18 people dispersed from city centre in police action on drugs, ASB and shoplifting

Officers conducted a day of action tackling antisocial behaviour in Nottingham city centre this week.

Eighteen people were dispersed from the city centre for 48 hours under antisocial behaviour powers in connection with incidents including shoplifting, aggressive begging and possession of drug offences.

One was arrested for refusing to leave the area, while two other arrests were also made – one in relation to a reported burglary and other in connection with a breach of bail conditions.

The day of action was conducted by the Operation Compass team and neighbourhood officers on Tuesday 23 August.

They also engaged with street beggars and offered them advice, and informed them about services and support available to them.

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Sergeant Simon Lacey, who took part in the operation, explained the team’s approach to dealing with street beggars. He said: “Begging is illegal in the UK but we only take formal enforcement action as a last resort.

“We spoke to nine street beggars and signposted them to partner agencies who can provide the help and support they need.

“The idea is to check on their welfare, engage with them and get to know who they are, and if any offences are identified they are dealt with in an appropriate manner – whether that’s issuing words of advice, a warning or an actual prosecution.

“Prosecution is the final step and we only go down that route if the individual persistently reoffends and refuses the help and support available to them courtesy of our partner agencies.”

Inspector John Lees praised the team effort that led to the results.

He said: “The city centre team are committed to ensuring that Nottingham is a safe place to live and work.

“Part of that commitment is undertaking proactive activity to clamp down on criminal and antisocial behaviour activity in the area.

“We work closely with businesses and the local community to gain evidence and insight into what concerns them.

“I would encourage anyone who has any concerns in the city centre to report them to us as soon as possible on 101 or speak to our officers out on patrol.”