Figures show Anti-Social Behaviour down year on year in Newark and Sherwood

Castle ward in Newark, which covers part of the town centre, saw a 15% drop in ASB incidents during that period, while Beacon ward saw an 8% drop.

In July this year, Devon ward, which also covers Newark town centre, saw a 21% drop in ASB incidents compared to July 2023, while Balderton North, which is the focus of the Safer Streets 5 initiative in partnership with other organisations, saw a 44% drop in the same period.

Outside of Newark, Ollerton ward, Boughton ward, Rainworth South and Blidworth wards have also seen a decrease in July 2024 compared to the same month last year.

At District Council’s Policy and Performance Committee on Tuesday 3 September, Councillor Paul Taylor presented a report to councillors on the work achieved to date by the District Council in reducing ASB. Over the last year, the District Council has completed a number of initiatives to reduce ASB including:

• Undertaking a full CCTV review, including all camera locations, age, make and model and the development of a business case for an in-house CCTV monitoring,
• Increased resources within Community Safety and Private Sector housing teams,
• The completion of Safer Streets 4, which included new entry systems at District Council properties, replacement of CCTV cameras, Safer Gyms, improved lighting, gating at St Marks, nights of action and vehicle crime awareness days,
• The commencement of Safer Streets 5 focussed on Balderton, which will run until March 2025,
• Granted 3 injunctions on under 16s, held several ASB submits throughout the year and undertook a refresh of the ASB panel,
• Delivery of a programme of diversionary activities through the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Localities Fund,
• Set up the new Sanctuary scheme to ensure vital safety measures are installed at properties affected by domestic violence.

Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Community Relations at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “These figures give us confirmation that our work is paying off and overall ASB across the district has gone down. We know that ASB can have a negative impact on the quality of life of our residents and businesses, and we are committed to working with our partners and communities to address it.

"While some of these figures are encouraging, we are very well aware that anti-social behaviour continues to affect residents and businesses and we’ll continue to do all we can to bring in new initiatives to reduce this unacceptable activity.

“Recently, we introduced new measures to tackle ASB in Newark and across the district. This includes the use of high-definition CCTV cameras in Newark Town Centre and the introduction of new Public Space Protection Orders.

“Anti-social behaviour has a devastating effect on victims and the community, and we will continue to invest into the safety of our residents.

“I also urge anyone who witnesses or experiences ASB to report it to Nottinghamshire Police or the District Council, so that we can take appropriate action."

The District Council is also aware of the ongoing challenges in Bridge ward, where a 117% increase in ASB was recorded in July 2024 compared to July 2023. The District Council and Nottinghamshire Police are taking robust action to deal with this and are encouraging residents to report any incidents they witness.

Inspector Charlotte Ellam, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood, said: “Cracking down on reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a longstanding priority for our neighbourhood policing team because we know how much of an impact this offending can have on people’s lives.

“Our officers do so much work each day to target ASB in Newark and Sherwood, with much of this involving us teaming up with our key partners, like Newark and Sherwood District Council.

“As an example, thanks to buy in from the district and town councils, we now have the option of basing our officers at a new location in the market square in Newark town centre, which allows us to provide more of a visible presence in this area to help deter crime.

“This also means we can respond to more incidents in the town centre as they happen, while a dedicated ASB rapid response car was also operational throughout the school summer holidays, which allows us to carry out more patrols across a wider area and get to ASB calls quicker than before.

“While we appreciate that more still needs to be done to tackle ASB, it is pleasing to see this ongoing work has resulted in positive strides being taken towards improving this issue.”

The visibility of Community Protection Officers who patrol the district daily has also been strengthened in the last 12 months with a move to patch working across the district, whilst retaining flexibility to target emerging hotspot areas as a team. We have investment in an additional hybrid vehicle to increase the presence of Community Protection Officers across the district by allowing them to work more flexibly and provide an enhanced responsive service.

A fifth Anti-Social Behaviour Summit will be held in September 2024.  Previous summits have been attended by Newark and Sherwood District Council, Nottinghamshire Police, Youth Services and Youth Justice Team and representatives from the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner.

Anyone who wishes to report ASB, you can speak to our ASB team, in confidence, about any issues or concerns you may have. To register an ASB complaint contact the District Council or use the online ASB reporting form.

If a crime is in progress or life is in danger, you should dial 999. To report non-urgent anti-social behaviour contact the police on 101.