Crime and anti-social behaviour blight the lives of decent, hard-working people across Bassetlaw.
Tackling it has been one of my top priorities since day one, and I want to pay tribute to our local police for the real progress they have made over the past year.
Since being elected as your MP, I have stayed in close contact with our local Police Inspector, making sure your concerns are heard loud and clear.
Time and again, residents have raised the same issues with me: drugs and disorder in Worksop town centre, dangerous car racing on the A57, rising burglary, and rural crime hitting our villages and farms. I have taken those priorities straight to the police and they are acting.
People living close to the A57 are facing the chaos caused by illegal car racing on the A57.
I worked alongside the police and Bassetlaw District Council to get an ANPR camera installed to catch reckless drivers in the act. The Council has also consulted the public on new powers, called a Public Space Protection Order, to clamp down on the advertising and promotion of these dangerous meets. We have come a long way, but there is still more to do.
Drug crime is one of the biggest causes of anti-social behaviour. It destroys lives, fuels shoplifting and violence, and makes town centres feel unsafe.
Through Operation Legacy, local officers are working with councils and support services to help people break free from addiction and turn their lives around. But where help is refused and crime continues, the police are rightly taking firm action.
The results speak for themselves. Since June alone, repeat shoplifters have been jailed for a combined total of nearly 500 weeks.
This sends a clear message: crime will not pay. Residents will also have noticed more officers on foot patrol in Worksop, supported by council street wardens. Visible, neighbourhood policing is exactly what people in Bassetlaw tell me we need.
Police are also cracking down hard on drug dealers. In October, six drug warrants were carried out in just three days, leading to arrests and the seizure of drugs and weapons. More recently, a major drugs haul was recovered from a Worksop property, with two men now behind bars. Drug pushers should be under no illusion. The police are watching, and they will act.
Rural crime is another area where strong action is being taken. Theft, poaching and damage to land hits farmers and rural families hard.
Police are listening to rural residents, holding countryside beat surgeries, and launching the new Rural Watch scheme. Officers have visited farms, issued covert CCTV equipment, and in recent weeks reunited stolen utility vehicles with their rightful owner.
Finally, burglary. Police have made tackling burglary a top priority, setting up a dedicated team, charging suspects and rolling out clear advice to stop break-ins before they happen.
There is more to do, but the direction of travel is clear. By listening to residents, backing our police and taking tough action on crime, Bassetlaw will be a safer place to live.