Police crackdown on Poole's anti-social behaviour hotspots

Neighbourhood policing officers on duty will be specifically tasked to areas such as Ashley Road, Alexandra Park, Haskells Recreation Ground, Bournemouth Road and Seaview.

The focused effort, named Operation Nova, took place earlier this week and will be repeated "regularly" in the coming weeks.

Neighbourhood Inspector Adrian Thompson, of Poole police, said: “Operation Nova has been set up following reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the area from members of the public.

“We know how distressing this type of behaviour is for the local community, so we have launched this operation to try and reduce ASB and ensure people feel safe to live, work and visit here.

“We hope that by carrying out regular targeted patrols in the area we will be able to disrupt the activity and reduce the number of reports in the area.

“Officers from the local neighbourhood policing team will be taking a proactive approach to try and prevent any potential further crime or disorder."

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Alexandra Park is one of the locations being covered in Operation Nova

During the Operation Nova patrols on Wednesday, April 21, Poole Police reported that "an amount of disruption" was caused to anti-social behaviour, while they also gained intelligence and engaged with residents.

Alongside drug issues and burglary, anti-social behaviour is one of the three priorities identify by both the Poole North and Poole South neighbourhood policing teams.

This was based on surveys of residents and businesses in the community.

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Neighbourhood Inspector Adrian Thompson

Inspector Thompson added: “We are continuously reviewing reports of anti-social behaviour across all of Poole and will work with the community to carry out a similar proactive approach in any areas we identify with increased numbers of incidents.

“If you have any concerns about anti-social behaviour in your area, please speak to one of the team while they are out on patrol. Alternatively, please contact Dorset Police by visiting www.dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101.”