Day of action planned in bid to cut crime on Mansfield estate

Mansfield Council officers will join forces with Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service and Nottinghamshire Police to target the Oak Tree estate on Monday, January 23.

Council and police officers will be handing out free locks and GPS trackers systems for bicycles and anti-theft screw kits for motorcycles at Oak Tree Primary School and Nursery, from 10am-2pm.

Fire service officers will also be door-knocking up to 300 homes on the estate, checking and fitting smoke alarms and looking for any other vulnerabilities or fire risk concerns within a property.

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

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

motorbikes.

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

It follows calls for action from "terrified” residents, complaining incidents of anti-social behaviour and criminal activity on the estate were “out of control”.

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

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.”

During the action day, motorcycle owners can have their bikes fitted with anti-theft screw kits, which prevent the easy removal of their bike's number plate. This not only acts as a theft deterrent, but also prevents the

theft of number plates to hide the identity of stolen bikes, and help the police identify stolen motorcycles more easily. Owners will have to show they are residents of the estate by bringing their V5 certificates.

Oak Tree estate owners of pedal cycles will also be able to collect free high quality D locks. Bikes worth more than £300 can 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.

A CCTV camera at the hotspot location for fires on the edge of the heathland near the estate has also been installed.

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 estate.

“If residents’ lives are being negatively impacted by antisocial behaviour, we want to know about 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.”