September 1 2014 Latest news:
Monday, July 2, 2012
A high-profile police operation which saw officers flooding the streets of Norwich’s clubland to target violent crime and anti-social behaviour has been branded a success.
Three times as many officers as normal patrolled the city centre on Saturday night focusing on Prince of Wales Road, Tombland and Riverside as part of a second so-called Impact night, a multi-agency initiative which sees officers working with the local authority, SOS Project, Street Pastors and the licensing trade to improve safety in the night time economy.
During the operation 12 people were arrested for offences including affray, drunk and disorderly and breaching banning orders. Police issued 22 Section 27 notices – an order which directs a person to leave a designated area for a 48-hour period.
The action also included patrols passive drugs dogs prior to 1am while officers from the ANPR team (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) deployed on the roads leading into Norwich and stopped 26 vehicles resulting in a range of offences being detected.
Chief Inspector Gavin Tempest, who led the operation, said: “Saturday was the busiest night of the year so far with several thousand more revellers enjoying the warm weather and many stag and hen parties taking to the city streets. All these factors added to the potential for significant disorder however the effective use of powers ensured when disturbances developed arrests were made to quell situations before they got out of hand.”
Officers targeted party-goers queuing for clubs reminding them about the importance of protecting their personal property. It comes as increasing numbers of phones are stolen inside venues from handbags or after being left unattended on tables or at the bar.
Impact 2 follows a similar operation held in the city in April.