Scores of adults and children face action in Hartlepool under first year of new safety team

Community safety team bosses have issued almost 40 community protection warnings and carried out 14 ‘key activities’ to crackdown on crime as part of its first year of operation.
Hartlepool Community Safety TeamHartlepool Community Safety Team
Hartlepool Community Safety Team

Hartlepool Community Safety Team was launched in February 2018 bringing together community safety staff from Hartlepool Borough Council, Cleveland Police, Cleveland Fire Brigade, and Cleveland Victim Care and Advice Service.

A report to go before the Safer Hartlepool Partnership on Friday will provide an update on 14 key activities carried out since the launch of the team.

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These include, two days of action, one-off multi-agency events which targeted problems in a hotspot location, which were carried out around Dent Street in August 2018, in the Wynyard Mews area in October 2018.

Hartlepool Civic CentreHartlepool Civic Centre
Hartlepool Civic Centre

The report also states key enforcement activity has been taken by the team thanks to the work, including issuing 39 community protection warnings, used to tackle issues such as substance misuse, verbal abuse, noise nuisance, fly-tipping, arson and more.

There have been 14 community protection notices issued for breaches of the warnings, while seven fixed penalty notices have been issued for those who have breached the protection notices.

There has also been more than 50 children identified during operations as participating in antisocial behaviour and 36 ‘acceptable behaviour agreements’.

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These are voluntary written agreements signed by a young person and their parent, which involves them acknowledging their involvement in antisocial behaviour and agreeing future behaviour conditions.

There have also been six premise closure orders for residential properties, one criminal behaviour order issued and one civil injunction for a ‘neighbour from hell’ following 10 years of issues.

A report from Denise McGuckin, director of regeneration and neighbourhoods on the council, said the formation of the safety team has enabled the operations to be carried out.

“Hartlepool Community Safety Team has been able to make increased use of powers available to tackle anti-social behaviour and disorder.”

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as a result of its members coming together and providing increased access to information and evidence, and support from partner officers,” she said in the report.

“The team operates using a proactive and problem-solving approach model where resources are targeted at issues identified by the team with the highest threat, risk, harm, vulnerability, and impact on both individuals and communities.”

Empty buildings, antisocial behaviour and motor menaces

Windermere Road Derelict Building Operation took place in February last year looking at concerns over young people accessing derelict buildings.

Other operations which have taken place include a night time economy operation, linked to large groups of privately owned cars causing nuisance, and a Victoria Ward Youth Antisocial Behaviour Operation, which took place from January to May 2019.

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Operation Staysafe and an illegal encampment operation both took place in April 2019, with the former designed to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour by children and young people, and the latter addressing complaints from business on the Park View Industrial Estate.

The partnership also held a ‘Love Hartlepool Environmental Operation’ in March 2019 focusing on hotspot locations in Victoria, Burn Valley, Manor and Hart Wards.

There are also a number of ongoing operations being carried out by the partnership.

Problems in the parks

The team also carried out an environmental week of action at Rossmere Park in November last year, tackling complaints such as vandalism to the public toilets, the starting of small fires, verbal abuse and stone throwing.

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The team has also been running Hartlepool Parks and Open Spaces Operation since April 2019 which looks at 11 locations across the town where complaints have been lodged over a variety of different antisocial behaviour issues.

There has also been a Summerhill Fire Setting Reduction Operation running since May, looking to expand on the work of the open spaces project, after ‘continuing problems’ with fire setting at Summerhill Park by young people.

Issues on the Marina and in the town centre

Burn Road and Marina Way Operation was launched in May last year and looks to tackle complaints from residents and businesses around ‘a group of approximately 40 people’ engaging in verbal abuse, throwing liquids and intimidating customers.

In October Operation Otley and Operation Shrewsbury were both launched, with the second of those focusing on issues around the ramp by the Central Library on York Road.