BUSINESSES have praised the police operation carried out in recent weeks to tackle anti-social behaviour in the Maesglas area of Newport.

Officers from Gwent Police carried out high visibility patrols between September 24 and October 6 as part of Operation Moscow, which aims to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime in the area following concerns from local residents and businesses.

Jacky Stacey, store manager at SPAR, in Cardiff Road, said it has “definitely gone quieter” and that there are “less kids hanging about”.

She said: “The customers come in and say how quiet it is. Some people can be intimated by the kids, but they are polite with us.

“We don’t have any problems with them. However, it is nice to see the police are doing what they can.”

Jackie Sullivan, of Sunbeds Limited, also in Cardiff Road, also said there are less teenagers around.

She said: “The situation at the moment is pretty good, it has definitely improved.”

Lucky Brock, shop assistant at Lifestyle Express, also in Cardiff Road, agreed with Ms Sullivan.

“It is a lot quieter,” she said. “However, they are good as gold to us. They are polite and don’t cause us any trouble.”

Staff at Pick Up & Press, also in the Maesglas shops in Cardiff Road, said it is not a problem for them as their shop is open during the day.

The member of staff said that they used to have teenagers hanging around by their door, blocking it, which could be “intimidating” for customers.

“But they would move when we asked them to,” she said. “The situation during the day is good at the moment.”

A spokeswoman for the force said that, during the operation, officers conducted high visibility patrols for twelve consecutive nights between 7pm and 10pm.

She said:“Several stop searches were made with warnings, Community Protection Notices and Fixed Penalty Notices issued for public order offences, with one case leading to an arrest.

“Following the action there has been a noted drop in calls from the local community relating these types of crimes.”

The spokeswoman said the operation helped officers to gather “valuable” information, helping their neighbourhood teams to monitor prolific offenders and crime hotspots more closely.

She said: “If you are experiencing or are witness crime and anti-social behaviour please call 101 or 999 in an emergency.

“Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”