Closure Order secured for address plagued by anti-social behaviour

Posted on: Friday, July 21, 2023

Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Housing Team has worked with Nottinghamshire Police to secure a Closure Order for a council property in Newark following more than a year of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB).

The Closure Order was granted at a hearing at Nottingham Magistrates Court this morning (Friday 21 July) and was given for the maximum three months.

Prior to this, a 48-hour Closure Notice was served at the property on the morning of Wednesday 19 July, where Newark Operation Reacher officers attended the property alongside members of the District Council’s Housing Team.

Three individuals were later arrested by the Police for being located inside the property and breaching the Closure Notice. It is an offence to enter or remain on premises in contravention of a Closure Notice or Closure Order without reasonable excuse, punishable by a fine or imprisonment or both.  A Closure Order is designed to provide immediate relief for the community from the ASB being committed from a property.

Councillor Lee Brazier, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “No one should live in fear, yet visitors to this property left neighbours feeling intimidated and with fear of reprisals. Our staff are here to help and are available to speak to you in confidence should you be facing any issues. If you live in a Council property or to report the behaviour or actions of someone who does, you should ask to speak to your Tenancy officer. For wider issues, you can ask to speak to the ASB team or you can use the online ASB reporting form. If you live in a privately rented property, please make your landlord aware of the problem you’re experiencing.”

Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Community Relations at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “We have zero tolerance for anti-social behaviour anywhere in our district and will continue to work with our policing colleagues to stamp this out across our communities. Just last week we announced we will be increasing our resources by recruiting a new Senior ASB Officer and this demonstrates our commitment to residents to prioritise their safety and security.”

Inspector Charlotte Ellam, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood, said: “We know this property and those visiting it were causing antisocial behaviour issues and concern to other residents in the community. By teaming up with our partners at the council we secured the order to close it down and put a stop to criminal behaviour.

“Thanks to the hard work by my neighbourhood officers and the Newark Operation Reacher team we’ve pulled the plug on a group of people blighting our community and our determination to keep the property secure resulted in the arrest of three people only hours later.

“I want to send a strong message to the residents in our communities – we take all reports of anti-social behaviour extremely seriously and will always do everything in our power to investigate, prosecute and work with our partners to keep our communities safe.”

For more information on our website, visit: Anti social behaviour