Wealden police team shares award-winning work against anti-social behaviour in Uckfield at national conference

The award-winning Operation Asteroid was created in response to the problems in Uckfield and engaged with youths involved with, or at risk of, crime.

Operation Asteroid was announced as the winner of the neighbourhoods category of the 2020/21 Tilley Awards in February this year.

Sussex Police say the operation centred around a community-wide assessment carried out by East Sussex County Council’s Children’s Services team, which identified issues and explored ways in which partners in the community could play a role in addressing them.

On Tuesday (September 28) the team behind the initiative presented their approach at the National Problem Solving Conference in Burton-on-Trent.

Inspector Kara Tombling said, “It has been an amazing opportunity and privilege to work with our partners within East Sussex Social Services and other stakeholders to understand and support the young children involved in this project, diverting them away from crime and preventing them from becoming vulnerable individuals in the community, and making the community a safer place for all.

“It was a privilege to be able to share this fantastic work with our colleagues around the country to showcase everyone’s hard work and dedication and hope other young children across the United Kingdom can benefit from this approach.”

Since May 2020, police say there has been a significant drop in offending by the young people involved in Operation Asteroid and a noticeable reduction in anti-social behaviour in some of the hot-spot areas within Uckfield.