Reports to results: Tackling anti-social behaviour in Scunthorpe

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) can have a lasting impact on people’s lives, making them feel unsafe in their own homes, stopping them from using public spaces, and leaving communities feeling neglected or overlooked.

Across Scunthorpe, neighbourhood policing officers and PCSOs are responding to community concerns from public nuisance to more complex, long-running problems involving drug use, criminal damage, and repeated disturbances in residential areas.

As part of Operation Forager, officers recently targeted ongoing issues linked to a property already under review by local officers due to repeated reports of antisocial behaviour and suspected drug activity.

Neighbourhood policing officers supported by passive drugs dog Elsa and her handler, carried out patrols in the Town and Crosby wards. As they engaged with members of the public and conducted several stop and searches under the Misuse of Drugs Act, officers observed a number of individuals leaving the rear of the known property during the operation.

Two people were stopped and searched, one of these a 16-year-old boy who was identified as being wanted and subsequently arrested at the scene on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A and class B drugs as well as a modern day slavery offence.

Officers entered the property and discovered a quantity of class A and class B drugs, weapons, drug paraphernalia, and a large amount of suspected stolen goods. A further four men, aged 29, 50 and 63 and a 30-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A and B drugs and handling stolen goods.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Tom Stevens said: “Operations like this are a direct result of what the community is telling officers on the ground.

“We know how disruptive antisocial behaviour can be, it affects people’s quality of life and makes them feel unsafe in their own neighbourhoods. That’s why we take every report seriously and is why we work hard by gathering information to build a bigger picture.

“The information from our local PCSOs and members of the public allowed us to act in a way that not only disrupted criminal activity but also removed some of the individuals responsible for causing wider disruption in the area."

Neighbourhood teams across North Lincolnshire are also working with local authorities, youth services and community groups to take a broader approach to tackling the causes and consequences of ASB. That includes supporting closure orders on problematic properties, diverting young people away from offending, and putting long-term problem-solving plans in place for repeat locations or individuals.

Four of the individuals have been released on bail and the 63-year-old man has been released under investigation whilst officers continue with enquiries.

To learn more about your local policing team, find your area via the Humberside Police website or receive updates by signing up to My Community Alert, this can be done online, by visiting your local police station or simply speaking to a local officer.