Neighbourhood police in Lisburn have been working with partners and local residents to tackle crime, antisocial behaviour and reduce the fear of crime.
In early 2020 Police, Council and partners began to receive numerous calls regarding antisocial behaviour in a particular area of Lisburn city including criminal damage, drug taking and assaults. This became a matter of concern for all including the business community and local residents. These calls for service highlighted an increase in crime and antisocial behaviour in the area as well as an increase in the fear of crime.
The Neighbourhood Policing Team worked to create a collaborative response involving a number of local partners with the goal of reducing crime and antisocial behaviour and reducing the fear of crime. Clear roles were identified for each of the partners. Police led on reducing opportunities for crime and bringing offenders to justice. Using data available to police we were able to identify key times for increases in antisocial behaviour and crime.
Neighbourhood officers also took a zero tolerance approach to offending in parallel with a community-based policing style. Neighbourhood officers also took every opportunity to engage with local residents, businesses and representatives through patrols, community events and meetings. This helped increase confidence in police and information provided by the community helped police target activity. Over a 12 month period in one particular area of the city, reports of antisocial behaviour reduced from 26 to 9 and 14 drugs searches were completed recovering thousands of pounds worth of drugs, with one search alone recovering £15,000 of Class A drugs. A number of offenders served custodial sentences as a result of their offending, clearly highlighting the risks of being involved in such criminality.
Through working in partnership, being visible, accessible and responsive to local community concerns we have seen a reduction in crime, antisocial behaviour and the fear of crime.
