Community update – East Cambs Quarterly Meeting

Dear Resident,

Thank you to everyone who attended our meeting last night. For those who couldn’t join, here’s what was discussed:

New priorities for the next three months:

·  Tackling violent crime in Ely

·  Anti-social behaviour in Ely

·  Parking offences in Soham

Updates on previous priorities:

Anti-social behaviour in Littleport

Action: We have been tackling anti-social behaviour through visible enforcement and early intervention, responding to 11 reports in the last quarter, carrying out regular high‑visibility patrols, seizing illegal electric scooters, and taking action against individuals causing harm to their communities, including securing the eviction of a man linked to ongoing ASB. This has been supported by proactive engagement with young people through school inputs, community reassurance at venues such as the Connections Café, and funded diversionary activity like the 10‑week ‘Fitness Rush’ programme for youths at risk of ASB.

Parking in Ely

Action: We have continued to tackle parking issues through targeted enforcement and engagement, issuing around 230 parking tickets in the last quarter, focusing on hotspot areas such as Forehill and Ely High Street, and carrying out patrols around local schools at drop‑off and pick‑up times. This work has been supported by social media messaging to raise awareness of parking rules and by encouraging schools to work with the Safer Schools team to introduce school‑specific parking signs to deter unsafe and illegal parking.

Knife crime in Littleport

Action: It is important to note that knife crime in Littleport is extremely low, however, there is always prevention work that can be done. We have been addressing knife crime through a combination of enforcement, education and prevention, responding to recent incidents, issuing appropriate outcomes, carrying out regular high‑visibility patrols, and engaging with individuals identified through Op Guardian. This has been supported by extensive early‑intervention work in schools and youth settings, court experience programmes for young people, and partnership activity such as bringing the Knife Angel to Ely to raise awareness and highlight the serious consequences of knife crime.

Elsewhere across the district

The team have continued to focus on serious and organised crime, making arrests of key organised crime group members, individuals involved in drug supply, and supporting immigration enforcement activity targeting exploitation and illegal working. Alongside this, officers have supported emergency response policing, visited individuals at risk of knife crime, progressed closure orders for problematic addresses, worked closely with partner agencies to address youth ASB and vulnerability, and secured positive outcomes for victims of hate‑related crimes. 

📅 Next meeting: Online on 14 July at 7pm

To attend and share your views, email EAST to communitymeeting@cambs.police.uk for the link.

Kind Regards,

Inspector Simon Birch

East Cambridgeshire Neighbourhood Team