EGERTON Court, or the Ego as it is more commonly known, is considered by some to be a crime hotspot of Barrow. AMY FENTON obtained police figures and spoke to residents in a bid to find out if the estate's reputation is justified

IN the last five years, police figures obtained by the Evening Mail reveal that officers were sent to Egerton Court on Barrow Island a total of 1,364 times.

With call-outs ranging from civil disputes to domestic violence and robbery to anti-social behaviour, it would be fair to assume that the estate is well-known to police.

Working out at an average of around 227 police call-outs every year to the blocks of 144 flats, it is no wonder that the public perceive the estate to be a troubled area.

Out of 324 people who voted in an online poll asking if Egerton Court was one of Barrow's worst crime hotspots, 87 per cent said yes.

However, a much closer examination of the figures reveals something startling.

Between 2011 and 2014, the total number of call-outs each year rose from 172 to 207 to 297 to 312. And yet, from then on, the figures have seen a sharp and continued decrease.

In 2015, police call-outs dropped by more than 100 from the previous year - down to 194. And the following year, the trend continued.

Credit for that reduction must, in the most part, go to police and the proactive and preventative steps being taken to tackle crime head-on.

On Wednesday, one of the biggest ever Streetsafe operations in Barrow was conducted at Egerton Court. Around 50 individuals took part in the multi-agency taskforce to engage with residents, ranging from council workers, firefighters, Trading Standards, and of course, police.

Barrow Sergeant Rupert Anderson, who led the Streetsafe, said that the estate's reputation could well be a self-fulfilling one.

"It's an area that is known for having issues," said Sgt Anderson, a police officer who has worked in Barrow for 25 years.

"One of the issues we have with the tenants is that the estate has a reasonably transient population. The flats are fairly small occupancy so people come and go. There is a constant change in the residents so you don't have a permanent community."

Despite the positive work which has resulted in crime figures dropping, it is clear that the battle is far from won. Last year, police dealt with 19 domestic disputes, 12 burglaries, 24 incidents of anti-social behaviour and 24 reports of violence.

One resident, who described himself as "Barrow Island born and bred", told the Evening Mail he was "sick of the people who give the place a bad name".

He said: "Nearly every week you open the paper and a crime has been committed by someone who lives in the Ego. The majority of us are decent, hard-working people, get rid of the scum and the island will be a better place."

For the residents of the island in general, the Ego's reputation is something that will likely be much harder to stamp out than any criminal activity.

Sgt Anderson added: "The minority always spoil it for the majority.

"A lot of the flats have probably never been visited by us; Egerton Court is not massively worse than anywhere else in the town - but it's compactness means its reputation won't be easy to overcome."