Safer Streets Summer delivering cleaner, safer Arnold town centre
Gedling Borough is benefitting from a major safety drive this summer, bringing partners together to tackle antisocial behaviour, support young people, and create safer public spaces.
The programme is being coordinated by Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden, working alongside Nottinghamshire Police, Gedling Borough Council and other local partners.
It includes a crackdown on fly-tipping and graffiti, investment in youth and sports clubs, and projects to keep young people diverted from involvement in crime and antisocial behaviour.
Arnold town centre is also being given particular focus through the Safer Streets Summer Initiative. This national campaign is delivering visible policing, local engagement, and practical action to reduce antisocial behaviour in ten hotspot locations across Nottinghamshire, including Arnold.
In Arnold and Gedling, the campaign has already led to high-visibility patrols in the town centre, with officers and council community protection staff engaging with the public, offering reassurance, and deterring offending.
There has also been targeted enforcement against nuisance vehicles, with renewed Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) being robustly enforced by Nottinghamshire Police and Gedling Borough Council.
Residents are seeing the difference too, with rapid response cleaning making sure racist and offensive graffiti is removed within 36 hours and all other graffiti within 10 days. Fly-tipping is being cleared within 48 hours, supported by robust enforcement against environmental crime.
Young people in the borough are also benefitting from targeted diversionary projects supported through the PCC’s Situational Crime Prevention Fund – which provides every local authority in Nottinghamshire with £67,500 over two years for tailored community safety work.
In Gedling this has included funding for Redhill Youth Club, football and boxing sessions in Arnold, youth outreach programmes in Carlton, and summer holiday activities provided by Positively Empowered Kids offering safe, positive alternatives for young people at risk of antisocial behaviour.
Further investment through the fund is also supporting CCTV improvements, helping police and councils identify crimes in action and provide better evidence for prosecutions.
Schools, health services and local charities are also playing a vital role alongside police and the council in tackling the root causes of antisocial behaviour, supporting vulnerable people, and addressing issues such as substance misuse and poor mental health.
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Angela Kandola said: “Arnold and the wider Gedling Borough are already seeing the benefits of this dedicated Safer Streets Summer programme.
“By listening to young people, particularly our Young Leaders at Positively Empowered Kids, we’ve been able to focus resources where they will make the biggest difference, from patrols in the town centre to fast graffiti removal and youth diversionary projects.
“Tackling antisocial behaviour is one of the key priorities in our Police and Crime Plan, but this isn’t just about putting more officers on the street.
“It’s about working partnership with councils, health services, schools, and charities to address the issues that drive this behaviour in the first place.
“Safer Streets Summer is showing how powerful partnership working can be. Together, we are making Arnold and Gedling safer, stronger, and more welcoming places for the people who live, work, and visit here.”
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke MBE, said: “We know how important it is for our residents to feel safe in their communities, which is why we’re proud to be working alongside Nottinghamshire Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner on this initiative.
“By tackling antisocial behaviour, improving our town centres, and providing positive opportunities for all members of our community, we are making Gedling a safer and more welcoming place for everyone.”
Jackie Wilson, Director of Positively Empowered Kids CIC, added: “At Positively Empowered Kids CIC, we know young people thrive when their voices are heard.
“Through our ‘Next Move’ project, supported by the Police and Crime Commissioner’s fund, we’re co-designing activities with young people in Arnold that meet their real needs – reducing antisocial behaviour while helping them feel confident, connected, and valued.”
The work in Arnold forms part of the national Safer Streets Summer Initiative, which sees Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables across England and Wales deliver coordinated action to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour in key towns and city areas over the summer months.
By aligning resources and intelligence across agencies, the programme creates a platform for shared problem-solving and community-led action.
Local health teams are helping to address underlying issues like substance misuse and mental health, while youth services and third-sector partners provide diversionary activities and outreach support.
This integrated model is designed to leave a lasting legacy of safer public spaces, stronger partnerships, and improved trust in public services – all key pillars in the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan.
Further Safer Streets Summer walkabouts and days of action are scheduled to take place in Beeston, Mansfield, West Bridgford, and other parts of Nottinghamshire throughout August and September, as the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner continues its push to strengthen neighbourhood policing, tackle antisocial behaviour, and ensure safer, stronger communities for all.
Inspector Steven King, neighbourhood policing inspector for Gedling, said: “Tackling antisocial behaviour is one of my team’s three priorities and figures from earlier this summer showed a 10 per cent reduction in this type of offending across Gedling.
“We understand, however, that there are ongoing issues in certain hot spots, including Arnold town centre, and these can become more prevalent during the school holidays.
“Officers are targeting these issues through a number of initiatives and problem-solving plans.
“The support of the OPCC and other partners over the summer has been hugely beneficial and we know extra patrols, enhanced CCTV, enforcement measures like PSPOs and youth engagement all assist in our efforts to ensure Gedling remains a safe and pleasant place to live, work and visit.”