A project to fund additional hotspot patrols to tackle serious violence and antisocial behaviour has led to a significant drugs charge.
Jodie Brown, aged 49, of Nottingham Road, Lowdham, has been remanded into custody after appearing in court charged with possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine – in connection with a recent incident where four people were taken ill in Nottingham.
Following information from the local community about drug dealing in the Lace Market area, officers put together a plan to target more patrols to tackle the issue, using some of the hotspot policing funding.
This was made possible after the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire received £1.5m to bolster the local response to serious violence and antisocial behaviour during this financial year.
The scheme is also aimed at increasing uniform visibility – from both the police and local authorities - on the streets of Nottinghamshire and improving trust and confidence in communities where these issues are more prevalent.
It was these patrolling officers who came across a man who had collapsed in Barker Gate, in the Lace Market area, at 9.45am on Wednesday 28 August.
Response and neighbourhood officers treated the casualty at the scene before paramedics arrived and took him to Queen’s Medical Centre. Three others were taken ill nearby and were also taken to hospital.
Brown was later charged and appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 30 August – where he was remanded in custody to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 27 September.
Two women aged 27 and 30 were also arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and have since been bailed.
A 69-year-old man was also arrested but later released without charge.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden thanked the public for their vital information which allowed police to target and efficient and effective response.
“The idea of hotspot policing is that you need intelligence from the public to build up the hot spot area and target additional resources to deal with those issues,” he said.
“It is incredibly encouraging for members of the public when the beat team and response officers take action in these areas and come up with brilliant results because it shows they are hearing the public out and having an impact on their behalf.
“I hope people see this work and take encouragement that if they call the police about crime and antisocial behaviour, their information is valuable and will help officers understand local issues and how to resolve them.”
Chief Inspector Karl Thomas, of Nottinghamshire Police, also praised the blue light response.
“Thanks to the quick and effective response by neighbourhood and response officers and our colleagues at East Midlands Ambulance Service, all four patients are expected to make a full recovery,” he said.
“Since this incident, a team of skilled detectives have pursued a number of lines of inquiry to establish the full circumstances with assistance from Nottingham City Council’s CCTV control room.
“A suspect has now been charged and put before the courts and I'd like to thank the investigation team for their hard work on this case.
“Drugs blight our communities and ruin people’s lives which is why we are working tirelessly to target and disrupt offenders involved in their illegal supply.
“We will continue to use every tactic available to us to locate, enforce, and prosecute offenders as part of our ongoing efforts to keep local communities safe.”
The hotspot policing initiative, which will run until March 2025, will see officers spend two hours in the proximity of one area before moving onto another. This is based on academic studies from the College of Policing which shows that frequent and short patrols are most effective at reducing crime.
The hotspot patrols enable officers to focus solely on engaging with the public and addressing any problems businesses or residents may raise to them whilst they are out.
In the long term the scheme will help lower reports of antisocial behaviour through having more officers operating in peak times within each hotspot area.
The investment is also funding partner patrols from local authority staff such as community safety wardens and Business Improvement District (BID) patrol staff.
Areas will benefit from investment into problem solving activity as well as dedicated youth outreach work for areas that have particularly high levels of antisocial behaviour.
The areas in the city which are benefitting from the hotspot patrols are the Old Market Square, Lace Market, the Forest Recreation Ground, Hyson Green, St Ann’s Well Rd, River Green, Bulwell Town Centre, Top Valley and Denewood.
The areas in the county where hotspot patrols are being targeted are Hucknall East, Sutton East, Arnold Town Centre, Eastwood South, Worksop North/North East, Mansfield Town Centre, Portland, Newark Castle and Magnus and Devon wards.
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