Police operation in response to violent crime set to launch in Northampton

A police operation to tackle violent crime is set to launch in Northampton.

Operation Revive was launched by Northamptonshire Police in Wellingborough in 2021 in response to an increase in violence across the town.

Taking a holistic approach which focused on prevention as much as enforcement, officers aimed to tackle the issues by not only arresting the offenders but by working with partners to divert young people away from crime.

As a result of this activity, police say the north of the county has seen a decline in the number of crimes associated with drugs, gangs and serious violence. Both community intelligence and safeguarding activity have “increased significantly”.

Now the operation is launching in Northampton and officers are asking for help and community intelligence from members of the public.

Chief inspector Nathan Murray said: “When serious violence and drugs are involved, we know that we cannot just arrest ourselves out of the problem. We need to find other, more preventative ways, of solving the issues at hand, and that’s what Op Revive aims to do.

“One of the main things we want to achieve through this operation is to instil confidence in our communities that they can pass information onto us without fear and with the belief that we will act on their intelligence.

“We know that our communities are concerned about reprisals when they speak to the police but we don’t necessarily need to know who you are, just what you know. We will never reveal the sources of our information, unless we have your express permission.

“I am confident that with the help of local residents, Op Revive will be a success just as it has been in Wellingborough.”

Now, the same operation is being launched in Northampton led by the Neighbourhood Policing Team.

What police say the operation will focus on

• Identifying the offenders responsible for the majority of serious violence and drug dealing in key areas of Northampton and working to bring them to justice

• Taking enforcement action against these people through warrants and civil injunctions

• Diverting people on the periphery of crime to partners including CIRV (Community Initiative to Reduce Violence) and the ACE (Advisory Centre for Education) team to prevent them from falling further into criminality

• Identifying vulnerable people at risk of exploitation, modern slavery and cuckooing, and protecting them

• Identifying the areas which have high numbers of anti-social behaviour and motorcycle nuisance and tackling them

• Giving the community the confidence in being able to pass information and intelligence onto police without fear

Councillor David Smith, West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services, said: ‘’Operation Revive is a great opportunity for partner agencies to work together with the community to tackle crime, protect vulnerable people and help improve the local area for our residents.

“The council has recently invested in projects around the town centre, such as making our night time economy safer, that will not only improve the area but also crack down on crime hotspots. We look forward to working closely with all partners throughout this operation.”

To contact the officers working on Op Revive with community intelligence, call 101 or email [email protected].