Police commissioner walks around Kirkby

Kirkby East was designated a ‘Priority Plus’ area due to its relatively high crime rates, but the work of local police and other agencies has seen offences fall by 4.12 per cent in the last year.

This has included a drop in the number of burglaries and incidents of domestic abuse, bucking the trend seen elsewhere in the county.

The Commissioner was eager to meet the local policing team and see for himself what is being done to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

“I was keen to see what is happening here that isn’t happening elsewhere, so that we can replicate the good results,” he said.

The decrease in crime on Coxmoor and across Kirkby has been the result of a multi-pronged approach involving local police, Ashfield District Council, Ashfield Homes and other agencies over the past three or four years, said Kirkby neighbourhood inspector Andy Clarke.

“The beat team have done an excellent job and we’ve really engaged with the community, been proactive about conducting warrants, and these results show that work is paying off,” he added.

Mr Tipping said that Kirkby East is now safer and cleaner for residents.

“I am impressed but I am not complacent,” he said.

“I know we need to do an awful lot more.”