RISE North Lynn: An ambitious project to crack down on organised crime and improve the area

They are separated by less than one mile – but if you live in North Lynn, you are likely to die ten years earlier than someone in South Wootton.That shocking piece of public health data is one of many reasons behind an innovative project which has been kick-started in a bid to improve the area.The ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ method, originally designed by the Home Office, is being employed in an attempt to crack down on organised crime in North Lynn.

It does what it says on the tin – an area is cleared of criminal activity, work is carried out to prevent its return, and various agencies work together to make the lives of residents better for years to come.North Lynn’s reputation around the area is not a particularly pleasant one. Despite that, a survey being carried out as part of the scheme suggests that people who live there are proud of their community.That gives those involved hope that real change can occur – and we’ve taken a deep dive into what is happening on the ground.

‘RISE NORTH LYNN’ The ambitious scheme has been named ‘RISE North Lynn’, which organisers hope will strike a chord with people.“The word ‘rise’ conjures up rising from something to be something else, and that really is what this is about,” says Inspector Ben Jarvis, who is based at Lynn’s police station. “There are people within this community who want nothing more than to effectively be masters of their own destiny and to look after the area that they live in.

“This project will identify and empower those people to move their ideas forward and to know who they’re working with.”The ‘clear’ aspect of the plan is largely based around identifying what crimes are taking place in the area, who is committing them, and how to stop them.Insp Jarvis says that in North Lynn, there is often organised crime relating to drugs, child sexual exploitation, and the use of young people to commit crimes on behalf of someone else.

Meanwhile, anti-social behaviour is frequent – and people who live this part of town often appear in the magistrates’ court charged with the likes of theft and drunken behaviour. The police are targeting those behind the most serious offences and then doing their best to keep them at bay – keeping North Lynn under ‘hold’ in the process.THE COMMUNITY’S VOICE

At the heart of the ‘build’ phase is a survey which is currently being delivered to doorsteps throughout the area.The Beacon, the community centre which operates from North Lynn Methodist Church, serves as a base for those handing them out.People are invited to provide personal details such as their street, age and connection to the area. They are then asked five ‘essential questions’, querying what they like about North Lynn, what could be added to make it better, what they do not like, and anything they could do personally to improve it.

They are then invited to describe the place using one word only.After that come a series of optional questions, seeking people’s thoughts on issues such as crime, housing, green spaces, education, healthcare and employment.Insp Jarvis says: “Who am I, who are firefighters, who are Freebridge Housing, who are the council, who are anyone to say this place needs ‘X’, when actually the people that live here are the people who should be able to tell us this.

“So the point of the survey is exactly that – tell us what you need in this community. Tell us what’s good. Tell us what’s not so good.“We’ve got a large group of agencies all totally invested in this to try and make a difference based on what you’re telling us rather than what we think.” After taking a look at the results, these agencies are keen to let people know about the findings – but may then conduct a similar survey in a year or so to see if anything has changed.WHO IS INVOLVED?The police have been joined by the fire service, housing associations and councillors in their bid to make a difference.Playing one of the most key roles, however, is The Revd Jon Price, who is heavily involved with everything going on at The Beacon and Methodist Church. He helps to run various activities at The Beacon to get the community involved – particularly young people.There is a cafe at the venue run by volunteers, while a garden project, Saturday markets, pizza nights and coffee mornings are also proving very popular.“There’s a real strong sense of community here. There’s a real desire to do things,” Mr Price says.“We’re probably most involved in the ‘build’ part, which is concerned with listening to the community and responding to things that they want to be involved with and want to see happen. “North Lynn is a great place. There are fantastic things and fantastic people here.“It quite often does get eclipsed by the reputation of the place. Actually, I’ve never felt so welcomed in my life, having lived in other places of the UK.“Our part of the ‘build’, and part of our role as the church, is to point to how God’s kingdom is breaking into the world and saying, ‘Look, there’s some amazing things going on here.”HOW ARE PEOPLE REACTING? Despite the occasional slam of the door or rude survey response, the vast majority of residents approached so far have been more than willing to co-operate with the project.In fact, some people who have yet to be handed a survey have asked for one in advance.“People want to talk to us. It certainly seems that way,” Insp Jarvis says.“It comes back round to that sense of community and that sense of ownership. People actually want to tell us what’s going on. “So it’s been overwhelmingly positive, to the point that the word is getting round that we’re asking the questions and people are answering the door with, ‘Oh you’re here to do the survey?’“The best conversations we’re having are those with people on their own doorstep.”COULD THIS BE REPLICATED?Insp Jarvis hints that the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ method could be employed at other locations in Norfolk if it is successful in North Lynn.He hopes to be able to prove that it is not a “one-trick pony” and can help numerous struggling communities.Several wards in Lynn could be viable candidates, he says, as could places such as Thetford and Norwich.For now, however, the focus remains on North Lynn – particularly the ‘clear’ phase.The ‘hold’ will truly start once data from the surveys has been analysed.CAN CHANGE REALLY HAPPEN IN NORTH LYNN?There is no doubt that there are a wide range of issues to tackle in this area of town.Organised crime might seem like something reserved to television for some – but if young children are being exploited, then it is in all of our best interests for them to be protected and the perpetrators to be stopped.Both Insp Jarvis and Mr Price – and plenty of residents – readily admit that large parts of North Lynn are not particularly nice to look at.This in turn, they say, has an impact on people’s aspirations to improve both their own lives and the place they live. Why strive for something better if your surroundings do not inspire you?Perhaps that is behind the strikingly low life expectancy compared to South Wootton.But the sense of community which is being highlighted through RISE North Lynn proves there is hope. People genuinely want change – and now is the time for it.Meanwhile, with a rise in youth-targeted services, anti-social behaviour among young people is down compared to previous years.“People realise that you are where you live, and where you live is you,” Insp Jarvis says.“People are really keen to bring up the positives about where they live, as well as recognise where there are areas for improvement.“It feels like there is a real ownership with people. So I’m really confident.”With real hope of his own, Mr Price quotes a tale from the Gospel of John.Mr Price says: “Someone says, ‘You’ve got to come and see Jesus. He’s from Nazareth’.“Someone responds, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ And their response is, ‘Well come and see.’“In the same way, it feels weirdly like what’s going on here. We’re saying, ‘Can anything good come out of North Lynn?’“Well, come and see.”