Tollerton, a leafy village situated in the heart of Rushcliffe, was recently revealed to be the safest area in Nottinghamshire. Our reporter, Joel Moore, went to find out just how safe it is.
It was first thing in the morning but my hand barely had the chance to recoil before the door swung open. More or less every one was opened with speed and a smile, not always so common for a journalist.
This lack of door-answering hesitancy was perhaps a sign of security as I tottered through Tollerton, trying to gauge from residents what it was that made it so safe. The answer, as you would expect, was its close-knit nature and relative affluence compared to much of the city and county.
However, one of the first women I spoke to told me her car was broken into merely months ago by thieves, who had lifted a flashy satnav and scampered. This, I was told, was a rarity in an otherwise sleepy village.
Despite only being in Tollerton for hours, it wasn't hard to picture. Everyone I spoke to was friendly - and the surrounding countryside seemed to acted as a green safety buffer, keeping at bay the murderers, car-jackers and shoplifters.
One resident, who has lived in the area most her life, suggested another reason was a diligent neighbourhood watch scheme. What is the extent of that operation I wonder? Whatever it is, it sure made my stroll through the village event-less - apart from the man who demanded me and a photographer back up into the middle of the road (he thought he had Covid).
It follows the release of data that showed the village, along with Keyworth North and Willoughby, had the lowest number of reported crimes in Nottinghamshire. The area had 195 crimes committed in the period between February last year and January 2022, equating to 34 offences for every 1,000 residents there.
The area ranks as the 6,632nd most dangerous neighbourhood out of 6,857 in the whole of England and Wales. The next safest was the Plains Estate in Mapperley, Nottingham, which saw slightly more crimes committed with 257, and a rate of 36 per 1,000 people.
