Three people were arrested; five fixed penalty notices issued and 40 drivers spoken to about driving regulations in the town centre as part of the second day of action for Op Mastery.
The new taskforce saw Humberside Police officers join forces with North East Lincolnshire Council’s Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) team, the Environmental Enforcement Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE), the Rough Sleeping Coordinator supported by Harbour Place and Navigo, and Equans’ Civil Enforcement Officers and CCTV team for a second time.
This first ‘pilot’ operation is being carried out every month, with four-weekly monitoring carried out to target the main town centre issues. The team aims to remind people of the consequences of causing problems in the area.
All Op Mastery outcomes will also be sent to town centre business owners by the 2025 Town Centre Ambassador, so they are aware of the on-going commitment to make the area a safer place.
During the second day of action, teams spent a number of hours tackling issues with rough sleepers and advising drivers on the rules of the road in certain areas of the town centre.
The teams were stationed along Victoria Street and George Street. The day saw a number of positive results:
- One arrest for a failing to appear warrant
- One arrest for multiple shop thefts
- One arrest for breach of a court order
- One arrest breach of sexual offences notification
- One ticket for breaching of parking regulations
- 40 drivers spoken to in relation to traffic regulations on Geroge Street
- Five FPNs issued by WiSE team
- One drunk driver called into police
Following the results, North East Lincolnshire Council’s street cleansing team also conducted a deep clean of Victoria Street, accompanied by a police patrol in the area.
Thanking all those taking part, North East Lincolnshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Stronger and Safer Communities, Cllr Ron Shepherd explained how the action was in response to issues that people have spoken about in the town centre.
And he said, whilst similar issues were experienced in other towns and cities across the country, partners in Grimsby were determined to show communities that they are committed to taking action to deter such behaviours.
“As we continue with this every month, without fail, it will be clear to those offenders that they will be found and are not welcome in our town centre streets. We hope too, that at key times in the day, people will feel more comfortable visiting our town centre or doing business there,” said Cllr Shepherd.
“It is also important that those who need help, receive it. For example, the rough sleepers that we see. This operation means that we have an expert there who can offer them support if they need and want it,” he added.
Inspector Claire Jacobs, Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Grimsby West, said: “We continue to work closely with partnership agencies, as part of our ongoing work to tackle criminality and antisocial behaviour within our community.
“Taking part in days of action like this means we can speak with our local residents and find out about any concerns which they may have and show those who think it is acceptable to commit such behaviour that we will not tolerate it in our area.”
Photos courtesy of Hammond House
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