What’s been happening in The Shires area of Hull

Over the past week police officers, the Fire Service, and Hull City Council have been taking part in a week of action and enforcement in The Shires area of west Hull. 

It follows residents’ concerns about issues such as antisocial behaviour (ASB), crime, and littering particularly surrounding Dorset Street.

It comes from information authorities got from our Humber Talking surveys, and from speaking with people living in the area on their patrols.

Some of the main concerns were about a handful of people living on Dorset Street and a group of youths causing issues. The ten-foots that run between the houses were also a worry as litter had been building up which was creating obstructions which were in turn becoming fire hazards. 

Hull West Neighbourhoods Sergeant Craig Leitch said: “On Monday 5 August a week of action focused on Dorset Street started. The reason this street was chosen was due to the demand and calls for service being generated from there for us and our partners.

“It began with officers from the Hull West neighbourhood team, Hull City Council ASB officers, local area co-ordinators, and Humberside Fire and Rescue visiting every house in the street together.

“Humber Talking surveys were completed as well as fire safety assessments for those who wanted them. The purpose of this was to get a better understanding of the issues faced by residents. A number of residents took part in this, signed up to my community alerts and provided us with some really good information and intelligence.

“On Tuesday 6 August in response to the information we received, a Misuse of Drugs Act warrant was executed at an address on Dorset Street. No arrests were made but evidence of drugs misuse was identified, which could potentially help with possible civil action in the near future.

“We and our partners also went out with the local ward councillor later that day. The community engagement bus was used throughout the day almost like a ‘pop-up surgery’ where our officers were available to chat with anyone who came along.

“Throughout the rest of the week officers were out and about in the area, day and night. On Friday, a community ‘drop in’ surgery took place at a local café where we invited people to come along, again to let us know about what they were concerned about.

“The response from the community has been extremely positive which I’m really glad about. A lot of people said thank you to us for the work we’re doing.

“There has also been a lot of work going on in the background looking at long term solutions, focusing on certain individuals and issues flagged up to us throughout the week. 

“The wheels are already in motion regarding the action we’ll be taking against those people who have been responsible for causing the most disruption within the community.  

“We continue to work with partners including property management companies and landlords in order to deal with those who do not respect their neighbours or their community. This will include using both any criminal and civil legislation that is available to us.

“Our long term ambition is to make Dorset Street a safe and desirable community once again and to ‘freshen up’ and raise the profile of the area.    

“Over the coming months the community will the see the results of those positive changes. Thank you to everyone who we met and spoke with throughout the week.”

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