Bassetlaw District Council plans review to help solve anti-social behaviour in Worksop town centre

A review on how to improve public safety and prevent anti-social behaviour in Worksop and Retford town centres could mean more CCTV for both areas.
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The tactic could be used alongside other measures to help combat drug and alcohol-related crime.

Bassetlaw District Council’s overview and scrutiny committee is due to carry out a review on both areas which includes looking at hot spots and police reports.

It comes after Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said it was important places like Retford and Worksop did not “feel forgotten in terms of policing”.

There are problems with anti-social behaviour around the Trader Clock in the town centre.There are problems with anti-social behaviour around the Trader Clock in the town centre.
There are problems with anti-social behaviour around the Trader Clock in the town centre.

In August, she said some women and girls do not feel safe walking around Worksop, particularly at night and there were drug issues around the Trader Clock.

She has just secured £550,000 of Government funding to install more CCTV cameras, better lighting and high-visibility patrols in the Worksop area.

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A request has also been made by the council’s community safety team for two more security camera operators to monitor anti-social behaviour in Worksop and Retford town centres.

The council has also emphasised the need for the public to come forward and report anti-social behaviour directly to the police or to the council rather than report it on social media websites.

The review by the scrutiny committee is expected be complete by February 2022.

Anti-social behaviour includes issues such as alcohol-related problems, begging, drug-related activity, urination and defecation and rough sleeping and homelessness.

The review will look at the policies and strategies for dealing with the impact of anti-social behaviour within the town centres and to consider the enforcement powers that the council and other agencies have to deal with it.

It will also review the effectiveness of partnerships with other agencies in tackling the problems.

Councillor John Shepherd, chair of the overview and scrutiny committee, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We have not started the review yet, but we will be doing more scoping and lines of enquiry.

“I would not say Retford or Worksop are worse than other town centres but there are issues.

“Sometimes there is a perception it is worse than the reality, but we want to look at it and what the different agencies are doing.

"We shall be looking at this topic in more depth.”