Recorded crime and antisocial behaviour fell in Bassetlaw over the last year as extra policing resource was committed to the district – and with further investment on the way.
Overall levels of crime fell by 5.1% in the year to September 2023. It means Bassetlaw is currently one of the best performing neighbourhood areas for crime reduction across the force.
Antisocial behaviour in the district has also seen a significant drop – down 11.6% in the same period.
It comes as policing capacity was boosted in Bassetlaw in June with an additional response sergeant per rota based at Ollerton, who oversees deployments in the Bassetlaw area, as well as an additional response inspector per rota for the force to help increase leadership and visibility across the north of the county.
A dedicated Chief Inspector role has also been established for the Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood area to provide strategic oversight – a role which was previously shared with three other districts.
As well as that, funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire has also seen the introduction of a new dedicated rural crime prevention officer begin operating in Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, earlier this year.
The OPCC has also brought a total of over £1m of additional funding to Worksop over the last three years through the Home Office’s Safer Streets programme – which has paid for public security interventions including CCTV cameras, street lighting and Street Wardens to provide an additional high-visibility public presence in the town centre.
The latest round of this will see a total of around £165,000 spent in the area on CCTV, gating for alleyways to prevent antisocial behaviour and environmental improvements to make public spaces feel safer.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said: “I’m delighted to see that the extra investment we have put into Bassetlaw is having a positive effect, with reductions in both crime and antisocial behaviour.
“Bassetlaw has slightly more than the average number of police officers compared to the other neighbourhood policing areas across the force. It also has a higher proportion of response trained officers (61%) to recognise the fact that the district covers a large geographical area.
“It is my role as Police and Crime Commissioner to represent the people of Nottinghamshire in ensuring the best possible policing service across the city and county, and these latest crime figures give me reassurance that people in Bassetlaw are getting good policing service.
“As well as the front line policing that people will see on the streets, we are also engaged in lots more work behind the scenes to prevent crime and support victims in Bassetlaw. This includes my Office commissioning a range of services to divert people away from crime and antisocial behaviour and prevent reoffending, as well as services such as Nottinghamshire Victim CARE to help people recover from the impact of crime.
“We also work closely with a range of partners, including Bassetlaw District Council, to ensure a joined-up approach to making Bassetlaw a safe place to live, work and visit.”
Some of the recent successful policing operations in Bassetlaw include:
- Operation Enchantment - tackling fuel thefts on main arterial routes. The operation led to two warrants, four arrests, three vehicle seizures and over 1,000 litres of diesel recovered. Since the operation in July, fuel theft in the area has reduced by 87%.
- Operation Star – a cross-border operation to tackle rural crime and serious acquisitive offending. This encompassed 7 recent operations in Bassetlaw which resulted in arrests and the recovery of stolen vehicles, weapons and plant machinery.
- Operation Grip - Centrally-funded high-visibility patrols in targeted areas including Harworth, Manton and Sandy Lane have led to the seizure of weapons and drugs and generated vital information to inform further proactive policing activity
- Proactive drug disruption – with over 30 warrants executed in the last year to target drug dealing across Bassetlaw. Drug suppliers have been mapped across the area as we continue activity to disrupt their behaviour and dismantle their networks.
- Carlton-in-Lindrick – Work in collaboration with Bassetlaw District Council to tackle antisocial behaviour related to local families. A series of community protection warnings and notices and criminal behaviour orders were issued resulting in significant reductions in antisocial behaviour and highly positive feedback from residents and councillors.
Posted on Thursday 16th November 2023