Modern technology and ‘old fashioned community policing’ are combining to drive down crime and antisocial behaviour in a busy city central community.
Officers in Nottingham’s city central district say recent increases in police numbers and improved partnership working have helped to deliver a 30 per cent annual fall in antisocial behaviour reports.
Burglary and theft offences are also in decline as the local neighbourhood team spends more time in the community and deploys new resources to prevent offences before they happen.
Inspector Ben Lawrence, the new man in charge of neighbourhood policing, said: “Community policing isn’t all about arresting people – it is largely about problem solving
Antisocial behaviour is a good example of this because there is normally an underlying reason that a person is acting in the way they are.
“If somebody is addicted to drugs or struggling with other issues it is obvious they need help to change way they are behaving over the long term.
“We will of course make arrests when we need to, but to really get to the bottom of those problems and put solutions in place we need to be out in the community, listening and talking to local people as we pursue potential solutions.
“Fortunately we already have a very experienced local team and – thanks to ongoing recruitment drive – have around ten per cent more deployable officers than we had a year ago.
“That is enabling us to build better relationships with local community groups, charities, councillors and our universities who all want the same things we want.
“This is the kind of old fashioned, highly-visible policing that I value and it’s something the local community can expect to see more of.”
The local community has also benefited from targeted government funding to fight crime and keep communities safe.
The £750,000 Safe Streets funding, secured by Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry, is being used across the Arboretum, Radford and Park, and Bestwood areas to improve CCTV, lighting, and automatic number plate recognition network.
Money is also being spent in burglary hotspots to improve people’s home security and prevent potential break-ins.
Inspector Lawrence, a former RAF officer who began his policing career in the City of London, added: “This area of our work is having a really significant impact in keeping burglary numbers down and helping us to catch offenders.
“In reality most burglars aren’t master criminals – they are opportunists who will try their luck at multiple houses before finding a door or a window that is unlocked or insecure.
“With Safer Streets money we have been able to fund anything from new locks and lighting to doorbell cameras. These measures are not only helping us to prevent offences from taking place in the first place – they are also helping us to solve crimes when they happen.
“The doorbell cameras alone have helped us to make several arrests because they help us to put suspects at the scene of offences.
“So, we are in a very strong position locally to respond to people’s concerns and continue to drive down the kind of offences that cause so much upset in our communities, however we can’t do that alone and need residents to keep in touch with us and tell us what is happening.
“If you think somebody in your area is dealing drugs or generally making people’s lives a misery we want to hear from you. We may not be able to take immediate action but they can rest assured we will take their concerns seriously and we will do what we can to help.”
