Successful Crime Reduction Blitz On Baslow

AGENCIES from across the Derbyshire Dales have been delighted with the success of a recent crime prevention campaign in the Baslow area, as part of Operation Relentless.
 
Local police officers, PCSOs, and the Derbyshire Dales Community Safety Partnership together with teams from the fire and rescue services, housing organisations and staff from a nearby leisure centre visited around 400 homes in the area to offer security marking, safety and crime prevention advice.
 
Residents were given Selecta DNA kits, a liquid form of DNA which is painted onto property so that if it is stolen, police can trace it back to the owners through a nationwide database. The campaign has been so successful that more kits are being ordered, with a community event to be set up for other residents in the area who may have missed out.
 
In the last six years, burglaries in Derbyshire have fallen by nearly 52 per cent but the team chose Baslow for the blitz due to its close location with the borders of South Yorkshire, which makes it one of the first places criminals encounter when entering the Dales from the north and east.
 
Around 20 First Contact referrals were also made as a result of the visits. The First Contact Scheme runs nationwide and acts as a signposting service, to allow people who are more vulnerable to get assistance from a wide range of organisations for advice on issues such as home security and fire safety.
 
Sgt. Nick Reason, who helped to organise the security marking event in Baslow, said: "Successful partnership working is the way forward to keep the Derbyshire Dales a safe place to live. The campaign has been very popular with residents and is another part of the jigsaw of the countywide initiative Operation Relentless - with the aim of improving communities and building confidence in partnership agencies."
 
PC Kevin Lowe, of the Tideswell and Area Safer Neighbourhood Team was involved in the home visits, where residents were encouraged to mark any items of value in their homes such as flatscreen TVs, laptop computers and iPods with forensic marking product  SelectaDNA.

PC Lowe said: "We received really positive feedback from residents and many properties were issued with SelectaDNA kits, which will act as a deterrent to thieves. It's also great that we've been able to work alongside partners to help people get extra support and assistance from other agencies if they need it."