Pioneering work to reduce crime recognised at Prevention Showcase 2025

Pioneering policing operations designed to foster safer communities in Nottinghamshire have been commended for reducing offending, supporting vulnerable groups, and engaging with young people.

Nottinghamshire Police’s Prevention Showcase took place at force headquarters in Arnold on Tuesday (September 23).

The event commended six teams of officers who have implemented specialist policing operations to make Nottinghamshire a safer place to live, work, and visit.

• Operation Wheelspin, which won the Team of the Year Award, is the force’s county-wide response to antisocial car cruising and has resulted in hundreds of drivers being prosecuted for dangerous street racing and performing reckless stunts.
• In West Bridgford, reports of antisocial behaviour and trespassing on rooftops decreased by 90 per cent after an effective problem-management plan was implemented by neighbourhood officers.
• The force’s Open 2 Recovery project, which won the Partnership Award, is reducing crime, making communities and businesses safer, and rehabilitating prolific offenders whose high levels of criminality have been motivated by drug addiction
• Antisocial behaviour at a community garden in Rushcliffe also fell dramatically by 97 per cent with the help of targeted police action.
• In Bassetlaw and Newark, Operation Legacy is making a significant difference in reducing reoffending and improving outcomes for communities and vulnerable individuals.
  The scheme, which won the Innovation Award, provides wraparound support services to help rehabilitate prolific offenders and break the cycle of reoffending.
• Meanwhile, wildlife crime and antisocial behaviour has plummeted by 94 per cent at a lake in Newark with the help of a targeted police referral scheme.
  In April 2024, the force launched a partnership with Mending Lines to divert young people away from offending and help build positive relationships with policing by teaching children to fish.

The prestigious Prevention Showcase event was attended by more than 70 guests, including representatives from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, the College of Policing, and Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire Police.

Partners from Nottingham Trent University, University of Nottingham, University of Derby, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, Nottingham Recovery Network Clean Slate, Mansfield District Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Gedling Borough Council, and Nottingham City Council, were also in attendance.

Superintendent Heather Maelor, Nottinghamshire Police’s Prevention Hub lead, said: “These operations and initiatives are testament to the hard work of our officers who are committed to making Nottinghamshire a safer place to live, work, and visit.

“Preventative policing is embedded at the heart of our approach to ensure there are fewer victims, fewer offences, and less demand on policing.

“This is achieved by addressing the underlying causes of offending and working jointly with partners to tackle problems.

“By being proactive to prevent crime, we are reducing the demand on officers who can focus their efforts on other priorities instead of repeatedly attending the same incidents.

“This helps to ensure officers are available to tackle the concerns that matter most to our communities.

“I would like to congratulate all of our officers and staff commended for their exemplary work and extend my thanks to our partners for their continued efforts to work with us to foster a safer Nottinghamshire.”