National 'Clear, Hold, Build' policing plan targets anti-social behaviour at Chatham estate
The tactic aims to target those responsible for causing problems in a particular area and improve community resilience.
Oliver Leader De Saxe reports
Oliver Leader De Saxe reports
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NewsTranscript
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.