Neighbourhood officers crack down on community concerns in Millfield

An intensification period to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour has been held by neighbourhood policing officers in Millfield, Peterborough.

Between 21 November and 8 December, Peterborough’s eastern Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), spent 175 hours on patrol in Millfield to tackle issues ranging from anti-social behaviour (ASB) to drug dealing.

The team worked closely with Peterborough City Council’s enforcement, traffic enforcement, and ASB teams, and met with local councillors to discuss what multi-agency approaches they can take to deter those causing the issues.

Sergeant Sarah Phillips, from the eastern NPT, said: “The aim for this period of focus was for us to concentrate on issues that have been highlighted as a concern by the community and allowed us to carry out a range of tactics.”

Over the 18-day period:

• 175 hours of high-vis and plain-clothed patrols were completed
• The Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) covering Millfield was enforced on eight occasions – confiscating alcohol and moving people on from the area
• Five stop-searches and one vehicle search were conducted – one was positive, and the man has been reported for being in possession of class A drugs
• 68 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were issued to vehicles parked obstructively
• Visits to licenced premises where Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) have previously been issued around the supply of alcohol to those known to be contributing to the ASB in the area
• Evidence was collected for an ASB injunction application
• Issued a CPW in relation to a neighbour dispute
• Rescued a dog that was on the loose in Occupation Park and took it to the local vets
• Community engagement events were attended at The Pavilions, a local Scout group, and Peterborough Regional College
• Additional sessions for the local football project led by our Police Community Support Officer (PSCO) were launched

Three arrests were made:

• Earl Allen, 52, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with being in breach of his Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) and outraging public decency. He appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on 23 November, and was jailed for 18 weeks.
• A 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of sexual and public order offences. He has been bailed until February next year.
• A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and being concerned in the supply of class B drugs. He has been bailed until March next year.

Sgt Phillips added: “This work has been carried out as part of ‘Alliance’ which is a campaign to regenerate Millfield by tackling criminality in the area in a bid to make it an all-round better place for the community.

“It involves us using a variety of targeted operations and policing tactics by working with partner agencies and residents in the area to reduce the levels of organised criminality.

“I hope this work shows the community that we are committed to tackling their concerns and urge them to continue reporting any issues to us so we can continue this work.”

Information about Alliance can be found on the force’s dedicated Alliance webpage.