Joint police approach helps tackle youth antisocial behaviour in East Leake

Neighbourhood officers have been cracking down on youth antisocial behaviour to create a safer environment for residents in East Leake.

Officers have been listening to residents’ concerns and are putting measures in place to ensure the surrounding area sees a reduction in criminal activity.

Concerns include reports of large groups of young people trespassing at a leisure centre football pitch, damaging fences to access the site, and being abusive towards staff when asked to leave.

Residential properties have also reported instances of young people banging on windows, throwing eggs, and causing damage to gardens and garages.

Several young people have already been identified by officers from the Rushcliffe neighbourhood policing team, who have worked with local schools and analysed CCTV from nearby shops.

They have been sent antisocial behaviour warning letters and parents have been spoken with, which acts as a first official notice about a person’s behaviour.

If the behaviour continues, this can progress to an acceptable behaviour contract, which is drawn up to address antisocial behaviour that causes a nuisance to the community and lasts for six months.

Working in partnership with the Trent Bridge Community Trust and Rushcliffe Borough Council, neighbourhood officers helped to establish a weekly youth club, which ran for several weeks last year.

The club provided a safe environment for young people to socialise and had a great turnout of more than 40 attendees.

Officers are now exploring opportunities for new weekly, evening activities, such as martial arts, to help engage with young people and reduce antisocial behaviour incidents.

Neighbourhood officers have also established a beat surgery specifically for young people, called ‘pop in, pop out’, which is held at the fire station in Gotham Road every Wednesday between 3pm and 5pm during term time.

The surgery provides young people with the opportunity to ask questions and meet local officers in a safe and confidential environment.

A problem management plan has also been created to help resolve the incidents, which is used to analyse a recurring issue and achieve the best possible outcome for communities.

A specialist problem-solving coordinator is working with the neighbourhood team to identify and monitor patterns in antisocial behaviour and can recommend community protection measures such as criminal behaviour orders – which can ban an offender from specific places.

They are part of the Nottinghamshire Police’s Prevention Hub, which is a collaboration between multiple force departments responsible for developing and delivering strategies to prevent crime and disorder throughout the city and county.

Analysts have also produced a detailed report of specific incident times and locations, which has helped inform an increase in targeted and proactive high-visibility patrols to deter antisocial behaviour and address hotspot areas.

An assessment of the leisure centre has been carried out by crime prevention officers to identify vulnerable areas and recommend new security measures.

This can include expert advice to improve signage, fencing, and CCTV to make it harder for criminal to operate.

PC Kelly Carlile, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Tackling antisocial behaviour is a priority for our neighbourhood team as we know the distress this can cause to our communities, which is why we take their concerns seriously.

“We are using several measures to address this behaviour, such as increasing patrols, issuing warning letters, and making security recommendations.

“The youth club has been a really successful initiative that has helped us to engage with young people, so that they know their local officers and can approach us with their concerns.

“While a minority of young people may think their behaviour is harmless, a large group being antisocial can be intimidating for residents and this is simply not acceptable.

“Collaborative work between the neighbourhood team and our Prevention Hub is helping to proactively prevent crime and ensure these areas see a reduction in criminal activity.

“I would encourage residents to report all instances of antisocial behaviour to Nottinghamshire Police as this helps identify areas of concern and allows officers to attend incidents at the earliest opportunity.”

If you see something suspicious in your area, please do not hesitate to contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or in an emergency, dial 999. 

Alternatively, people can report to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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