The home of a vulnerable resident in the Broomhill Road neighbourhood of Hucknall has been secured against “cuckooing” as part of the ongoing Ashfield police operation against drug dealers and other criminals in the area. Criminals engage in cuckooing by using threats and other coercion to force victims to allow their homes to be used for crime.
This can include storing drugs and other criminal materials in victims’ homes, so that there is little evidence in the criminals’ own homes.
Officers from the Ashfield Neighbourhood Policing team taking part in the three-step Clear, Hold, Build crackdown against drug dealers and other criminals in the Broomhill Road area were informed by local residents about concerns relating to a property on Broomhill Road.
“Members of the community expressed fears that the property was being used and exploited by people other than the tenant for possible criminal purposes”, Ashfield Police said on their Facebook page. “These concerns were shared with . . . Ashfield District Council who acted swiftly to address the problem in conjunction with attending officers to make the property secure.”
“We attended the address to make sure it was safe to enter and were able to help make the property safe and change the locks”, PC Mann from the Hucknall Neighbourhood Police Team said. “Not only have we helped ADC secure the property for a vulnerable tenant, it prevents the property being used for possible criminal enterprises such as cuckooing, which are a blight on the wider community. A prime example of partnership working within the ‘Clear Hold Build’ initiative in the Hucknall East area”.
Inspector Chris Boylin, the new Nottinghamshire Police district commander for Ashfield, has made targeting drug dealers a key priority.
