Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Nicola Davis-Lyons said conversations with businesses in the town centre wanted increased visibility to feel safe. (Image: Nadia Lincoln LDRS) Sign up to our free email newsletter to receive the latest breaking news and daily roundups More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you.
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This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice An operation to drive down crime and anti-social behaviour in the town centre ahead of the reopening of the regenerated Market Square is being implemented by Northamptonshire Police. 'Operation Workforce' is tackling retail crime, drugs, serious violence and anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Northampton through visible policing and communications with business owners and residents.
Ten arrests were made last week for assault, public order and shop thefts as the operation concentrated on reducing serious violence. The increased police engagement comes as the town's iconic square is increasingly open to the public. Market traders will be welcomed back onto the revitalised site in new cabins and trading stalls tomorrow (September 20) in an initial phase, however there are still parts of the square that are undergoing construction work.
Read more: New revitalised skatepark will be built for Northamptonshire town New cabins ready for traders moving back onto Market Square on Friday, September 20. (Image: Nadia Lincoln LDRS) The full reopening will take place next month on Saturday, October 19, to celebrate the completion of all regeneration works. Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Nicola Davis-Lyons said: "Back in July our Commissioner and the Chief came and did a walk around in the town and that gave them a real opportunity to speak to some of the business owners here.
"It was clear from what they were telling us that they want to see more police, they want to increase our visibility and they also want to be able to come to work and feel safe in the town centre. That’s something that we wanted to tackle with Operation Workforce. "I can’t control the layout of the market but what I can do is look at which individuals are causing these issues with antisocial behaviour and what options have I got to tackle that.
" Operation Workforce continues in the Market Square area this week, with a focus on addressing and preventing anti-social behaviour. The full project has now reached its halfway point at the four-week mark and will continue into October. Inspector Davis-Lyons added: "I want to stress to the community that yes we’ve got these eight weeks of intense activity, but I know the question that everyone is going to have is what happens after the eight weeks.
Police officers on Market Square as part of 'Operation Workforce'. (Image: Nadia Lincoln LDRS) "There’s a lot more than just eight weeks of activity and we’re really working with partners to look at what sustainable changes can we make, how can we work smarter together to make sure we can hold this ground we’ve made through this operation." She said there would be monthly walkabouts to identify crime and ASB hotspots, looking at ways to effectively enforce public space protection orders and creating direct contact points between businesses and a member of their local policing team.
"There’s been a lot of work in the lead-up to [the town centre reopening] and I think that’s going to put us in good standing," she explained. "It is something that we’re looking forward to. We want to be able to see the community come and use this space for what it should be used for.
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