Bassetlaw’s neighbourhood policing team’s Inspector Robert Harrison has provided an update on how they have progressed on tackling crime across the district during and April and what the priorities will over the next three months.

Inspector Harrison said: “This is the first of a series of regular updates to inform residents about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and the impact we are having across our communities.

“I’ll also be highlighting some great work by your local officers and informing you about significant local trends and anything else I think you need to be aware of.

Current priorities in Bassetlaw

The inspector said: “I’d like to remind you about our key local policing priorities, which are agreed quarterly after consultation with the public and local partners.”

The current priorities are:

• Drug supply and drug use in Worksop
• antisocial behaviour and crime in Worksop town centre
• Rural crime in East Bassetlaw

Actions on our priorities

ASB and crime in Worksop town centre

Inspector Harrison said: “Over the past few months, I have received numerous complaints about antisocial behaviour and crime in the town centre.

“We’re talking here about things like shop thefts, public drinking and drug use, and the inevitable antisocial behaviour that comes with it.

“We know that many of these offences are being committed by a relatively small group of people living with some very complex needs like substance addiction and mental ill-health.

“Whilst we sympathise with people who are struggling and will continue to work with partners to ensure they are getting the help they need, we absolutely will not tolerate the kind of behaviour we have been seeing in the town centre.”

“I want Worksop to be a pleasant place to live in, work in, and visit, and will not allow a small number of people to damage the town in the way they have been,” he said.

“That’s why we’ve increased the number of local foot patrols over recent weeks and have been very assertive in the way we deal with these individuals.

“To this end we have made multiple arrests, returned prolific offenders to prison, and brought several suspects to court.”

Inspector Harrison said residents and retailers can expect to see an enhanced police presence going over the summer and want them to make contact if they see issues or behaviours of concern.

“I would ask them to contact us without delay,” he said.

“We are also working to secure criminal behaviour orders (CBOs) against some of our most prolific offenders. These orders allow us to prevent people from entering certain areas of the town and from doing certain things – such as entering shops in possession of bags. Any breaches are themselves a criminal offence and will quickly land offenders in prison and off he streets.

“These orders have been used to good effect elsewhere and we expect to see similarly positive results in Worksop.”

Drug supply

Drug dealing and drug related offending are major drivers for the anti-social behaviour issues I have updated on,” the inspector said.

“Many of the anti-social behaviour offenders are both using and selling illegal drugs on our streets. Most of those people are not major players in the drug market, but they are a public nuisance, and they are damaging our town.

“We have been disrupting that behaviour in exactly the same way we’ve been tackling anti social behaviour – with boots on the ground and a concerted effort to get up close and personal with offenders.

“Our council colleagues are also proving a great help with their comprehensive CCTV coverage, which is being shared in real time with officers on the ground. This approach recently led to the jailing of a prolific local offender who was caught in the act of dealing drugs.

“Local intelligence also led us to execute a warrant in Knanton Road on April 23, which uncovered a significant cannabis grow and has led to criminal charges for two suspects. A further warrant was executed at an address on Lincoln Street on April 24 where two suspects were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply.

“For obvious reasons I will not share the details here, but Bassetlaw Today readers can also expect to see a few more doors going in over the next few weeks as we execute more court warrants.”

Rural crime in East Bassetlaw

In his update, The Inspector said: “A huge part of Nottinghamshire’s rural community call Bassetlaw their home, and we have continuously welcomed an open dialogue with our farmers and residents so we can understand what issues they are facing, and what we can do as their local police team to crack down on rural crime.

“Some key problems we are working hard to target include off-road bikes and quads, theft and poaching. We want to reassure you all that we take rural crime extremely seriously, and we are working with other teams across the force – including our road bike team, drone team and roads policing –  to run targeted cross border operations. We’ve also helped secure farmer’s sites recently.”

“I also want to take this time to highlight our rural crime and wildlife officers that you will find working hard in each of our neighbourhood policing teams. We are continuing to invest in training for them and we encourage anyone with any concerns or questions to get in touch.”

John Street explosion

“As you will all be aware, Worksop was the scene was a major incident last month when a house exploded in John Street, damaging several neighbouring properties and claiming the life of man who was later recovered from the wreckage.

“As investigations into what happened continue, I would thank all the members of the neighbourhood policing team who worked so hard in the aftermath of this incident to identify witnesses and maintain the scene. That was very labour-intensive work and had a considerable impact on many of the other things we have wanted to do over the last few weeks.”