Extra hotspot patrols were initially announced for six areas of Lancashire following the Commissioner’s successful bid to secure £2m worth of funding from Government to tackle the issue. Foot patrols took place in hotspot areas of Accrington, Blackpool, Chorley, Fleetwood, Padiham, and Preston.
Since the launch officers have attended more than 700 incidents, carried out over 1,500 stop checks, close to 300 stop searches and made 75 arrests.
This month, hotspot patrols have been rolled out to the remaining Lancashire districts meaning that additional foot patrols are now also covering ASB hotspot areas in Darwen, St Annes, Morecambe, Clitheroe, Colne, Bacup, Leyland and Skelmersdale.
To support Op Centurion residents are being encouraged to report anti-social behaviour to the relevant authorities which can be found at a newly established, dedicated website – LancashireTacklingASB.co.uk
Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden said: “The roll out of the additional Op Centurion foot patrols is great news for Lancashire and exactly what residents tell me they want to see – more officers on the beat.
“The Constabulary’s neighbourhood teams are also being supported by the newly established ASB, Prevention and Problem-Solving Command, a team of specialist officers including civil enforcement, designing-out crime and business and rural crime experts who work with key partners throughout Lancashire to shut down drug dens, and secure arrests for those involved in a variety of offences from drug dealing to criminal damage.
“The results so far speak for themselves, and the additional policing hours are clearly having an impact in local neighbourhoods. Seeing this approach replicated across all Lancashire districts is fantastic and means that we’ll see more positive results across the county.
“We know that there is still more to do but I am committed to working closely with the Chief Constable to ensure that the Constabulary is in the best possible position to continue the crackdown on anti-social behaviour and keep law abiding Lancashire residents safe.”
Assistant Chief Constable Russ Procter said:
“The people of Lancashire have told us that ASB is important to them, and we will continue to show our communities that we listen and will take action to support their right to feel safe in their homes and communities. The additional funding received has allowed more Neighbourhood Policing Officers, PCSOs, Response and Specialist officers spending more time on visible patrol tackling ASB.
“This is further supported by our Prevention and Problem-Solving Command team who are also working with partners to utilise civil and criminal orders. This means that our officers are on the front foot, on patrol in our communities tackling the issues that cause communities the most concern, and are committed to taking action against those few who engage in this type of behaviour.”
