More than 70 arrests in unsolved crimes op

MORE than 70 arrests have been made so far in an operation to clear up 4,000 unsolved Notts crimes.

The 20-strong team of detectives and other police officers on Operation Resolve have been focussing on "shelved'' crimes from the last two years.

Their work, which started in October, is set to continue until March 31.

In the first seven weeks of the operation, more than 70 arrests were made. Thirty people were charged or cautioned – and a further 27 bailed pending further inquiries.

These latest figures, from October 11 to November 27, show officers have got through more than three-quarters of the unsolved cases.

The initial results were discussed at a recent meeting of Notts Police Authority.

Documents from the meeting show £300,000 was allocated from force budgets to Operation Resolve.

As of November 27 last year, £55,000 of the budget had been used.

Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Waterfield, head of crime and intelligence, said many of the undetected crimes were violence offences which can prove difficult to pursue due to a number of factors, including the wishes of the victim.

"The team is continuing to look at undetected offences from the last two years and have already seen a number of people charged or bailed," he said.

"Some of the investigations are complex but we are working through them using the most up to date systems and technology. "We have been in contact with a number of victims and witnesses in cases that have been reviewed and we hope this helps increase their confidence by knowing we don't just forget about them."

Details of the intensive bid to increase detections of "shelved" cases were not revealed by Notts Chief Constable Julia Hodson when she launched the force's Policing for You with 20/20 Vision initiative in November.

This drive includes a pledge to increase crime detection by 20% over the next 18 months.

Speaking to the Post in December a retired Notts Detective Superintendent, who did not want to be named, said failures to pursue named or obvious suspects at the earliest opportunity had failed the public.

"There are meant to be checks and balances. The section sergeant should be teaching their officers to deal with things properly. There will always be mistakes, but 4,000 is a hell of a lot."

guy.woodford@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk