Nottinghamshire Police is carrying out extra patrols in hotspot areas as part of plans to crackdown on antisocial behaviour.
The force will be shining a light on some of the positive action being taken to combat the issue throughout this week.
As part of this, officers from the Newark and Sherwood neighbourhood policing team have been visiting hotspots for this type of offending.
Newark town centre and parts of Balderton have been particularly affected by reports of abusive and noisy behaviour, vandalism and other issues.
With most of these offences involving young people, the neighbourhood policing team has prioritised engaging with youngsters to help reduce offending.
Sergeant Rob Harrison, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We’ll be carrying out more patrols than normal over the coming weeks, where we’ll approach and disperse groups who are behaving inappropriately.
“The majority of this type of offending does typically involve groups of young people, aged around 11 to their mid-teens, and we have found that being more visible in this way, as well as working with partners, has helped reduce levels of antisocial behaviour.
“As well as the patrols, we also carry out regular school visits where we give the kids presentations about the impact this type of offending can have on communities.
“We’re doing everything we can to work with local services to educate these groups on the consequences of their actions and to give them something else to do.
“Whether it be through causing a general nuisance by being loud and abusive, or committing low-level criminal damage, we’re seeing nice areas being spoiled by the minority.
“These offences can be hugely impactful and detrimental to local communities and the impact on people’s lives should not be underestimated.”
Officers work closely with Newark and Sherwood District Council to be even more visible on the streets by accompanying community protection officers on patrols.
And the team is also working with the local council to improve CCTV cameras and other prevention techniques to limit offending.
Sgt Harrison added: “We unfortunately get more calls about antisocial behaviour than anything else, so as you can imagine, this issue is one that takes up a lot of our time.
“To anyone thinking of acting this way, I’d ask you to think about your behaviour because it will lead to consequences that will impact your life – it’s just not worth it.
“Even though it might seem like fun and games at the time, this type of behaviour is serious and can cause huge distress to local residents and businesses.
“I would also appeal to parents and carers of young people who are out and about in these areas to know where your child is and what they are doing.
“If they are out causing issues, you can also expect a visit from us and potentially face police and local authority action, which nobody wants.”
Councillor Roger Jackson, Portfolio Holder for Cleaner, Safer, Greener at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “Just as everyone can be impacted by antisocial behaviour – everyone can also play a role in tackling it too.
“Together with our community safety partners, we’re committed to stamping out ASB throughout the district.
“This week is all about increasing public understanding and awareness of what ASB is and what actions can be taken against it, including the Community Trigger process, so that everyone can feel safe in the area in which they live.”
Nottinghamshire Police is taking part in a week of action from 18-24 July, focused on all the work being done to tackle antisocial behaviour.
The week will highlight how members of the public can report issues, the tools being used by officers to engage with people and some of the great partnership work taking place to work with youngsters and educate them.
People can report incidents of anti-social behaviour by calling the police on 101, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or by contacting the local council.
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