Nottinghamshire Police have announced that they are carrying out daily raids targeting drug dealers and other criminals in the Broomhill Road area of Hucknall, as part of a three-step crackdown against organised crime.
Clear, Hold, Build is a nationwide initiative in which police first seek to clear criminals and their associates from the target area through raids and other high-profile initiatives. The second stage involves increased visible police presence to hold the and deter criminals from returning. The final stage is equipping residents to build a strong and resilient community, free from crime and exploitation.
The operation in Hucknall is part of a pilot Clear, Hold, Build project in Nottinghamshire, and police say that results so far have been “extremely positive”, resulting in “dramatic falls in crime and antisocial behaviour”.
The Broomhill Road area was chosen to address residents’ concerns about drug-related crime and antisocial behaviour, to disrupt cross-border criminal activity from Nottingham and Bulwell, and to bring additional resources to the area, Nottinghamshire Police said.
“Organised crime has a corrosive effect on our communities – enriching a few individuals at the expense of other residents and causing a great deal of harm to vulnerable people”, Inspector Chris Boylin, the district commander for Ashfield, said. “People may think of organised crime and imagine the glamorous and showy depiction captured on tv, but the reality is very different and far more damaging than that.
“It is young or otherwise vulnerable people who are being exploited by cross-border criminal gangs to carry, sell, or store drugs; and it’s the acquisitive crime, antisocial behaviour, and violence that comes with this illegal trade.
“People may not be aware that these issues are linked to organised criminal gangs, but the reality is that they very often are. The good news is that – thanks to the Clear, Hold, Build initiative – local residents are now in a much better position to strike back and remove this type of offending from their community.
“We’ve got a lot of activity planned for the next few weeks and I want local drug dealers and other criminals to know that they are very much in our sights.”
His comments echoed those that he made when he was appointed district commander for Ashfield, with a warning to drug dealers to expect “a knock on the door” as part of a crackdown against dug related crime in the county.
Over the initial Clear period of the scheme, additional police resources are being made available in the area to carry out warrants, patrol hot-spots, and engage with the community, Nottinghamshire Police said.
