Day of action to cut crime on Mansfield estate after residents left ‘terrified’

Mansfield Council officers have joined forces with Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service and Nottinghamshire Police to target the Oak Tree estate.

The campaign to cut crime and improve safety follows calls from residents, who said they were “terrified” and scared to leave their homes following a spate of anti-social behaviour, including a number of fires.

During the day of action, on Monday, January 23, council and police officers handed out free locks and GPS trackers systems for bicycles and anti-theft screw kits for motorcycles at Oak Tree Primary School and Nursery, while firefighters visited homes on the estate to check and fit smoke alarms and look for any other vulnerabilities or fire risk concerns within a property.

Andy Abrahams, Mansfield mayor, said: “After meeting and listening to the residents of Oak Tree, it was clear they were crying out for action to improve their estate but often felt unheard by agencies.

“We hope this crime prevention initiative will make the estate a better and safer place and improve the quality of life for residents there.”

This latest day of action follows one in December at Tesco Extra on the estate, when 18 bike locks were handed out and 17 residents registered for crime updates via the Neighbourhood Alert website, neighbourhoodalert.co.uk

The event was organised and supported by the council, police and Mansfield Mobile Youth Provision, which works to create engaging and safe spaces for young people across the district.

The aim of the Oak Tree campaign, which runs until the end of March, is to cut crime and anti-social behaviour on the estate, with particular focus on reducing the number of deliberately set fires and thefts of bicycles and motorbikes.

It follows a successful £33,000 bid last year to Caroline Henry, Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner, for Safer4All funding.

Crime figures show the estate experiences high offending rates with the theft of bicycles and motorbikes and arson particular issues.

The area is currently designated a priority neighbourhood for the council, the Mansfield Community Safety Partnership and neighbourhood policing team, for actions to improve the quality of life for residents.

During the action day, motorbike owners were invited to have their bikes fitted with anti-theft screw kits, which prevent the easy removal of number plates.

Police said this not only acts as a deterrent to theft, but also helps prevent the theft of number plates to hide the identity of stolen bikes, and helps police identify stolen motorcycles more easily.

Owners of pedal bikes on the estate were also able to collect free, high-quality D-locks, while bikes worth more than £300 could be fitted with GPS tracking devices or ImmobiBike Cycle Protection Kits.

As well as distributing free locks and anti-theft kits, fire crews are also visiting schools and community groups to share fire safety advice as part of the campaign.

They have also heightened their visibility on the estate, with fire appliances visiting streets and carrying advertising messages specific to the estate.

A CCTV camera at the hotspot location for fires on the edge of Oak Tree Lane Heath has also been installed.

Another strand of the campaign involves the police working with West Nottinghamshire College in Mansfield to help students whose bicycles have been stolen.

The college is running a course to refurbish bicycles provided free of charge by the police from unclaimed pedal cycles recovered during crime investigations. Once refurbished and fitted with an ImmobiBike Cycle Protection Kit, they are offered to students who have been victims of cycle theft but do not have the finances to replace their bicycle.

Insp Kylie Davies, Nottinghamshire Police’s Mansfield district commander said: “We won’t allow a small number of people to upset others living in and around the Oak Tree estate.

“If residents’ lives are being negatively impacted by anti-social behaviour, we want to know about it, so we can put solutions in place. That’s why my officers are on patrol in the area most days, responding to incidents as they happen and building stronger relationships with local people.

“Community policing is largely about identifying problems and preventing offences before they happen, and that is what this day of action is all about. It is an added bonus that neatly complements a lot of other very good work on the estate.”

Tracey Straw, NFRS district prevention officer, said: "We are really pleased to be working in the Oak Tree Lane area, especially given the number of deliberate fires recently.

“We hope our work with partners will provide reassurance to residents and help to keep people safe from fire.”

The Safer4All funding is from a pot of £800,000 Mrs Henry has allocated to support crime prevention initiatives between 2022 and 2025, with £100,000 assigned to each of the seven local authorities and the city council in the county, which equates to £33,300 per area per year.

Mrs Henry said: “It is really important to me that residents can have the trust and confidence to know that they will be listened to and their concerns will be taken seriously.

Anyone with information about deliberate fire setting can call FireStoppers anonymously on 0800 169 5558. Anyone experiencing anti-social behaviour in the district can report it on the council website at mansfield.gov.uk/report – in an emergency always call 999.