Operation to combat anti-social behaviour in North Tyneside has been relaunched

Operation Coastwatch has gone from strength to strength as Northumbria Police work alongside North Tyneside Council and Nexus to tackle disorder along the North Tyneside coastline.

As a result of the annual activity, anti-social behaviour (ASB) in coastal areas has seen a significant decrease, with a 31% drop compared to rates from the same period in 2022.

It means that rates of ASB are now at their lowest since recording began nearly a decade ago.

The operation has started this weekend and will run throuhout the summer to reassure communities that their summer evenings will be hassle-free.

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 van.

Northumbria Police will also 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 the office who is overseeing the operation and has thanked the public for their support so far.

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.

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“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.”

Despite the success of Operation Coastwatch so far, Supt Waring is asking the community to continue to show their support to keep rates of ASB down.

He 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.”

If you are concerned about ASB or if you are aware of any criminality, it can be reported to Northumbria Police by speaking to officers on patrol, the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of their website or by calling 101.