Burslem Central

Tackling Rough Sleeping and Associated Issues in Burslem Town Centre

Rough sleeping remains an issue in Burslem Town Centre and is often associated with concerns such as anti-social behaviour, drug-related activity, and public order incidents.
Over the past quarter, and continuing into the next, we are prioritising work to address these issues while supporting vulnerable individuals. Our approach includes:
• Early engagement and support: Officers are conducting early morning patrols to identify individuals who may be rough sleeping. We work closely with the Rough Sleeper Team, charities, and partner agencies to verify individuals and offer support, advice, and access to services.
• Increased visible patrols: There is an enhanced police presence in the town centre, with regular foot patrols aimed at deterring anti-social behaviour and providing reassurance to the community.
• Firm action where necessary: Where individuals decline support and continue to engage in criminal or anti-social behaviour, we will take appropriate and proportionate enforcement action.

Tackling traffic offences and anti-social use of off-road bikes

This continues to be a priority for us to reduce the impact this behaviour is having on local residents.
Over the past quarter, and continuing into the next, we have been and will continue to take action to address this issue through:
• Targeted patrols and specialist support: We are working closely with our Road Crime Team, including bike officers and advanced drivers, to target key locations at the times where issues are most prevalent, based on intelligence and data.
• Coordinated operations: We are carrying out targeted days of action using a range of resources, including Road Crime officers, police off-road bikes, drones, and the fixed-wing aircraft to identify and disrupt offenders.
• Partnership working and enforcement: We continue to work alongside Stoke-on-Trent City Council as part of Operation Transom, our joint approach to tackling nuisance off-road bikes. With information provided by the public, we are identifying riders and, where evidence allows, seizing bikes and prosecuting those responsible.

We are also working with housing partners to address issues linked to properties. In some cases, where offenders live in local authority housing, tenancy enforcement action has been taken.

Retail Crime

We have seen a national increase in shop theft. Working alongside PABCIS we have successfully applied and secure funding to bring PABCIS to retail and licensed premises within Burslem. Work is underway with businesses to sign them onto the scheme with a view to reduce retail crime and disorder in the town.

Anti Social Behaviour

This has been identified as an area historically high in serious violence and as such, is an area dedicated for patrols using government funding with officers carrying out foot patrols in the worst affected streets. Other locations have been identified for ASB mainly from gathering youths and other areas have been targeted for patrols by PCSOs in support of youth provision for the area.