In March 2021 Inspector Derek Hussain joined the East Riding North Neighbourhood Policing Team. Based at Bridlington police station, Inspector Hussain is looking forward to working with the local community of the area which covers not only Bridlington but Driffield and Hornsea too and all the rural villages from Fimber on the west, Fordon in the North, Flamborough on the east and Cowden on the south.
We spoke with Inspector Hussain and asked him what has brought him to the area. Derek said, “I joined Humberside two years ago when I transferred from the Metropolitan Police where I’d spent ten years. I saw the opportunity for a transfer and moved here with my family to the beautiful East Riding in 2019.
“When I came to Humberside Police I was a sergeant and was asked to be the sergeant of a patrol team based in Hull city centre. Patrol officers deal with response calls to 101 and 999 so it was a busy and interesting time for me and my colleagues.
“As I continued to work in Hull I joined the Operation Yellowfin team, which tackles those who illegally ride motorcycles or ride them in an antisocial way. In London I worked on a similar scheme and reduced motorcycle related crime in the Oxford Street areas by 60% and we have had a similar success in the reduction of motorcycle related crime in Hull too.
“I then worked in Custody at Clough Road for six months before being promoted to Inspector around 12 months ago.
“Having had ten years’ experience in London with the Metropolitan Police, we share similar problems to Bridlington and Driffield, there are issues with drugs, antisocial behaviour issues, homelessness and motorcycles riding antisocially in London and in our area too. I bring the experience in dealing and solving crimes in the capital to tackling the problems we face here.
We asked Derek what he was most looking forward to in his new role, he said, “I am really looking forward to exploring the beautiful countryside that surrounds us here in the East Riding. I have only visited here as a tourist so as the Inspector for the area I really want to make sure our residents and visitors feel safe here. This is such a large area and coming out of city centre policing, the biggest issue for me is not getting lost out here! I need to get to know the geography of the area.
“I am also looking forward meeting all the new partners in the local authorities and charities locally. Inspector Rob Cocker has developed some excellent working relations within this community and I am looking to build on his foundations.
“I want to make sure our rural communities know who I am and who the community police team are. I want to reach out to them to make sure they know who to come to when they have a problem.”
Inspector Hussain wants to reassure the community of his new area, “The levels of crime in the East Riding remain relatively low but we of course do have issues in our towns and villages.
“In Bridlington there are issues with drugs, anti-social behaviour, antisocial riding of motorbikes. Operation Gatehouse has been underway in Bridlington for some time, this tackles the local problems of drugs and the antisocial behaviour associated with it.
“Through Humber Talking and our contact with the community they tell us that the biggest problems are drugs and ASB and we will continue to work hard to tackle that.
“Concentrating on this as a team through Op Gatehouse, we can reduce the levels of drugs and antisocial behaviour in the town with can make a huge impact on making the town feel much safer for everyone, while building on trust and confidence in the police. We have been working with British Transport Police BTP to target those criminals using the trains to bring drugs into our towns. These joint operations are crucial in tackling this issue too.
“In Driffield there is a small concern with drugs but here the main issues are of antisocial behaviour and rural crime. With the new Rural Task Force based in the town we are working closely with them to deal with issues such as farm machinery theft, burglary offences against wildlife.
“In Hornsea they share the similar concerns as Driffield. Holderness is a very rural area and the issues here are of anti-social behaviour and of people using the old railway lines to anti-socially ride motorbikes into the town.”
Derek is keen on making sure his team of officers and staff are well supported in their passion to make a difference in their community and said, “I want to set a clear direction to this already highly motivated team of police officers, PCSOs, staff and volunteers. They are all working so hard in their community and I want to make sure they received the right support from me.
“The police teams in the East Riding are so passionate about their roles, the reason for that is that they live here and want to make our region a great place and a safe place to live. Our officers and staff live so locally they just want to make their own communities better for everyone.
“From the Chief Constable, Mr Freeman, to our boots on the ground we are dedicated to community policing and to providing an outstanding service to our community.”
Inspector Hussain finishes by talking about how he is hoping for a bright future in the East Riding and how the community can help make that happen, “If I ask someone in Bridlington I want them to say that they feel safe to live here and proud to be someone from this area. The Neighbourhood team here are part of that and have those same feelings, they are proud to serve their community and proud to be a part of it too.
“The police cannot do everything on our own, we need the support from the local authority, local business and the public to help us tackle crime together.
“Can I please urge our community to continue to call us, no matter how small the matter is, we want to know about it. You might be the person that provides the piece of the puzzle that we are working on.
“We have so many ways in which to get in touch, speak to the officers who are out on patrol, speak to me when you see me, call 101, contact Crimestoppers or contact us through our website or social media. We take each report seriously and will do what we can to help solve problems. Our community are our eyes and ears.”
To find out more about the local issues facing your area and to keep in touch with your local team, follow us on social media or head over to our website: https://www.humberside.police.uk/area/bridlington
