Police to make tackling drugs, bad driving and theft top priorities for Hucknall

However, Insp Jon Hewitt, Nottinghamshire Police’s Ashfield district commander, said anti-social behaviour (ASB) would not be a main priority for now but stressed that work to combat ASB would be ongoing.

Insp Hewitt outlined his priorities in a post on the Ashfield Police Facebook page following a meeting with Ashfield Council to review local policing priorities.

And he said his top priority was tackling dangerous driving and the issues of car meets and car cruising at junction 27 of the M1 – the junction at Annesley for Hucknall – which he said had become a serious issue again.

He said: “We discussed the year-to-date crime figures, recent crime trends and the Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner crime survey data to help understand what is causing concern to our local communities.

“For much of the past year, the local priorities have been drug dealing and drug use, dangerous driving and anti-social behaviour.

“The issue identified as the main major local concern by the PCC data and identified by almost 50 per cent of respondents is dangerous driving.

“While nuisance motor bikes remain an issue – and I will continue to request the force off-road bike team support us locally – junction 27 and associated car cruising is once again a recurring issue for us locally.

“We will be running recurring operations at the location and increasing high visibility patrols.

“There is a Public Spaces Protection Order in place which gives powers to issue penalty notices for actions associated with car cruising or meets and we will be utilising section 59 powers for any vehicles gathering and causing ASB.

“We will be placing CCTV at the location and using this retrospectively for dealing with any offences."

Insp Hewitt’s second main priority is tackling drug dealing and drug use.

He said: “I am a firm believer drug use is the driver for many crimes such as burglary and robbery.

“We will continue to take a proactive approach with stop and search operations, stopping of vehicles, conducting search warrants and intelligence-led investigations to take out criminal groups bringing drugs into Ashfield.

“We will continue with premises closures to remove those properties linked to the supply of drugs.”

The third priority identified by police is theft from motor vehicles and associated offences in Hucknall.

Insp Hewitt said: "This is a community concern in both PCC surveying and apparent from our social media channels.

“We will increase our patrols, both high visibility and plain clothes in order to apprehend offenders.

“We believe offenders are few in number so will seek to apprehend offenders and implement a problem-solving approach including seeking criminal behaviour orders to restrict their ability to continue to offend.”

Insp Hewitt also explained why he was removing ASB as a priority.

He said: “My teams will continue to operate Operation Springboard with the council and support diversionary activities.

“We have seen strong reductions in ASB in the past 12 months – or at least in what is reported – so while I am not naive enough to say our job is done, I do feel we have the correct working mechanisms to continue this area of work without it being a highlighted priority.”