An operation that has seen anti-social behaviour rates plummet to their lowest since 2014 has been relaunched in North Tyneside.
Operation Coastwatch has gone from strength to strength over the years with North Tyneside Council working alongside Northumbria Police and Nexus to tackle pockets of disorder along the award-winning coastline.
The annual activity has led to a significant decrease in anti-social behaviour in the coastal area, with a 31% drop compared to rates from the same period in 2022, and the lowest rates of ASB since recording began nearly a decade ago.
Set to run throughout the summer, the operation looks to reassure communities that they can enjoy their summer evenings hassle-free, with partners taking swift action to prevent incidents of disorder during the forecasted warm weather.
The activity will include targeted patrols, proactive work within transport hubs to disrupt and stop any anti-social behaviour before it reaches the coastline, as well as community engagement tools such as the touring CCTV vans.
Officers will be gathering and sharing cross-agency intelligence on those believed to be taking part in criminality or disorder.
Superintendent Kevin Waring, of Northumbria Police, is overseeing the operation and has thanked the public for their ongoing support.
He said: “The figures speak for themselves, and we all know Operation Coastwatch gets results – tackling the issues that are most important to our communities and making a real, tangible difference in tackling anti-social behaviour.
“We are proud of the positive impact this partnership-led approach has had on our coastal communities during warmer months, and we hope that will be the case again this summer.
“Of course, these results don’t come by accident. A lot of planning goes into these operations and with each heatwave or warmer spell we carefully set out a targeted and planned approach to ensure we can be as successful as possible.
“We know that the anti-social behaviour of a minority can have an impact on local residents and businesses, and we want to reassure them that we along with our partners are here to continue to support and protect communities.”
Supt Waring added: “There were almost 2.5 million visits to Tynemouth, Cullercoats, Whitley Bay, and North Shields between April and September 2022 and we are lucky to have some of the best coastal areas in the country right here in the North East.
“So we need to ensure those visitors are able to come to the area and enjoy themselves without their experience being tarnished by the behaviour of a small minority.
“As ever, I’d ask the wider community to help us and continue to show their support. I’d encourage parents and carers to continue to engage, work with us by speaking to your children about where they are heading, what they are doing and the potential consequences of getting mixed up in anti-social behaviour.”
Councillor Karen Clark, Cabinet Member for Community safety and tackling anti-social behaviour, said: ““Following a significant drop in the number of reported incidents of ASB at the coast, the council is once again teaming up with our colleagues at Northumbria Police and Nexus to make sure that our coast and open spaces remain safe and enjoyable for all.
“The data we have is very encouraging but we know that disorder can occur during hot weather, as it does in any other part of the country, and we will continue working with our partners to tackle it and to build on the success of previous years.”
Officers and partners at Nexus are also asking the public to be mindful of their behaviour whilst travelling on the transport network within the region.
Metro Operations Director, Kevin Storey, said: “A joined up approach to tackling anti-social behaviour, through Operation Coastwatch, involving the police, North Tyneside Council and Nexus, is having a real impact across those communities and at locations where problems are occurring. Our customers can be assured that this work will continue.
“Metro stations are major gateways into North Tyneside and we want to ensure journeys by the law abiding majority of customers aren’t spoiled by a small minority of troublemakers. Metro is a safe system to travel on and we are determined to keep it that way.
“High visibility patrols combined with plain clothed operations by the police, and the roll out of our security teams to the majority of our evening Metro services is counteracting anti-social behaviour. Anyone who thinks about causing trouble on Metro, or in those popular coastal beauty spots served by Metro, may want to think again, as they are likely to get caught and face prosecution.”
The operation also has the full support of Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, who said: “The reduction in ASB in our coastal communities shows that this operation is working and is delivering the results local people want to see.
“It’s a great example of how a truly joint effort can make an impact. From more police patrolling the seafront areas to investing in youth engagement on our Metro - it’s all playing a part in driving ASB down and there is real determination to see this continue.”
Anybody who is concerned about anti-social behaviour in their area, or is aware of any criminality, is asked to report it to us by speaking to an officer on patrol, via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or calling 101.
