Local services teams, enforcement officers and police have teamed to form a new task force to tackle anti-social behaviour in the west end of Newcastle.
Newcastle City Council has been working closely with partners to set up the EPiC (Empowering People in Communities) task force which sees partners working together to tackle anti-social behaviour and offer support to residents, businesses and visitors.
One of the objectives of this collaborative work is to tackle environmental crime and make places feel clean and safe, and address concerns of waste being dumped in residential areas.
The authority’s local services team already collect 1,000’s of tonnes of rubbish each year and respond to calls about dumped waste on the city’s streets.
Bin raiders, people who pull out contents of the bin to see what’s inside, and residents failing to dispose of waste in the bins, have been identified as issues.
So now local services teams, council engagement officers, enforcement agents and officers from Northumbria Police are teaming up tackle these issues.
They will be increasing patrols in some of the worst affected areas and stepping up engagement with residents to educate them about the consequences of not using bins responsibly.
It is also hoped increased partnership working will encourage more residents and businesses to report issues of fly tipping so enforcement action can be taken on culprits who repeatedly offend.
Cllr Irim Ali, Cabinet Member for Resilient City, Newcastle City Council said: “Residents have expressed the need for more to be done to tackle issues of anti-social behaviour, particularly waste, in the west end of the city.
“Led by the council and the police this new partnership working sees statutory and non-statutory partners working together to reduce these issues.
“Reducing anti-social behaviour and this type of environmental crime is one of my key priorities and I am proud that we are leading this positive action to ensure Newcastle remains to be an attractive, vibrant city. We encourage all our communities to support us by disposing of waste correctly and reporting any issues in their area. By working together we can make the city one where everyone can feel proud to live.”
Sergeant Le-Anne Beard, of Northumbria Police, said: “We’re pleased to be working alongside our partners to further improve the West End community.
“This latest activity is assisting in keeping the area clean, tidy and welcoming for all and is something we’re proud to support.
“Through EPiC, we want residents in the area to know we are here for them and will act on any concerns they have about where they live.”
The city council have made significant improvements in the last few years to reduce waste and improve recycling rates such as
• New banners, bin stickers, recycling guides and flyers to help households understand what can be recycled.
• Community doorstep engagement program to improve recycling
• Free doorstep collection service for small electricals
• Free small electrical and vape drop off points across the city including Westgate College and West End Library.
• Reducing its own waste, particularly single-use plastics, and encouraging local businesses to match this commitment.
• Plastic bags and Wrapping recycling scheme
• Introduction of a new food waste trial
• Free Community Pop Up Recycling Centre events
• New Bin App about to be released so residents will never miss a collection again with handy notifications and advice straight to their phone.
• School assemblies across the city on recycling and litter prevention
• Love Where You Live project offering free litter picking equipment to schools and residents to help keep Newcastle clean
The council and police are encouraging residents to report illegal fly tipping so that waste can be collected quickly, and offenders identified.
You can do this by contacting 101 or reporting to Home Page - Your Local Services (newcastle.gov.uk) or calling 0191 2787878.