Exercise 3B, page 113.0:01
I have lived in this community all my life, and it used to be a very friendly and family-orientated area.0:05
There was a great park for the kids to play in and a youth club with a sports field where I used to play football.0:13
Over the last few years, however, the area has started to change, and not for the better.0:20
Instances of crime began to increase with more burglaries and thefts happening on a regular basis.0:27
Then when the youth clubs closed down, vandalism and graffiti in public areas increased, and people stopped using them, including the park.0:34
It's quite upsetting really to see a place where once there were happy children laughing and playing, now broken and covered in spray paint and litter.0:43
I think the decline in the area has been caused largely by people's lack of effort and time.0:54
The residents used to be proud of where they lived, and so took the time to care for their neighbourhood.1:00
But busy lives and a lack of concern have let this pride slip, allowing the crime to take over.1:07
Also, with no productive outlet for youngsters, a number of them have taken to committing petty crimes, such as shoplifting or vandalism.1:14
And it doesn't take much for them to move on to bigger crimes like burglary.1:24
Furthermore, there seems to me to be less police patrolling the streets and a lack of street lighting that means some places get very dark at night, and people are afraid to go to these areas.1:29
To combat the problems in the neighbourhood, I believe that we need to restore a sense of community spirit.1:43
A neighbourhood watch scheme would bring people closer together, and community clean-up projects could also be organised to address the problems caused by graffiti and vandalism.1:50
Moreover, I think the youth club should be renovated and reopened, possibly by volunteers from the community, to give the youngsters a place to go in their free time.2:02
I believe that if the community cares enough about the youth of the area, then they in turn will care about the community.2:14
Finally, I suggest that it would be a good idea for the Neighbourhood Watch to liaise with the police in order to appoint street wardens.2:23
They would be able to patrol with the police and provide much-needed assistance by being a presence on the street to put criminals off.2:33
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