The government has announced that every police force in England and Wales will receive at least £1 million to ramp up patrols to tackle violence and disorder, targeted in areas with high levels of anti-social behaviour.
It is estimated that the funding - £66 million in total - will enable each force to deploy uniformed patrols for up to 20,000 hours in “hotspot” areas each year, helping drive down crime and boost public confidence in their local force. The announcement follows the successful piloting of this approach in 10 areas, which saw more than 80,000 hours of patrols in the six months since it launched.
APCC Joint Lead for Local Policing, Steve Turner, has welcomed the injection of funding across all 43 forces. He said:
"Anti-social behaviour is a blight on so many people's lives, undermining their sense of security and wellbeing. The anti-social behaviour hotspot pilots have demonstrated what can be achieved by concentrating efforts on problem areas and following a zero-tolerance approach to drug taking, loitering and fly-tipping.
"Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) know from their engagement with communities, how the public want the tackling of anti-social behaviour to be prioritised and PCCs have led in the development of the direct approaches used in the 10 pilot areas, involving the deployment of both police officers and community-based wardens.
"PCCs welcome the funding for this initiative to be extended to every force area in England and Wales and will continue to work directly with the public to ensure that the areas and activities targeted are both effective and visible."
Notes for editors:
- Steve Turner is the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland.
- Further detail on the government announcement can be found here.