Castle beat is crime magnet

There have been 1,207 crimes committed on Newark’s Castle beat in the last 12 months, ranking it the worst outside Nottingham.

Papers that went to the police authority’s performance and policing committee today place the beat at number five behind Nottingham Market Square (2,579) the Victoria Centre (1,906) Broadmarsh Centre (1,556) and the Lace Market (1,336).

It ranks immediately above Mansfield town centre (1,067) and Worksop North East (1,031).

Nottinghamshire Police provided the committee with the statistics as part of a strategy aimed at reducing volume crime by 8% a year in Nottinghamshire to 2015.

The report says: “Research demonstrates that a relatively small percentage of our communities commit a disproportionately large number of offences.

“Although the majority of these offences represent relatively small financial losses, the feeling of invasion of privacy and being a victim translates to very real feelings of fear of crime and perceptions of a lack of safety and security.”

The strategy is based on crime prevention, offender management, alcohol-related crime at night, anti-social behaviour, violent crime, thefts and burglaries, drugs and intelligence-gathering.

It will focus on crime prevention, improved intelligence-led policing, enforcement of offender management schemes, and targeted patrols.

Newark’s senior officer, Inspector Andy Gan, said much of that was already happening.

He said Castle had traditionally ranked so highly because it was such a large area.

It extends from Maltkiln Lane, Lincoln Street, and Appletongate all the way down Hawton Road to the riverside, then follows the line of the Trent to British Sugar before curving back up to Maltkiln Lane.

It includes Castlegate and Kirkgate, as well as the Victoria Street Co-op, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi supermarkets.

Inspector Gan said: “A quarter of the offences committed within Castle beat are shop theft and it also includes the night-time economy, which accounts for another 240 offences of assault.

“The figures are high as a result of these factors and its sheer size. Historically it has been this way, it is not a recent thing.”

Inspector Gan said a third Police Community Support Officer had been introduced and a second beat officer would be appointed.

There were more police on the streets on Friday and Saturday nights and during the day to deter shop thefts.

Anti-social behaviour was being tackled by more patrols, including the targeting of Church Gardens to deter drinkers.

“Next year we should see some reduction,” said Inspector Gan.

“I would say that the town centre remains a safe place to visit during the day or at night.”