North Lanarkshire police crime crackdown

Feb 3 2010 by Robert Mitchell, Wishaw Press

OVER 250 police officers were out on the streets last Friday – in a show of strength targeting violence, disorder and anti-social behaviour.

A state-of-the-art metal detector was in action at Motherwell’s Mega Bar and a number of bail checks were made to make sure individuals given a curfew by the courts were where they should be.

Officers visited 77 licensed premises; 188 people were searched for weapons, booze and drugs (with a small amount of drugs and alcohol seized); one person was arrested on warrant; three people were reported for drug offences; and five anti-social behaviour tickets were issued for breaches of the peace.

The intelligence-led Operation Rose was the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at tackling this type of criminality and providing reassurance to residents in Wishaw, Motherwell and surrounding areas.

It proved to be a resounding success with a reduction of 27.5 per cent in the number of incidents from the same period of last year.

Chief Superintendent Graham Cairns, divisional commander, joined frontline officers and is confident a strong message was delivered. He said: “The main aim of the operation was to provide public reassurance and show the level of resources we have available to make our communities a safer place to live. We tried to focus on what local people are telling us are their top priorities. We also had a strong presence in town centres and people should know that North Lanarkshire is a safe place to live and to go to for a night out.

“We have recently been working very closely with licencees to make some premises safer and to ensure that potential trouble-makers are identified early.

“Analysis of incidents allows us to have the right people, in the right places, at the right times and the fact that there was such a reduction in the number of incidents shows this approach is working. This initiative also allowed us to have a focus on those we know are involved in criminality at the more organised end. People should see local criminals being dealt with effectively and that is our aim.

“The information we receive from local people has a significant impact on our ability to effectively police the areas they live in. I hope operations like this will encourage more people to come forward and help us to tackle all aspects of criminality which affects their lives.

“We had significantly more officers than normal on duty during the operation. This is not a one-off event.”

Anyone with information should speak to the community policing team or visit www.strathclyde.police.uk for contact details. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.