Independent shop owners in Cardiff's Cowbridge Road East are all too familiar with the depressing effect crime and disorder can have on business. Last year anti-social behaviour in the well-known street reached the point where customers were afraid of walking down the road and businesses suffered.
After lockdown the road struggled with people publicly drinking on benches outside Tesco Express. In September 2022 police began issuing dispersal notices to try and tackle the behaviour.
Richard Swambo, of Laura’s Greengrocers, said in September: “It seems to be a game of cat and mouse…I’m not sure that it’s working.” One shop owner, who did not want to be named, said at the time: “I have had products stolen and I had a person come into my shop with a toy gun. I’ve also had my mobile phone stolen while I was working.”
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But, since the police intervened, the same shop owner has seen a decrease in anti-social behaviour and said “it seems to have reduced a lot over the winter”. Other shop owners also think the situation has changed over the past few months and said there is “definitely a better and safer atmosphere” along Cowbridge Road East.
Richard said: “Things have certainly improved. I think anti-social behaviour has decreased since the police started issuing dispersal notices. Just last week there was a gathering of around six to seven people and that was broken up by the police within an hour or so. That’s the only gathering I’ve seen for the past few months. It has got better.”
Steve Chambers, the owner of On Toast Café, said: “During lockdown there were quite a few people hanging around outside the shops and drinking because they didn’t have much else to do. But that has all stopped now things are back up and running. I’ve been in the area for 10 years and I’ve never felt there was really any anti-social behaviour. Compared to during lockdown things are much better.”
But not all business owners have seen things improve. Peter Acreman, who is part of the charity shop Something Fresh, thinks that anti-social behaviour on the road is still very present. “In my opinion the area hasn’t at all improved. I think there is still a massive issue certainly at our end of the road. I still see a lot of people drinking and hanging around. They are frightening away some of our customers. Our takings from the till show that,” said Peter. “People are still afraid of coming down the road. Canton used to be such a vibrant area and now so many shops are closing even after the police have helped. People get moved on but they just come back.”
According to South Wales Police anti-social behaviour in Canton has dropped 70% following police action. Between April 2022 and September 43 incidents were reported to the police but since October there have been 13 incidents reported.
Local police inspector Ben Davies said: “Dispersal orders help with the immediate problems anti-social behaviour can cause but over the last six months we have been looking at the longer-term picture and how we can help people, alongside our partners at the council, through outreach programmes and other services. When appropriate we will not hesitate to make arrests but we always try to engage, educate, and deter those involved in anti-social behaviour.
“Street drinking and associated anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. We understand the impact this was having not only on the residents but also on the businesses along Cowbridge Road East. We have shown that by working with the local authority we can have a positive influence on people who are behaving anti-socially to help them and also provide a safer and more peaceful community for everyone. We have received positive feedback from the local business community and we are grateful for their support.”
Councillor Leonora Thomas recognised the “need to keep on top of [the issues]” but said: “I’m glad to say that it’s been fed back to me by shoppers and traders that anti-social behaviour has decreased recently, particularly street drinking. Riverside councillors are grateful to the police and council for their work on these issues, which has made a real difference.
“It’s so important that people have local shops and businesses to visit. The [council] consultation that is currently under way is producing lots of great ideas from residents, traders, and shoppers about how we can make Cowbridge Road East an even better place.”
One of the latest moves to improve the area is an Easter treasure hunt set up by the Cowbridge Road East (CRE) Trader Association. Michele Daramat, who used to run The Apothecary in Canton, set up the group in October to help local businesses.
“As my shop was just off Cowbridge Road East I didn’t personally struggle with anti-social behaviour but I know there was some pretty hair-raising incidents. But since Cardiff council and the police have got involved things have improved. We are now working on sprucing the area up and giving it a better image,” said Michele.
The group first started their work in December and ran a Christmas community event giving children presents and pizzas from Calabrisella. Michele hopes the group’s efforts will help to “regenerate the area, make the shopping experience nicer, and encourage more people to visit the road”.
On Toast Café is one of the participating businesses. Steve said: “I think it is a great thing to do for the community. It will keep all the kids entertained and hopefully it will also help bring more people into different independent businesses along the road.”
Canton councillor Susan Elsmore said: “The rejuvenation of Cowbridge Road East is important for all sorts of reasons. Traders played a crucial role during the pandemic and delivered produce to people’s homes. These food deliveries kept up morale and meant we were eating well. It’s because traders and residents care so much about their communities that individuals have come together to form the trader association to give voice to everyone’s concerns. Shopping locally is the future.”
The Easter treasure hunt is running from April 1 until midday on April 8. Participants need to get an entry form from any of the participating shops, which will have a CRE Trader Association sticker in the window. Each shop involved will have a special word that needs to be written on the form and these may be in different languages. All completed forms will go into a prize draw at 3.30pm on April 8 at Laura’s Greengrocers and the winner will receive an Easter basket full of goodies from different businesses along the road.
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