Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone’s Immediate Justice Team has been working with partners to clean up parts of the Highfield Estate in Kettering after it was identified as an area of concern by Northamptonshire Police.
The Immediate Justice programme offers people who have committed anti-social behaviour an alternative to prosecution by completing reparative work that benefits communities they have harmed.
Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Jay Cheema, asked the Immediate Justice Team to get involved in the Clear, Hold, Build Project at the Highfield Estate.
This is a multi-agency initiative working to clean-up and regenerate areas identified as a priority for the police and local authority. The aim is to protect communities, tackle offending and prevent further crime in the area.
The Immediate Justice Team is helping to provide swift and visible consequences for anti-social behaviour, showing that local concerns are being listened to and action taken to repair the harm done.
As well as providing swift justice and giving offenders the opportunity to reflect on their actions, the Immediate Justice project is also clearing up sites that are in disrepair and could attract further anti-social behaviour.
READ MORE: Offenders clean up walkways to make routes between Northampton town centre safer
In this case, two men carried out litter picking and groundwork in Spring Rise Park – which had become a hotspot for anti-social behaviour – to serve a work penalty of four hours each after they were both caught in possession of Class B drugs.
Sgt Cheema said: “We’ve been working hard over recent months to tackle the issues highlighted by the Highfield community and crackdown on those committing crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
“While enforcement activity is a crucial part of the clear hold build approach, it’s equally important that we work with our partners to help improve the physical environment, which can help reduce the opportunities for criminal and anti-social activity.
“The Immediate Justice Team has done some fantastic work with us and have got involved in completing litter picks and trimming overgrown vegetation at Spring Rise Park, which has really had a positive effect on the community.
“We are regularly referring offenders who receive community resolutions to the Immediate Justice Team and the results have been great, providing a positive outcome for all involved.”
Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone is pleased that the Immediate Justice programme has been able to support the Highfield area.
She said: “The Clear, Hold, Build projects are so important to making a community space feel cared-for and welcoming. Every person in Northamptonshire deserves to live somewhere that they feel safe from harm and looked after by our Police.
“Cleaning up the park, and the rest of the estate will show people that it is a well-looked after, deterring further anti-social behaviour from happening.
“I am so proud that once again the Immediate Justice Team have been able to work with partners to contribute to making our county a cleaner, more welcoming place to live, one area at a time.”
The Clear, Hold, Build project forms part of the efforts of the Home Office’s Safer Streets Summer campaign.
The campaign is run locally by Danielle’s office in partnership with police, fire and rescue, councils, schools, health services, business, transport, and community organisations.
It will run from 30 June until 30 September and focuses on reducing town centre criminality.
