Suffolk Police's new Kestrel team tackle anti-social behaviour during weekend of action in Beccles

A new policing team who are dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in 'hotspots' in Suffolk undertook 'extensive' patrols of Beccles at the weekend.

The Neighbourhood Crime Proactive – or 'Kestrel' – team's aim is to support the force in addressing crime and anti-social behaviour in the county's hotspots, as well as supporting local policing priorities and tackling concerns raised by residents.

Over Saturday and Sunday, the Kestrel team patrolled Beccles – including the train station, skatepark, Tesco car park and town centre – in response to concerns raised by the public.

It came after reports of intimidating anti-social behaviour, some of which was linked to the 'anti-social use' of cars.

The team engaged with residents in the town to gain 'valuable intelligence and information' on other suspected crimes and anti-social behaviour that had recently taken place.

One boy, aged 15, was also arrested after a Misuse of Drugs Act search in the Northgate area of the town.

During the search, a small amount of suspected cannabis was found, along with a number of clear grip seal bags and scales.

The boy was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply and taken to Great Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre for questioning. He was subsequently released under investigation pending further enquiries.

Sgt Kelvin Wenden from the Kestrel team said: "The weekend spent in Beccles was extremely productive in providing reassurance, visibility as well as a great opportunity to gather valuable intelligence for future operational activity and potential arrests.

"During our visit to Tesco car park we received positive responses from staff regarding our presence, as well as members of the public thanking us for our time in the area.

"Our work over the weekend in Beccles shows how we are able to dynamically deploy into a particular area for a period of time to target crime and work alongside the relevant local policing team and respond to community concerns."

The funding for the Kestrel team, which consists of seven officers, has come from money provided by Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner's 4.69 per cent increase to the policing element of council tax precept for this financial year.

Sgt Wenden added: "This rise will ensure the force continues to robustly tackle emerging criminality and will strengthen the force’s proactive capability to respond to community concerns."

Suffolk's Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: "I’m so pleased to see our new Kestrel team making such an impact in Beccles – this is exactly what we wanted.

"The funding of these officers has come from some of the policing precept in this year's council tax and I hope people will see that their extra funding really is making a difference.

"As the name suggests, this team has been brought together to swoop into areas where additional resource is required to deal with issues affecting communities, working alongside local policing teams.

"I think the success over the weekend speaks for itself.”

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