Latest neighbourhood policing priorities for North Herts

Rural crime, anti-social vehicle use and retail crime are just some of the latest neighbourhood policing priorities announced by the North Herts Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), following feedback from the public.

NPTs work alongside partners to focus on solving long and short-term neighbourhood issues, such as anti-social behaviour, theft, speeding and drug-related crime.

Using an analysis of data, they set local policing priorities every four months, to provide a specific focus on the issues which are currently causing the most concern to residents locally. Feedback from members of the public also plays a vital part.

Residents will see their dedicated team of PCs and PCSOs working alongside partners to address the agreed priorities below, through an increased police presence, engagement events and targeted enforcement.

The newly set priorities for the district are:

Hitchin Urban

• Anti-social behaviour in the town centre.
• Drug use and dealing in parks and open spaces.

Hitchin Rural

• Acquisitive vehicle crime (theft from and theft of motor vehicles).
• Fly-tipping and associated crime in the rural areas along the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire border.

Letchworth and Baldock

• Vehicle Nuisance - off-road bikes and e-bikes.
• ASB and drug related nuisance in Letchworth town centre, Howard Park and Norton Common.

Royston and Royston Rural

• Road Safety - Tackle general road safety including speeding, uninsured vehicles, and the anti-social use of bikes/e-scooters.
• Shoplifting.
• Rural Crime including offences such as the theft of agricultural machinery and tools, alongside wildlife and environmental crime.

Whilst there will be a focus on the local priorities, officers will continue to respond to daily business as usual, as well as forcewide priorities and any emerging issues which require more immediate action.

Alongside the NPT, North Herts is also policed by officers who respond to emergency calls, a team of detectives who investigate crimes such as burglary, robbery and assault, and specialist units who work to tackle issues such as acquisitive crime and domestic abuse. In addition, they can call on officers from central teams which work countywide.

Inspector James Lant, who leads the North Herts NPT, said: “Thank you to everybody who took the time to share their views. In some cases, priorities will remain the same in areas until we are satisfied the issue has been dealt with.

“My officers will now be working hard to tackle these latest priorities and we’ll be sharing regular updates on Herts Connected and the North Herts Police Facebook page. Please do sign up and follow us to keep up-to-date. We look forward to sharing our progress with you and keeping the borough safe.”

Previous priorities

Below is an overview of work that was carried out to tackle the previous set of priorities.

Hitchin Urban

• Vehicle nuisance and the unlawful use of e-scooters. Targeted patrols have taken place with e-scooters seized from riders found to be using them unlawfully on public roads and pavements. Whilst this will no longer be a priority, local police will continue to respond to community concerns, engage with riders, and take enforcement action where necessary.

 

• Speeding on Bedford Road, Hitchin between Redhill Road and Turnpike Lane roundabouts. Speed monitoring and high-visibility patrols have taken place to encourage compliance with the speed limit and improve road safety for all road users. Though no longer a dedicated NPT Priority, officers will monitor the area and take appropriate action where offences are identified.

Hitchin Rural

• Rural crime - fly-tipping and associated crime in the rural areas along the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Border. Officers have been working proactively to tackle rural crime, with a particular focus on fly-tipping. Through joint operations with North Herts Council and Bedfordshire Neighbourhood Policing Team colleagues, patrols and targeted enforcement activity have been carried out. These partnership efforts help identify offenders, gather intelligence and deter further incidents, helping to protect our rural communities and countryside. This issue will remain as a local NPT priority.

 

• Acquisitive vehicle crime, theft from, and theft of, motor vehicles. Your local NPT have been working tirelessly to address this issue. Excellent work by officers led to the identification of a number of reported thefts involving quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles across the area. Through a dedicated and committed investigation, a local officer was able to identify potential suspects linked to these offences. Working in partnership with colleagues from Bedfordshire Police, a warrant was subsequently executed. As a result, two suspects were arrested and remain on police bail while enquiries continue. The operation led to the recovery of multiple suspected stolen vehicles, providing a significant result in the fight against rural crime.

Letchworth and Baldock

• Vehicle nuisance - off-road bikes and e-bikes. Excellent work by the NPT has resulted in multiple vehicle seizures, with appropriate enforcement action taken against riders found to be using these vehicles unlawfully or in a manner causing nuisance to local communities. To further support this work, additional funding has been secured for dedicated overtime patrols, enabling officers to carry out targeted activity in identified hotspot locations. Alongside enforcement, the team has adopted a problem-solving approach, working with partners and the community to achieve long-term reductions in offending and anti-social behaviour. The positive results achieved so far are attracting interest from other policing areas looking to adopt similar approaches. This will continue as a priority.

 

• Anti-Social Behaviour in and around Letchworth Town Centre and Howard Park. Throughout the summer, officers have been carrying out patrols and targeted activity to address ASB. Working closely with local partners, officers have engaged with young people, responded to concerns raised by residents and businesses, and taken appropriate action where anti-social behaviour has been identified.

High-visibility patrols have been conducted at key times to provide reassurance to the public and deter those involved in disruptive or nuisance behaviour.

Royston

• Fly-tipping in Royston Rural areas. Patrols have been carried out at known hotspot locations in a bid to identify offenders and prevent further incidents. Fly-tipping is not a victimless crime. It causes environmental damage, creates costly clean-up operations and can have a considerable impact on farmers, businesses and residents.
• The unlawful/anti-social use of motorised vehicles in Royston town centre.

Officers have conducted targeted patrols focusing on locations affected by the nuisance use of motorcycles, mopeds and other motorised vehicles. These patrols have provided reassurance to the community while enabling officers to identify and tackle offenders. As a result of this activity, several vehicles have been seized and a number of warnings issued to riders involved in anti-social or careless use of vehicles, meaning that their vehicles could be seized if the anti-social use continues.

 

• Road safety focussing on speeding, mobile phone use and seatbelts on Baldock Road and Newmarket Road, Royston and Newnham Way, Ashwell.  Throughout the summer, officers have conducted patrols focusing on the main causes of road traffic collisions, including speeding, mobile phone use while driving and failure to wear seatbelts. In addition to enforcement, officers have engaged with motorists to raise awareness of the risks associated with these behaviours and encourage safer driving habits. Using a mobile phone behind the wheel, failing to wear a seatbelt, and exceeding speed limits can all have serious consequences for drivers, passengers and other road users.