Operation Reclaim launched to tackle criminality and youth antisocial behaviour in Nottingham City
High-visibility patrols will be deployed to different sections of the city centre as part of major plans to make Nottingham 'a no-go area' for criminals to operate.
Operation Reclaim is a collaborative project to solve the biggest problems affecting the city including youth ASB, drug dealing, weapon-carrying, illegal e-bikes and retail crime.
Last December, high-visibility patrols were deployed to the city centre following a machete confrontation near Winter Wonderland in Old Market Square.
The operation saw more than 500 arrests and more than 50 people banned from the city centre in a single month for multiple offences.
The proactive patrols have continued. However, Operation Reclaim will bring together key partners to ensure that the city becomes as hostile as possible for criminals to operate.
Partners include Nottingham City Council, the Violence Reduction Partnership, Nottinghamshire’s Office of the Police and Commissioner and It’s in Nottingham, which represents city centre businesses.
It will be done using the Home Office tactic called Clear, Hold, Build, a three-phrase approach to make the city safer, restore trust and confidence, and tackle organised crime groups and those causing the most harm to the city centre.
A survey has been launched across Nottingham to hear from as many residents, students, visitors and businesses as possible to understand what they feel needs to be achieved to make the city centre a more attractive place to live, work and visit.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden said:
"Together we want to ensure Nottingham city centre is as safe as possible and that people genuinely feel safe too.
"This operation will create an environment of high-visibility partnership working, so anyone coming into the city can be confident they will see the reassuring sight of police officers, council neighbourhood safety officers, Safer City Partnership officers, street pastors and other community and voluntary sector support workers.
"It will also involve joint working to ensure cleaner, tidier public spaces with infrastructure and design that puts safety first.
"We are stronger together, and with the support of the public too, we will make it extremely difficult for criminals to operate in our great city."
City Commander for Nottinghamshire Police, Superintendent Chris Pearson said:
"I am acutely aware the impact that crime has had on people wanting to come into Nottingham city centre.
"We have a brilliant city, with brilliant facilities, and we cannot allow the minority to spoil our city for the majority and make people think twice about living, working or visiting here.
"This is why we are rolling out a multi-agency partnership tactic called Clear, Hold, Build, which is partly funded through the Home Office.
"Nottinghamshire Police will be dedicated to the Clear and Hold part of the initiative.
"Through targeted operations and relentlessly pursuing criminals we will clear these areas of crime.
"We will then continue to hold the location so other criminals can’t take control of the vacuum left behind. This is especially significant when it comes to crimes such as drug dealing.
"Our partners including Nottingham City Council will then implement the Build element by ensuring the area has everything it needs to make it as undesirable as possible for criminals to operate and work with residents and partners to improve their experiences.
"The initiative includes the buy in from our partners and we are already having regular weekly meetings to strengthen our overall fight against crime.
"Our intelligence already shows that some of the biggest issues affecting the city are youth ASB, drug dealing, retail crime such as shoplifting and aggressive begging and rough sleeping.
"While our operations will target these areas, we really want to hear from the public and understand their feelings of unsafety.
"Where would they like us to focus our attention?
"The survey has been launched today and will be heavily publicised. We are committed to focusing our attention on any of the areas the public identify.
"It is very much a 'you said, we did' approach.
"I cannot be clearer, come to Nottingham, commit crime, cause ASB, and we will use every power at our disposal to make sure you aren’t welcome here again.
"We want criminals to feel like they are constantly being watched, constantly being pursued by us during Operation Reclaim so they have no other option but to avoid the city centre or change their behaviour. Enough is enough."
Nottingham City Council’s Leader, Councillor Neghat Khan, said:
"Nottingham’s city centre has so much to offer and we want to ensure everyone, whether they are living, working, studying or visiting, feels safe and welcome.
"Operation Reclaim, using the Clear, Hold, Build approach, is about taking a united stand against the minority whose behaviour impacts on the freedom of the majority of people to enjoy being in the city centre.
"Working closely with Nottinghamshire Police and our partners, we will come down hard on those who commit crime or anti-social behaviour in our city centre.
"As a council, we will focus on improving the environment around the city centre and keeping it clean by tackling litter and graffiti, supporting communities with any local issues they face and listening to residents and businesses about what they want to see change.
"This is about taking action now and in the longer term to give people confidence in Nottingham city, now and in the future."