Anti social behaviour is upsetting and we have always encouraged the reporting of incidents so that we can put patrols in specific locations and deal appropriately with those responsible.
It is unfair to state that every Friday or Saturday night there is anti social behaviour. Historically there tends to be loud talking and shouting on the way home after a night out but is that Anti Social Behaviour? This is why we ask people to report incidents so that we can be in the right place at the right time.
There is no evidence of anti social behaviour getting worse; in the last three months there has been a reduction within the Market Rasen beat.
I have been in charge of policing this area for six years and violent crime and public disorder has reduced on Friday and Saturday nights.
Prior to the later drinking hours all pubs in Rasen finshed at the same time which often led to friction at takeaways and in the street. Now there is one open to 2am on Saturdays and Sundays and one till 1am which helps disperse people at different times.
The licencees in town regularly meet police and the Pub Watch is successful with people causing problems banned from all licensed premises. Two were banned this week for two years.
The offender who damaged the telephone kiosk and antique window was arrested on the night.
I have never said ' we do not have a problem' and never will, and do not come up with excuses. It is obvious that Rasen does have some anti social behaviour. Anti social and crime issues are generally relative to the size of the area.
There are no infinite resources and every Police Force in the country would like more officers. I am fully aware of what is happening in Rasen and I do go out on patrol at weekends but other reponsibilities take up a large amout of time so I cannot be just in Market Rasen itself.
Market Rasen is regularly patrolled day and night, seven days a week and at weekends extra staff are often rostered.
I go on to the Tesco 'barricades'. This is ground owned by Tescos and a number of complaints were made about noise caused by youths congregating in cars. Officers attended and spoke to them, which worked at the time, but the cars would return. To have an officer there all night would not be the best use of their time and because the land is private property, powers are limited. Noise is mainly an environmental Issue and not a police matter - officers can only give advice.
As a result of the positive action taken by Tescos the problem has stopped; a good example of others taking responsibilty.
CCTV introduced to Market Rasen by support of the Town Council has enabled a number of public order offences and assaults to be detected and offenders prosecuted as it provides corroboration. It is monitored 24 hours a day and operators have often picked up on incidents which has allowed deployment to the scene to deal with the incident before matters escalate. CCTV has proved to be a clear benefit to the town.
Dealing with incidents positively can vary from giving advice/warnings to being arrested and prosecuted.
Only with victim statements can we get a case to court. In the past three months a large majority of public order offences and assaults have been detected and people arrested but we have been unable to progress some because the complainant does not wish to pursue the matter - but I agree that people should report all crime and suspicious incidents when it is happening.
Officers are on duty 24 hours a day and I encorage the reporting of suspicious activity, you will not be criticised for making calls in good faith. Where matters are reported my staff will do their best, but on occasions we too get frustrated that we may not have the powers to deal with certain matters.
I appreciate people's frustrations in being a victim of crime but we all need to work together for an even better place to live and work. All my staff are willing to give advice and reassurance and if the author of last week's letter wants to get in touch I'd be pleased to discuss these matters with him directly.

Insp Rod Brant
Sector Inspect, Market Rasen