Antisocial behaviour is an issue that causes problems for people and businesses across many parts of the country - and the district commander for part of Nottinghamshire has a strong message for anyone behind these issues in his patch.
Nottinghamshire Police are continuing to work on tackling antisocial behaviour in the district of Newark and Sherwood. And education and engaging with youngsters in schools from a young age about the impact of it can have is also a key priority for preventing incidents in the future.
Newark and Sherwood District Commander, Matthew Ward explained: "ASB is our highest reported area for this year." It remains a top priority for officers as a total of 2,067 cases have already been reported across the Newark and Sherwood district between April and November of 2022.
The term antisocial behaviour covers a range of behaviours that can cause nuisance and annoyance or harm and distress to a person. Some business owners and shoppers have recently spoken out about their concerns over the unwanted impact it can have, with the manager of one Newark store having to lock herself into the charity shop to keep unwanted youths from causing disruption and damage in the store.
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Inspector Ward continued: "ASB has been a priority for as long as I can remember." In addition to ASB, shoplifting and violence against women and girls are also top priorities for the district, which are reviewed on a three month basis.
Inspector Ward explained: "The priorities are figured out in a range of different ways. There is a very statistical approach of what the figures are telling us, but it is also from what we as police feel is a risk at the moment, and is of a concern to the public.
"We take that from the conversations that we are having from the public and that's how we judge it."
Officers have been working on Operation SWIFT throughout the year, which is an operation that focuses on wildlife and antisocial behaviour
Some business owners and residents in Newark have reported concerns over antisocial behaviour in recent months, with some saying youngsters are creating problems in town centres. Inspector Ward added: "Everyone always thinks of youth ASB, that is youths running havoc causing chaos and making people afraid to go into town. But ASB also includes off road motorbikes, unregistered motorbikes on a road, vehicle related ASB like at Rufford Ford.
"A lot of neighbour disputes get recorded as ASB as well." He explained that a great deal of incidents can fall into the category, especially for situations "where it's not a crime, but in essence it's anti-social behaviour." Inspector Ward added: "Which is why during one of the years of Covid ASB is so high, because a lot of the Covid breaches were being recorded as ASB."
The Safer Streets project has recently launched in Newark, following a successful bid to the Home Office by Nottinghamshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Caroline Henry. The project will help tackle antisocial behaviour and crime in the town centre and other areas in the castle ward of the town.
Inspector Ward explained that "the Safer Streets project concentrates on a really small area of Newark" but the work it is doing can be used to help officers tackle issues in other areas, with a wider plan being considered for the district as a whole. He described antisocial behaviour in some areas as being "like a wave that goes along" as once they deal with one group, things settle down and then another group of people come along.
This is reportedly the case in Balderton where local residents often have issues with anti-social behaviour at Balderton Lake, Coronation Street Park and the Lakeside Shopping Centre. Inspector Ward explained anti-social behaviour contracts are often used, which is a voluntary agreement made by the individual to abide by certain terms, such as not doing something that could cause members of the community distress.
A public space protection order was been placed in these areas of Balderton earlier this year, and there are orders in place in other areas in the district, such as Newark town centre. Inspector Ward said officers had not had to use the orders in Balderton a lot, but the ones in the town centre are "increasingly being used more."
A dispersal can prevent someone from returning to a particular area for up to 48 hours.
Although the force has regularly gone to secondary schools in the area, Inspector Ward explained there had been a "concerted effort" to work with primary schools. The force officers primary schools the opportunity to let officers come in and speak to pupils in the hopes that educating children at a younger age will allow the officers to become known by the pupils and deter them away from making bad decisions in later years.
He said: "We speak about the effect ASB has on the community and the affect it can have on someone, and how it is a precursor for going into minor crime. We try and educate at a younger age the affect that their actions may have.
"However, we are not going to see the affect of that for three to five years as they have to get out of the primary schools and into the secondary schools, where they are at the age we would expect to see that sort of ASB."
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