Rural crime 'neglected' as the police 'swamp' city?

TORY COUNCILLOR QUESTIONS COMMISSIONER ON NUMBERS

- By JOE LOCKER

A police car in Old Market Square during the Winter Wonderland and Christmas Market

A COUNCILLOR is concerned that rural areas are being neglected by the police as officers are “pulled away” to oversee football matches and the nighttime economy in the city.

Nottinghamshire’s police and crime commissioner Gary Godden (Lab) said police “swarmed” Nottingham city centre and their work was “well-received by the public and delivered significant improvements in safety’.

Operation Listings was launched in November to make people feel safer in the city over the Christmas period, particularly after a high-profile incident in which two machete-wielding groups confronted each other in Old Market Square.

Nottinghamshire Police said they had made 92 arrests on suspicion of various offences such as drug dealing, robbery and possession of bladed articles, while 19 individuals were banned from entering the city centre, more than 15 dispersal orders were issued and around 25 illegal e-bikes were seized.