Operation Reclaim: 'Urban explorers' caught after spate of criminal damage incidents

Police have been clamping down on ASB in Nottingham city centre A teenager will have to pay £600 compensation after damaging an entrance door at a multi-storey office block in Nottingham city centre. Police were called after three youths tried to break into the Castle Heights building in Maid Marian Way by kicking a door multiple times on the evening of 20 April.

Entry was not gained, however the bottom of the glass panel door was cracked and smashed (pictured below). Following CCTV enquiries, officers from the City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team identified and tracked down all three male offenders – aged 13, 13 and 18 – and multiple phones, spray paints, gloves, torches and balaclavas were seized as part of the investigation.

All three admitted their involvement, with the group describing themselves as "urban explorers". So-called urban explorers have been known to force entry into abandoned buildings that could be dangerous, often diverting police resources from being used to tackle other crimes.

The 18-year-old, who caused the damaged, admitted responsibility after attending a voluntary interview and was subsequently given a conditional caution. The conditional caution has two conditions, firstly to pay £600 in compensation and secondly to complete seven hours of community work as part of an Immediate Justice programme.

The same teenager also confessed to being part of a group that tried to gain entry to a church office building in Castle Gate by kicking doors and trying windows on 14 April. One of the 13 year olds was also questioned in relation to the incident and, after being presented with compelling evidence, admitted spraying a CCTV camera with spray paint.

Meanwhile, both 13 years olds admitted spraying graffiti onto a neighbouring office building, also in April after more evidence was gathered by neighbourhood officers. Police seized a number of items as part of their investigation work For his role in the vandalism series, the 18-year-old faced further repercussions beyond his conditional discharge.

He was also handed a Community Protection Notice Warning letter with the following conditions for 12 months: Failure to comply will result in the issuing of a full Community Protection Notice (CPN). Breaching a CPN is a criminal offence and can result in court action.

The two 13-year-olds have been referred to our Youth Justice Team, which will review their case and take the best cause of positive action. It comes as Operation Reclaim continues in Nottingham city centre.

Launched in May, the operation is a partnership approach to relentlessly targeting criminals who use the city centre to commit crime. Nottinghamshire Police are using the Home Office tactic called Clear, Hold, Build, where we make the environment as hostile as possible for criminals to operate and ensure the vacuum cannot be filled once they are arrested and charged.

PC Ben King, of the City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "Businesses and the general public have had enough of this kind of behaviour, and so have we. "Young people might think they are being clever by attempting to break into buildings and post content on social media, but the reality is far less glamorous when they find themselves being interviewed by police and held accountable for the damage they have caused.

Funnily enough this does not end up on social media. "As demonstrated in these incidents, we will not tolerate this kind of reckless vandalism and will not hesitate to take action against those causing these issues.

“Our priority is to keep young people safe, and we would urge parents and carers to speak to their children about the very real dangers of unlawfully gaining access to buildings before someone is seriously injured.” Share