Stabbing of teenager in Fair Oak should be a 'wake up call'

It comes after an 18-year-old was seriously injured when he was stabbed in the belly in Shorts Road, Fair Oak, on Thursday night.

Now Steve Broomfield, ward member for Fair Oak and Horton Heath at Eastleigh Borough Council, said the authority needs to reassure people with effective around-the-clock CCTV.

Councillor Steve Broomfield at the scene in Shorts Road, Fair Oak (Image: Newsquest) Speaking in Shorts Road, he said: “There is already a great public dispute about personal safety, and this incident will not help.

“In this day and age CCTV is not only used for solving crime, it is also key to preventing crime and stopping it before it becomes too serious.

“If Shorts Road was covered by CCTV 24/7, the police could have arrived here before things to serious.

“Eastleigh Borough Council has spent thousands of pounds on an ineffective CCFTV system, which they are now going to get rid of.

“If the council is serious about making Eastleigh and attractive destination, they need to make it safe.

“Even I would not feel safe in the town centre at night.”

He added: “This should be a wake-up call, and it is about time we did something.”

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Police were called to shortly before 11.30pm and the stabbing victim was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Cllr Broomfield said: “We need to be ready to make sure this does not happen again and that the perpetrators are punished.

“Fair Oak is a lovely place to live but it does have a criminal underbelly, like most nice towns.

“I have been talking to the Fair Oak Parish Council for years about getting a better CCTV system, and it is certainly something I will raise at the next full council meeting in a few weeks.

“The council needs to think proactively about public safety and taking steps to prevent crime from happening, then relying on the police to come and sort it out.”