Notts Police making 'good progress' in fighting Sutton estate's 'gang problem'

Tackling gang crime and anti-social behaviour on the Carsic estate in Sutton remains one of Nottinghamshire Police's "priority areas", a chief inspector has said.
Police launched an operation on Carsic in August.Police launched an operation on Carsic in August.
Police launched an operation on Carsic in August.

The force started an operation on the estate in August after a man was "stabbed in the head", in what residents described as an "ongoing gang problem" that has "blighted" their area.

Officers increased their presence in the estate in the weeks following the incident, which happened in Davies Avenue on August 22.

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Police were also called to Brookfield Avenue on the estate on August 26, after a man was attacked with a golf club and concerns were raised over drugs and anti-social behaviour.

Davies Avenue, Sutton, where the alleged stabbing took place.Davies Avenue, Sutton, where the alleged stabbing took place.
Davies Avenue, Sutton, where the alleged stabbing took place.

But two months on and the police have seen "more reports" of issues and stronger links have been built with the community, while officers are engaging with schools to educate children about the "dangers of violent crime".

Inspector Craig Hall, Ashfield neighbourhood inspector, said: "We have actively engaged with residents to discuss and identify their needs, as well as increasing patrols in the area.

"As a result, we have seen more reports to us and gathered a lot of intelligence that will shape how we can proactively approach issues in the area moving forward.

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"In addition to our engagement work we have made several arrests in the area over the past two months."

He added: "Moving forward, we have arranged our officers to conduct primary school visits to speak with children to understand their views on the issues in the area, as well as educate them about the dangers of crime and anti-social behaviour.

"This comes off the back of fantastic work our officers have carried out in secondary schools.

"If anyone requires police support or assistance, please do contact us and let us know what the issues are.

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"We are committed to making Ashfield a safe place to live, and working with the community to achieve that is one of our highest priorities."

A two-day dispersal order was placed on the estate on the weekend of August 25-26, which allowed the police to ask people to leave the area "to prevent harassment, alarm, distress, crime or disorder."

Police had also used tactics to target drug dealers, who they believe are "one of the root causes of many of the problems".