One of the issues residents in Padiham were raising with me on a frequent basis last year was anti-social behaviour, particularly around Padiham Leisure Centre, up near Memorial Park, and outside of Tesco.
In July last year, working with Lancashire’s Police & Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden, more than £2 million of ‘hotspot’ policing funding was secured from the Home Office. As a result, Operation Centurion was launched with Padiham being one of the first beneficiaries.
Between July 2023 and the end of January 2024, Op Centurion saw more than 2,000 extra policing hours given to Padiham to tackle ASB, with a key requirement being that officers were on the streets, on foot, and engaging with businesses and residents as they patrolled.
And it made a difference. This uplift and model allowed officers to conduct over 1,000 stakeholder visits, attend more than 100 incidents, carry out in excess of 400 stop checks, and undertake 30+ stop searches. All of this came on top of the routine policing carried out by Burnley & Padiham’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, and the Response (blue light) service which is there when we need it.
With Op Centurion in Padiham due to end, but a further £1.7 million secured from Government to expand the model, I want your views on the impact it has had, so I can ensure your views are fed into the Police and Crime Commissioner, and Government.
Please find a short survey overleaf, which you can send back to me using the Freepost envelope included or, if it’s easier, you can complete it online via the QR code below.
If you want more information on Op Centurion, the steps being taken to tackle ASB across Lancashire, or information on how to report ASB issues, you can visit a new, dedicated website, at https://www.lancashire-pcc.gov.uk/lancashire-tackling-asb/.
