The operation has been running since September as part of the Making Great Places campaign – a partnership between Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire Police.
A blitz on crime and anti-social behaviour in Shelton has seen a raft of arrests and charges in just six weeks.
The operation has been running since September as part of the Making Great Places campaign – a partnership between Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire Police that targets residents’ priorities to build a safer, cleaner city.
Since then there have been 110 arrests for various offences.
Charges have also been brought against organised crime groups.
The council has cleared over 60 illegal dumping incidents, while the Environmental Health team has conducted 14 unannounced food hygiene checks on premises.
The highways team has fixed 45 defects.
Local officers and the parks team have carried out a weapon sweep in Hanley Park, where a knife and drug paraphernalia was recovered. The sweep also led to information about a group selling drugs.
Council teams have also inspected local buildings, with four closure notices issued for illegal tobacco and vape sales.
The Road Policing Team were joined by colleagues from the city council including licensing, Environmental Crime Unit, Trading Standards, and external partners from HMRC and DVSA. The activity successfully stopped 24 vehicles, 15 traffic reports, one vehicle seized, six waste carrier requests, two fixed penalty notices and one arrest.
The Making Great Places campaign is a unique partnership, with action based on listening to the community. Partners held learning and feedback sessions, hearing first-hand about the issues. These included drug use, antisocial behaviour, road defects, burglary and vehicle crime.
This information has helped teams to tailor support, shape intelligence and coordinate enforcement activity.
Councillor Majid Khan, cabinet member for community safety and resilience, said: “We have been working closely with Staffordshire Police for some time to make life better for everyone who lives and works in the Shelton area.
“We want all residents to love where they live, to take pride in the city and this starts on the doorstep. We heard directly from residents about what they wanted to see. Our message to them is: we hear you, and we are taking action. Also, an element of responsibility needs to embed itself in the local communities, and for people to take ownership, whether that be for ensuring the correct bins are used or reporting something that doesn’t feel right.
”This campaign has strengthened the relationship between the local community, Staffordshire Police and the council. We have come together to make a cleaner, greener and safer city.”
Chief Superintendent Elliott Sharrard-Williams, the local policing lead for Stoke-on-Trent, said: “We’ve been using all of the tactics we can muster as a collective to stamp out criminals and to deliver positive results for the communities we proudly serve in Shelton and the wider city.
“Making Great Places is a gradual process. It starts by police being proactive and taking the fight to organised criminals, which we have done, and continues to build in the coming weeks and months alongside the council to establish better links with local communities and to make sure those who cause harm in Shelton do not return to their offending.
“I want communities in Stoke-on-Trent to know that we are listening to your concerns. We’re determined to continue taking positive action, whether that be through arrests, charges, property closures, tenancy enforcement or wider action alongside specialist partners.
“We’re here to work together to make the city the best place it can possibly be, and we have you at the forefront of our focus.”
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