drug dealing happening like it’s a normal thing to do.
“We never see the police there at all... it’s a problem with Bournemouth in general. In Southampton, we lived in a residential area so for us to come here it was a big shop.”
She added: “I don’t want to leave the house on my own and I don’t want to drive on my own at night, so if I do go out my husband has to drive me.”
Steve Owens, of Owens and Porter, told the Echo he will be offering the option of a new £20,000 shutter to residents that has been quoted to him.
“We have just recently taken on the management of the property and it has been brought to our attention the problems with the drug community congregating in the rear carport and on a recent occasion a vehicle being broken into,” he said.
“We understand that this has been going on for a number of years, various options have been considered in the past but with no success.
“The whole of the East Cliff suffers from this problem, on many occasions over the last six months we have had them gaining entry to many of the multi-storey blocks, sleeping in the stairwells, in the past in the bin rooms but I would say the situation at Amberley Court is by far the worst.
“We understand the police have previously been informed but they would have to be in attendance almost on a daily basis and indeed on more than one occasion throughout a normal day, albeit the evening is when they mostly congregate, particularly if the weather is inclement.”
Neighbourhood chief inspector Darren Harris, of Bournemouth police, said action is being taken by the force to tackle anti-social behaviour in the town centre.
“Dorset Police is working with partners and the local community as part of the national Clear, Hold, Build project, to tackle crime and reclaim and rebuild neighbourhoods, making areas safer and increasing public confidence in the police and partner agencies,” he said.
“The project, that launched in March 2024, is a three-step plan beginning in the town centre area of Bournemouth.
“It involves police and partners working together to tackle drug related crime, organised crime groups, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and use civil and criminal orders to manage people or properties associated with these behaviours."
He said there are high visibility patrols from officers from a range of operations, including Fireglow and Relentless, to tackle ASB, violence and drug-related crime.
“The team have not only increased the number of joint patrols to give reassurance to the public, they have also engaged with shop owners, staff and the wider community to encourage crime reporting."
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