The local man, who is in his 40s, was caught following an investigation into incidents of fly-tipping and fire-setting on a grassed area adjacent to Coniston Road in the town.
He was issued with two Fixed Penalty Notices of £1,000 each earlier this month by Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council after CCTV provided evidence of the wrongdoing on three separate occasions in February and March.
It is the latest success for Operation Galvanise which was launched last year. The initiative has led to other arrests but also seeks to prevent crime, maximise multi-agency cooperation and build confidence in the community that problems will be dealt with.
In this case, council officers, police officers, firefighters and housing association colleagues from Beyond Housing all shared information as part of a combined effort to end fly-tipping in the town.
Cleveland Fire Brigade explained that every time the service was called to deal with fire-setting incidents in the area cost about £2,500.
Cllr Neil Bendelow, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, said:
“It was the council who issued the fines in this particular case, but the wider operation is genuine combined effort with all parties playing a vital role. Everyone involved can be hugely proud of their efforts so far. No-one pretends that Galvanise can provide a magic wand to solve what are sometimes deeply ingrained problems – but it is becoming increasingly clear that it is having a real, positive impact for law-abiding citizens who simply want to go about their lives in peace. I’d like to thank everyone involved in this case and in the whole operation.”
Neighbourhoods Chief Inspector Greg Owens from Cleveland Police added:
“Whether it’s through tackling serious and organised crime in Grangetown or supporting our partner agencies taking action against environmental issues like fly tipping or deliberate fire setting, under Operation Galvanise Cleveland Police remains committed to continue its work to improve the area for everyone living and working there. We rely on local people to tell us about crime and anti-social behaviour in the area and I’d encourage them to continue to report at any time to Cleveland Police via the 101 number or online via our website. However if you don’t feel able to speak to police you can always pass information completely anonymously to www.crimestoppers-uk.org or phone them on 0800 555 111.”
Lee Brown, Assistant Director of Prevention, Protection and Planning for Cleveland Fire Brigade said:
“Fly-tipping and deliberate fire-setting put people, animals, property and our local environment at significant risk. Every fire has a cost. This individual has been identified thanks to the strong partnership working between agencies, which we are proud to be part of. The cost of our firefighters attending these incidents was approximately £2,500 to the taxpayer. These deliberate acts of vandalism also divert vital emergency resources away from other emergencies where lives could be at risk. By continuing to work together and with our local communities, we hope to continue to improve the area to make it a safer and happier place to be.”
Richard Cooper, Director of Asset and Sustainability at Beyond Housing said:
“Protecting the wellbeing of our customers and their neighbours is always our priority. The fly-tipping had a clear impact on the wider community, and it was important that we worked with our partners to bring them to an end. We will continue to work in partnership to ensure our communities are clean, safe places to live.”
Operation Galvanise is being supported by Cleveland Police, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, Beyond Housing, Cleveland Fire Brigade, educational establishments, the Probation Service, Youth Justice, Public Health, North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit Network (NEROCU).
You can report fly tipping online using our self-service system here.