Rushcliffe Neighbourhood Policing Inspector, Craig Berry writes his monthly update for the community including crime numbers, catalytic converters, shop theft, ASB and Covid restrictions.Â
Inspector Berry writes:
‘Welcome to the latest edition of my monthly blog. My name is Craig Berry and I am the officer responsible for the policing of Rushcliffe Borough.
It has been a busy April with policing activity in the area. The good news is that reported crime has remained relatively low.
Unfortunately we have seen more theft from motor vehicle crimes reported and in particular catalytic convertor thefts in which certain makes and model of car are targeted. We are issuing crime prevention advice to the local community to help tackle this issue.
In addition we are seeing a steady increase in shop theft from the smaller supermarkets in West Bridgford and we continue to engage, support and offer advice to them. Officers continue to target a small number of offenders to resolve this problem.
During Op Sceptre week, which looks to tackle knife crime, the West Bridgford Neighbourhood team have been out patrolling across our parks and outdoor spaces to deter antisocial behaviour and engage with young people.
Our School Early Intervention Officer carried out Knife Crime awareness lessons with year 6 pupils at the Heymann Primary School which was a very positive engagement for the children.
The Reacher team also engaged with local football team at Gresham Park in West Bridgford who were impressed with our marked vehicles. They took the opportunity to offer advice about the dangers of knife crime and have the conversation with parents about the serious issue.
We are also aware of complaints of motorbikes and off-road vehicles causing issues in the Edwalton area.
Officers will be focused to work in the area and we will be ensuring the bikes are legal to be on the road and deter them being used in an antisocial manner. Any bikes or persons caught using them in a manner to cause alarm, distress or annoyance can have a warning under s.59 of the Police Reform act and potentially also have their bike seized.
Some good police work last Wednesday (28 April 2021) resulted in an arrest of a man for robbery in Ruddington. Occupants of a white Mercedes sprinter van drove to an address on Loughborough Road with the intention of stealing a mini digger which they loaded into their van before assaulting a local resident who intervened.
The van then made off on the A60 towards Keyworth. The van was then soon after sighted on the A46 towards Newark where it initially failed to stop for police officers, before ultimately being forcibly stopped where a stinger device was deployed to prevent the van moving.
The investigation was picked up by detectives on our CID and the suspect was further arrested for a burglary on a neighbouring district. I am really pleased we got a suspect in custody so quickly, as this was an appalling crime in which an innocent member of the public was assaulted.
The Rushcliffe Reacher team have been busy with a number of arrests, vehicles seized and traffic offence reports.
After much planning officers executed a search warrant looking for stolen property in East Bridgford. We recovered items during the search that we believe to be stolen and as a result two arrests were made. This investigation remains on going, but we are confident that this will have caused significant disruption to criminals. We also involved partner agencies including Western Power and the Environment Agency in the site inspection to maximise their knowledge.
The team continue patrols and activity on the south of the borough including road policing and utilising a speed gun to check on speeds on our roads. This allows us grounds to stop and speak to drivers.
They also breathalysed a number on the roads between East Leake and Sutton Bonington based on community concerns. Fortunately all drivers tested negative, but it gave us opportunity to reinforce the anti-drink drive message.
Lastly, the team helped other Reacher teams with a search in The Meadows where numerous stolen items were recovered, as well as class A and B drugs and a large quantity of cash. They also supported Gedling colleagues with warrants in Netherfield where phones were seized as evidence and we believe the disruption will impact positively across Rushcliffe.
The easing of lockdown restrictions has gone well and from feedback, patrols and conversations we have had with colleagues at Rushcliffe Borough Council, I can see that licensed premises are managing their premises very well and customers are behaving responsibly. The next key date is of course Monday 17 May when the hospitality industry opens again indoors, but with restrictions.
As the restrictions continue to ease and we get back to normality your neighbourhood policing will be arranging a series of summer engagement events covering the whole of Rushcliffe Borough. More details will follow soon, but your feedback will help shape our priorities for local policing for the summer and autumn.
Let’s hope for some good weather in May and speak again in early June.
