Rushcliffe police inspector – Monthly update for the community

Rushcliffe Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Tim Cuthbert writes is monthly update for the community.

Tim writes:

‘Firstly, apologies for the slightly belated publication, however there were some key details which I wanted to have up to date around some arrests recently, and wanted to wait to share that information in this blog.

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‘I’ll start with the recent increase in burglaries in Rushcliffe since the turn of the year.

‘Around the end of January, and into early February, we saw an increase in burglaries, as mentioned in last months blog. Whilst the numbers have fallen in the last couple of weeks, I’m conscious that the numbers are higher than average, and I wanted to reassure you on the efforts going on to combat the problem, and bring offenders to justice.

‘This week, we saw the arrest and charge of a male linked to several burglaries in the Rushcliffe area, as well as some in other areas of Nottingham too – Suspected burglar appears in court after key safe break-ins | Nottinghamshire Police

‘Further to that arrest, I’ve been putting out additional patrol hours for the local Neighbourhood Policing teams, as well as utilising the services of our Road Crime Team where possible.

‘I’ve also had meetings with the burglary team who are reviewing the evidential opportunities for any identified links or series of break-ins, and this also includes collaboration between Notts Police, and other regions too where offenders are travelling between force areas to commit crime. Whilst the three priorities for Rushcliffe are not up for review until the end of March, we’ve wasted no time in applying for extra resource, and seeking to tackle the rise in offences. I expect news of further arrests in the coming weeks.

‘One of our local key priorities this quarter is tackling drugs crime. This month, the Neighbourhood Policing team at West Bridgford have been working with CID and Intelligence departments to target the importation of drugs into the UK. Earlier in February, two key arrests were made, with the pair people being charged and remanded with offences of possession with intent to supply drugs, importation of drugs, as well as offences relating to the possession of fraudulent documents.

‘This case will be appearing in court soon, but I’d like to pass on my sincere thanks to the local officers from my team, the intelligence department, and the Bridgford CID team who have worked some exceptionally long hours on this case, without which, progression of this pro-active operation would simply not be possible

‘The policing of football matches is something which our local NPT team are routinely involved in. Having Nottingham Forest within the Rushcliffe border means that we’re impacted a lot on match days, and I’ve had a few questions recently concerning traffic management, and what goes on into the planning of Football Policing.

‘All matches are risk assessed according to considerations around rivalries, public order risk, and travel management. For instance, if Forest were to play Derby County (highly unlikely for the foreseeable, I appreciate) then this would increase the risk, and therefore the numbers of officers deployed.

‘Pre- or post-match road closures are often implemented around the ground, and on Lady Bay Bridge. This is to ensure safe departure of the thousands of fans exiting the stadium at the same time, as the pavements are overwhelmed.

‘These road closures are conducted through the use of a Temporary Traffic Order requested by the club, and implemented by the County Council. The Police work with the club and local authorities to return to a ‘state of normality’ as soon as we can after a game. The parking situation around the ground is obviously a challenge, however the Police will seek to remove any vehicles parked in a dangerous position, and local authorities will enforce local parking restrictions. Overall, we seek to enable all fans, from whichever club they follow, to enjoy a safe trip to the City Ground.

‘One of the key pillars of Neighbourhood Policing is Engagement. This takes many forms. It can be overt uniformed patrol, beat surgeries, public meetings, visits to schools or clubs, or attendance at fairs, markets or other public events. We advertise many engagements on Notts Alerts, or our Facebook pages.

‘One recent engagement event I attended, was the Rushcliffe South Villages Community Safety Group which consists of local Parish council representatives, and leads for local Neighbourhood Watch groups. We discuss issues impacting on the local communities on Rushcliffe South, and it offers a fantastic opportunity for local representatives to ask questions both to the Police, and Rushcliffe Borough Councillors who attend. The feedback from these meetings is then fed out to the local parish councils, and to my team, and where issues are identified, we can consider problem solving plans.

‘Please keep your eye out for further updates in the coming days via Notts Alerts, or our Facebook pages. Thanks for reading!’

Inspector Tim Cuthbert – Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Rushcliffe