New taskforce launched to tackle anti-social behaviour and clean up Great Yarmouth town centre

In what is the first initiative of its kind in Norfolk, from next week there will be four new council enforcement officers, three more police officers and three additional street cleansing operatives, all of whom will be focused on anti-social behaviour, resolving problem properties and keeping streets clean and tidy.

The issues were all highlighted by residents as issues they wanted the council to focus on and GYBC, working with the Town Board, has secured Government funding via the Pride in Place programme for the initiative, which will see £20m of investment in the borough over the next decade.

The project means that for the first time in Norfolk a council will now be helping to fund police officers to provide a dedicated resource for the works.

Councillor Paul Wells, GYBC's portfolio holder for Environment and Sustainability, Licensing and Waste, said: ''Residents have made it crystal clear that improving the look and the feel of the town and dealing with anti-social behaviour so people feel safe and that there is a welcoming environment is vitally important.

''Last year we introduced a new Public Spaces Protection order to target street drinking and a range of other issues, but we need to go further. The new taskforce will ensure enforcement is stepped up and there is a more targeted focus on street cleaning, fly-tipping and run-down buildings.

''We have prosecuted more than a dozen people with more cases due in court - and fines and charges of more than £14,000 have been handed down, as have jail sentences - but without this additional resource to ensure enforcement it has been difficult to deliver the changes at the pace everyone wants to see.

''This new initiative sends out a strong message - if you come to Great Yarmouth, behave anti-socially and intimidate others you will face the full force of the laws at our disposal. The public won't tolerate their town being spoilt by a small number of people.''

As well as crime and anti-social behaviour, the new teams will bolster existing police resources and council services to deal with waste management, the street scene and poorly managed and empty properties.

As part of the plan, there is also a major focus on educating people and providing support and advice where appropriate, with the council's outreach team on hand to signpost people to housing services or NHS practitioners. Officers say, where possible, they want to help people move on from street-attached lifestyles.

They say the new dedicated team aims to permanently change behaviour, increase people's pride in the town, ensure Great Yarmouth is seen as a safe place to visit and to continues to build on ambitions to make it an attractive and prosperous place to live, work and visit.

Councillor Wells said: ''Over the last 18 months the council has targeted its work to better focus on what we know matters to people. We have re-shaped the way we approach grounds maintenance and street cleaning. We have seen improvements in grass cutting, maintenance, emptying of bins and litter picking.

''And hot-spot campaigns in Cobholm, the Barrack Estate and Churchill Passages have reduced fly tipping and increased recycling rates. But there is much still to do - for instance, overflowing bins in the town are targeted by gulls and litter is picked up in the wind. And there is still visible on-street drinking by a small, hard-core group of people.''

Inspector Andy Tomlinson, Norfolk Police Inspector for Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, said: "This new taskforce gives us the dedicated resources we need to focus directly on the issues residents are most concerned about.

''By working side‑by‑side with our council partners, we can respond more quickly, use our enforcement powers more effectively and support people in need. Our aim is clear: to make Great Yarmouth a safer, more welcoming place for everyone who lives, works and visits here."

The council says it is also determined to tackle misuse of town centre bins - by trade waste, and people using them for residential waste. It added that, where possible, it prosecutes those responsible for fly-tipping offences.

In addition, empty or unkempt properties attract anti-social behaviour, arson and can facilitate organised crime, enabling things like cannabis factories to take root. And, although the council has had some success in addressing these issues, it wants to do more.

In the town centre, the Rows and behind the seafront, the new taskforce will work with the council's Environmental Rangers to tackle problems on a street-by-street basis, educating residents and businesses, and using enforcement powers to make sure people committing offences are held accountable.

Councillor Wells said: ''We are determined to do all we can to tackle issues which blight our community. We want everyone to have pride in Great Yarmouth and make sure it is the welcoming place our residents deserve. The new taskforce is the latest step in our work to achieve that and I'd like to thank all of our partners in helping us to get things off the ground with this unique initiative.''