A week of action targeting criminality in the Meadow Well Estate has a seen a string of arrests and enforcement action

A week of action targeting criminality in the Meadow Well Estate has a seen a string of arrests and enforcement action – as well as cash, drugs and weapons seized and thousands of residents engaging with police.

 

A week of action targeting criminality in the Meadow Well Estate has a seen a string of arrests and enforcement action – as well as cash, drugs and weapons seized and thousands of residents engaging with police.

 

In the week of November 13 – 19, officers from North Shields Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) carried out dedicated activity tackling the issues which communities said mattered most.

 

Drug dealing, motorbike disorder, anti-social behaviour and violent disorder were all targeted across the week of activity, devised to tackle serious and organised crime within the local area of North Tyneside.

                                                                                                   

Across the seven days, a range of activity was carried out, including the execution of warrants, Knife Arches positioned in key transport hubs, leaflets dropped across the area and enforcement action taken against identified addresses.

 

Neighbourhood Policing Teams were joined by specialist officers from Force’s Operations Department and staff from partner agencies for joint enforcement and engagement with residents.

 

The dedicated operation also saw officers knocking on doors and listening to concerns, with the feedback shaping future action. A total of 4,800 leaflets were delivered to houses in the area, and residents from 1,200 houses stopped to engage and share feedback with members of their local policing team.

 

Over the course of the week, 13 people were arrested for a range of offences including criminal damage, affray, and shoplifting, 14 people were charged to appear in court, two warrants were executed resulting in a slew of dangerous weapons seized.

 

Drugs and a number of vehicles were also seized by officers across the course of the operation.

 

Working with partners in the area, tenancy enforcement action was taken at 13 addresses in the estate, six presentations were delivered in schools, licenced premises were visited, and fines were given out on the Metro system.

 

The activity was led by Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant James Younas, of Northumbria Police, who has stated this activity is just the first in a targeted crackdown on criminality in the area.

 

He said: “This activity was all about listening to the feedback from inside our communities and tackling the issues people tell us have the greatest impact on their daily lives.

 

“Whether that is drug dealing, motorcycle disorder or anti-social behaviour – we are committed to listening to their concerns and taking positive action.

 

“And this doesn’t stop with the fantastic results we saw last week. I want to be clear that this is only the start of what we have planned for this area.

  

Sgt Younas added: “I would like to thank everyone who was involved in this latest operation, including our partners who worked tirelessly to support the activity.

 

“We made a commitment to our communities and will continue to attend scheduled meetings to provide that two-way dialogue so we can act on your concerns.

 

“The most fundamental way you can continue to support us is by reporting anything that doesn’t feel right. You can do this by reporting to Northumbria Police via the usual reporting channels, or report anonymously via Crimestoppers – this can be done using the QR code which was circulated amongst the leaflets last week.”

 

Safety and Assurance Director at Nexus, Erika Allen, said: “Our customer service and security teams worked in support of this policing operation in Meadow Well, with our focus on the local Metro station.

 

“This included officers deploying an archway metal detector to check for people carrying knives. It also allowed us to target anti-social behaviour and Metro fare evasion.

 

“We continue to work closely and effectively with Northumbria Police and our local authority partners. Our customers want to see more done about anti-social behaviour are we are acting on that through investment in security, CCTV, extra customer support teams and our new on-system campaign which rolled out our new text alert system on Metro.

 

“The new and more efficient system for customers to report issues directly to the Metro control room by discreetly sending a text message from a mobile phone is up and running. Customers can ‘report it, to sort it’ by discreetly texting ‘REPORTIT’ to 66777.”

 

Richard Mitchell, North Tyneside Council’s Community Protection Team manager, said: “"The success of this operation is a testament to the collaborative efforts of North Tyneside Council, Northumbria Police, Nexus, and our dedicated community partners.

 

“We are fully committed to addressing the concerns voiced by our residents and taking decisive action against the criminal behaviour that disrupts the lives of our residents. We appreciate the support of everyone involved, and I encourage our residents to continue their active role in maintaining community safety by reporting any suspicious activities.”

 

Get in touch via the ‘Report a Crime’ or ‘Tell Us Something’ pages of the Northumbria Police website, or by calling 101. In an emergency, or if a crime is taking place, always ring 999.