The launch of a new scheme to clamp down on crime and grime will begin in Morecambe’s West End. The Crime and Grime Beat Sweeps start in August and will take place in several grot spots around the district over the coming year.
The clean sweeps take four weeks to complete and begin with intelligence gathering in the first phase. The Police, Fire and Rescue Service, Street Wardens and Lancaster City Council officers will undertake an '‘Environmental Visual Audit’ to identify problem areas and gather intelligence for the second week of the programme which deals with enforcement.
During week two, enforcers will hit the streets targeting people who have dumped rubbish and litter. Those allowing their dogs to walk without a lead or foul on the pavements will be tackled with fixed penalty notices. The Fire and Rescue Service accompanied by the Police, Trading Standards, Environmental Health and Housing Standards will visit licensed premises and HMOs to ensure all regulations are being adhered to. Firefighters will also target phone kiosks within the area from which hoax calls are made.
TV licence evaders should also beware, as Capita will be on site checking and enforcing households with no TV licence.
During the second week, the police will be running ‘Operation Boswell’ with the help of DVLA, HM Customs and Excise, the Environment Agency and the Vehicle Inspectorate to clamp down on vehicle crime. Stagecoach will be carrying out additional inspections on bus routes targeting vandalism and fare dodgers.
This ‘Crime & Grime Clean Sweep’ initiative is supported by the city council’s ‘Putting litter in its Place’ campaign, which aims to improve cleanliness in the district by focussing on education, enforcement and service delivery.
Week three will focus on reassuring the community by providing advice through knocking on doors and leafleting. The Fire and Rescue Service will offer advice on home fire safety and the dangers of alcohol related fires.
The Neighbourhood Policing Team will also be visiting repeat offenders and victims of crime.
The final week involves an environmental clean up and will concentrate on a thorough spring clean of the streets. Chatsworth Road in the West End of Morecambe has been selected to receive special treatment. Here, residents will be asked to remove their cars so that the gullies can be thoroughly deep cleaned.
The Arson Reduction Vehicle will be collecting any dumped rubbish highlighted on week one’s ‘Environmental Visual Audit’. The abandoned vehicle officer will assist in responding to reports of abandoned vehicles and there will be lots of other clean up activities running alongside such as litter-picking, rubbish removal and boarding up derelict properties. Bus shelters that have been vandalised or covered in graffiti will be cleaned and repaired and the Street Wardens will also be targeting graffiti hotspots and ensuring it is removed. The four-week clean sweep will culminate with a community litter pick, organised by the Street Wardens.
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