A takeaway rocked by a huge fight involving people armed with weapons has today been shut down – as police and council officers moved to prevent further trouble.
A 48-hour closure notice was served on Grillo’s in New Cross, Sutton-in-Ashfield, and the residential flat above, this afternoon, following a number of reports of violence, antisocial behaviour and criminal damage at the property.
The positive action to further reassure local residents comes after police also arrested ten men after the fight at the takeaway – where witnesses told police they saw offenders armed with weapons including a hammer and a knife.
Two people were injured during the incident which is believed to have broken out at the premises before spilling out into the street following a disagreement between people who were known to each other, on the afternoon of Saturday 24 July. One man suffered minor injuries and another was taken to hospital with a suspected broken arm.
Officers quickly got the situation under control, arresting ten suspects at the scene on suspicion of affray.
Since that incident police have received further reports of issues linked to the address including antisocial behaviour, criminal damage, threats being made and people shouting in the street.
Now Nottinghamshire Police and Ashfield District Council have worked together to serve an initial closure notice on the store and flat and they have applied to the court for a three-month closure order to be enforced on the address. This will be heard at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (12 August).
Inspector Mark Dickson, district commander for Ashfield, said: “We will not allow the lives of the local community to be impacted by people acting out their personal grievances in public violence, disorder and antisocial behaviour.
“Local residents were understandably concerned following the recent disturbances and we have moved quickly to nip these issues in the bud with a number of arrests and now a closure notice.
“Following the fight, the Kirkby-in-Ashfield CID team managed the incident and safeguards were put in place to try to prevent further incidents.
“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, incidents have continued occur around this premises so we are now seeking a closure notice from the courts to prevent the premises being used or inhabited for the next three months.
“We will continue to work with partner agencies to take robust action to deal with antisocial behaviour and I hope that the positive action we have taken sends a clear message to all residents that we will listen to their concerns and take appropriate action through partnership working.
“We will not let persistent criminal and antisocial behaviour have a detrimental effect on the quality of people’s lives who suffer from it.”
Councillor Helen-Ann Smith, Ashfield District Council cabinet member for community safety, said “Our Community Protection Officers attended Grillo’s this afternoon alongside the police, to issue a closure order on the premises. The initial order will last 48 hours.
“We will not tolerate violence like this in our communities, and due to ongoing incidents at the premises we have no choice but to issue this order. The council has worked closely with the police and a full closure order, if granted, will see the premises closed for three months.
“We will continue to work with the Police to ensure that Ashfield remains a safe place to live.”
Latest statistics show that preventive work undertaken by Nottinghamshire Police has seen offences of violence with injury drop by 25 per cent and knife crime fall by 15 per cent in the year to April 2021.
The sustained reductions have been achieved as officers continue with a raft of proactive initiatives to pursue those who cause communities most harm and prevent offences.
The force’s dedicated knife crime team doubled in size earlier this year, boosting its capacity to tackle violence and crime, seize dangerous weapons and drugs and keep people safe.
The force was able to swell the team’s ranks due to being at the forefront of the national police recruitment drive through Operation Uplift, which is recruiting hundreds of extra officers to our front line while also becoming more representative of the communities it serves.
As well as strong proactive enforcement activity to crack down on knife crime, education and prevention work is vital to Nottinghamshire’s approach.
This includes specialist schools and early intervention officers who are working with children across the county, educating them about the consequences of carrying a knife and encouraging them to make positive life choices.
Another key driver helping to steer young people away from knife crime and violence is Nottinghamshire’s Violence Reduction Unit which continues to work with vulnerable individuals and families to help understand the root causes of violent crime, make a difference to young lives and put them on the road to a safer and more positive future.
