Stratford busker's fury over BID's police report
A BUSKER was left furious after being reported to the police for causing an obstruction next to the Waterside market in Stratford.
Jamma Stewart, 55, said he has been playing his steelpans for nearly 30 years but was shocked by what he described as a heavy-handed response by Stratforward BID.
The incident took place on Bank Holiday Monday when Jamma was approached by BID manager, Diane Mansell, and a colleague.
“They came up to me as I was performing,” said Jamma. “They said I’d have to move to another location, and I explained that I can’t really do that at midday on a bank holiday when it’s busy with people and prams; it could be a hazard. Then straight away the bloke says, ‘If you don’t move, I’m going to call the police’.
“Is that really how you deal with the public? There were people watching who were enjoying the music, and it was so out of turn with the whole atmosphere of the day. It didn’t need to happen and he had no reason to speak to me like that.”
He added: “Even though I smiled and carried on playing, I had the constant thought in my head of looking out for the police for the rest of the day. I didn’t know what they would say, and whether they would be understanding or not. It was quite draining emotionally, I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
“I’ve only ever seen positive things about Stratford.”
Jamma believes the intervention was unnecessary and has asked for an apology.
However, Stratforward BID said he was contravening a number of the rules the town has for buskers.
Ms Mansell said: “Busking in Stratford is a wonderful long-standing tradition that brings pleasure to many tens of thousands of visitors to the town each year.
“However, for the safety of the public, and indeed the buskers themselves, there has to be rules. Drawn up in consultation with the district council, the police and the Musicians Union they are also there to ensure fairness across the busking community and to make sure that businesses in the town are not adversely affected by the practice.
“Unfortunately, Mr Stewart was contravening a number of these rules including: operating in a non-authorised busking spot; causing an obstruction near to a busy road crossing point so endangering public safety; staying beyond the two-hour maximum time permitted; using excessive levels of sound; and leaving music on unattended.
“In addition, he was selling goods without the necessary trading permits. We had numerous complaints from members of the public and traders and he had been warned the previous day that enforcement action would be taken if he persisted.
“He has now been reported to the police and licensing authorities.”
A Warwickshire Police spokesperson confirmed it had received a call, saying: “We did receive a report of a busker being aggressive to a woman in Waterside.”
When asked whether any of the other buskers operating regularly in Stratford have received enforcement notices Ms Mansell said: “A few have been asked to adjust volume levels or locations to suit their performance.
“The busking season has really only just begun but most are just pleased to be out performing for the public once again and are more than happy to adhere to the rules.”
