Northampton town centre operation reaps rewards

An operation which ran in Northampton town centre from December to January has resulted in multiple charges.

Operation Lapland was led by the Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Team and ran from December 9 to January 2.

Its aim was to focus on the crimes seen most often in a town centre during busy periods such as shoplifting, anti-social behaviour, vehicle crime and robbery.

As part of the operation, high-visibility patrols were conducted during the daytime and into the evening each day with multiple stores visited and their staff engaged with.

Joint patrols were also carried out alongside the Northampton Business Improvement District (BID) which was set up to ensure the town centre excels as a place to work, do business, shop and visit.

As a result of the operation which included stop searches, information provided by town centre stores, and the team’s quick responses, 13 arrests were made for a variety of offences including theft, breach of court bail, attempted theft, burglary, handling stolen goods, possession of Class A drugs and being drunk and disorderly.

From those 13 arrests, 11 people have so far been charged.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Beth Warren said: “Op Lapland was set up to fight crime during one of our busiest periods and I’m really pleased with the results.

“Sadly, whilst the majority of people are preparing for the holiday period, a small percentage use the festive season to commit crimes in busy town centres, hoping they will go unnoticed. That is not the case in Northampton and I hope this sends a message to offenders in future years.

“One of the things I’m most pleased about is the reaction from the public who saw us on patrol in the town centre. We know that what people want to see is uniformed officers providing that reassurance and I’m glad we were able to give people that.

“We will not let up through 2024 and will continue working alongside the Northampton BID to tackle crime in our town centre.”