National 'Clear, Hold, Build' policing plan targets anti-social behaviour at Chatham estate

KentOnline / KMTV

The tactic aims to target those responsible for causing problems in a particular area and improve community resilience.   Oliver Leader De Saxe reports

Transcript

00:00A Chatham housing estate turning over a new leaf.

00:04Part funded by the Home Office, the Clear Hold Build initiative

00:09was launched in the residential areas near New Road earlier this year

00:14under the banner of Operation Neighbourhood.

00:18The aim is to rid these tower blocks of anti-social behaviour

00:22and organise crime once and for all.

00:25It will be high visibility policing, OK?

00:28They will see our neighbourhood officers, our neighbourhood task force.

00:32They will see local police force officers.

00:35They will see CID officers as well.

00:38We need to commit to investing time in this area

00:42but working in collaboration with partners.

00:45This is why it's so exciting, working alongside MHS Homes,

00:49Midway Council, the school behind me and local businesses.

00:53All of that will then develop and make the local area better for the residents.

00:58The affordable housing provider on the estate

01:01says the impact of additional policing is already being felt.

01:06Obviously we can't claim victory overnight

01:09but actually already some very successful step forwards have been made.

01:13Like many of these issues, the people responsible are small in number

01:17and what the police have done, working with us and others,

01:20is actually crack down on that.

01:22So there has been action, very specific legal action,

01:25taken against those individuals to make sure that their criminal activities stop.

01:30With the first of three stages complete,

01:33continuing police activity and empowering the community to do it themselves

01:39are now the next steps.

01:41Events like the Family Day happening just over my shoulder

01:44are part of these efforts to make the estate safer.

01:48They are in fact the next stage,

01:50giving communities the resources they need to build back better.

01:56But do residents here actually feel safe?

01:59And do they think the initiative has been working as intended?

02:03I mean, I do quite often see police around this area.

02:06Maybe that's it.

02:08Maybe because they are being seen it's deterring people.

02:14It's improved massively.

02:17They've done a lot of work and it's so much better.

02:22I have noticed that we've had lots of police around the area

02:26almost every day for the last couple of months.

02:29So whether that's deterring them or not, I don't know.

02:33A largely positive start then.

02:36And with dozens of families coming together to receive support here at Wellington Court,

02:41all eyes are on the future.

02:44But with some still concerned that things could go back to the way they were,

02:49there is still more work to be done.

02:52Oliver, Leader of the Saks for KNTV in Chatham.

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