Hundreds of town centres to see more police patrols in crime ‘blitz'
More than 500 towns across England and Wales have signed up to the Home Office's safer streets summer initiative, which will run to September 30, with more visible policing and stronger enforcement to 'restore confidence in policing'.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said residents and businesses have a 'right to feel safe in their towns' but the last government left a 'surge' in crime.
In a statement, she said: 'It's time to turn this round, that's why I have called on police forces and councils alike to work together to deliver a summer blitz on town centre crime to send a clear message to those people who bring misery to our towns that their crimes will no longer go unpunished.'
She said part of the neighbourhood policing guarantee includes investment of £200 million this year to begin the recruitment of thousands of new neighbourhood policing officers.
Speaking to members of policing and business sectors at Derby County Football Club's Pride Park Stadium on Thursday, Ms Cooper said every area will have 'named contactable officers for residents and businesses to be able to turn to'.
Ms Cooper said: 'It's one of the most important things to restore confidence in policing is to have those neighbourhood police back on the beat dealing with those very crimes that cause so much problem.
'And if we don't see the police on the streets, then confidence is lost. And I think that is what's happened for far too long.
'If shoppers don't feel safe, they will stay home. People will just stay out of our town centres, and that heart of community will be lost.
'I think these kinds of crimes have been dismissed for too long because crime erodes the social fabric that binds us together and keeps communities strong.
'We've made town centres the very heart of the safer streets mission for this summer, taking back town centres from thugs and thieves – at the heart of that is rebuilding neighbourhood policing.'
Half a million shoplifting offences in England and Wales were recorded by police last year, up 20% from 2023.
In a statement, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'We are on the side of local businesses, and our plan for change is helping create the right conditions for our great British high streets to thrive.
'The Safer Streets Summer Initiative will play a vital role in achieving this by keeping footfall high, communities and those that work in them safe, and the economy growing.'
Anthony Hemmerdinger, managing director of Boots, said: 'Retail theft alongside intimidation and abuse of our team members is unacceptable, so we welcome this additional support from Government and the police to strengthen shop worker protection.'
Police and crime commissioners across England and Wales have developed local action plans with police, including in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Humberside, Devon and Cornwall.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Drug dealer jailed torture murder of love rival
A drug dealer who tortured and murdered a love rival has been given a life sentence. John Belfield, 31, was one of a four-strong gang that killed Thomas Campbell in Tameside after 38-year-old Mr Campbell started a relationship with Belfield's former partner, Demi Lee-Driver. Jailing Belfield for 34 years and 261 days at Manchester Crown Court, Mr Justice Graham, told him he had had "no doubt you took pleasure in his pain". There were cries of "rot in hell" from the public gallery as Belfield, 29, was sentenced. The court heard Belfield, who fled the country after the murder, was one of a group of men who had lain in wait for Mr Campbell when he arrived home late on 2 July, 2022. When they attacked, Mr Campbell could be heard to scream. He was then bundled into his house in Riverside Drive in Mossley, Tameside. For the next two hours he was stabbed, strangled and had hot liquid poured on his genitals. Prosecutors said he was "tortured to death" and suffered 61 separate injuries. Two other men who took part in the murder have already been jailed, but a forth remains at large. Belfield fled to Suriname, a former Dutch colony north of Brazil, before he was arrested there in March 2023. He was then flown back to Manchester a year later. Judge Graham said Belfield had "wanted Thomas Campbell to suffer". Mr Campbell's father, Terry Campbell's victim impact statement was read out in court. He said "there are no words to describe the loss of Thomas". "We all live with a broken heart. No parent should outlive their child," he added. Last year, Reece Steven, 29, of Poplar Street, Middleton, was found guilty of murder with conspiracy to rob and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 37 years. Steven Cleworth, 38, of Charles Street, Heywood, was found guilty of manslaughter with conspiracy to rob and was jailed for life with a minimum of 12 years. Coleen Campbell, 38, of Bamford Street, Manchester, was found guilty of manslaughter with conspiracy to rob and sentenced to 13 years, with a minimum of two-thirds to be served in prison. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Murder suspect arrested in South America
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
School student 'has had enough' after second crash on same Orpington road
A student forced to walk to school by a crash says it ruined the mornings of 'hundreds of people' in Orpington. Aryaan Shaikh says he was one of many people 'late and frustrated' after Crofton Road was closed for the second time today (July 4) in around a month. Orpington A-road closed after crash near pre-school The 17-year-old student at St Olave's Grammar School believes something must be done to make the road safer. He told the News Shopper: 'As someone who relies on this route daily, I've had enough. Crofton Road isn't just any street – it's the main artery serving multiple schools and local businesses. (Image: Aryaan Shaikh) 'Every time there's an incident, and there are too many, the knock-on effects are massive. Today proved that yet again.' It is alleged that a Toyota Yaris collided with a 61 bus, but this has not been confirmed by emergency services. Buses were diverted and traffic built up as Crofton Road was cordoned off. A similar crash round the corner closed Crofton Lane on May 20 when a BMW struck street furniture with two people rushed to hospital. (Image: Aryaan Shaikh) Aryaan believes these are not isolated incidents but are due to a problem with the road. He added: 'The Highways Agency must stop treating these crashes as isolated incidents. There's clearly a problem with this stretch of road – whether it's poor visibility, dangerous junctions, or inadequate safety measures. 'We need proper solutions now – better road design, stricter enforcement, or both. Because next time, it might not just be disrupted mornings we're dealing with, but something far worse.' Nobody was hurt in the crash on July 4. We contacted Bromley Council for comment.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ex-deputy PM Therese Coffey claims civil servants advised her to break the law
Former deputy prime minister Baroness Therese Coffey has claimed she was advised by civil servants to knowingly break the law. Lady Coffey, who also held several other cabinet positions, including work and pensions secretary, health secretary and environment secretary, became a Conservative peer earlier this year. She told the House of Lords on Friday: 'There were several occasions when I was advised by civil servants to knowingly break the law. 'Now, they may have only been minor infringements, but I challenge about how is that possible under the Civil Service Code that, in your advice and in your inaction, you are advising me to knowingly break the law? And I wasn't prepared to do it.' Lady Coffey went on to recall another situation when she felt the Civil Service Code was not adhered to. She said: 'I learned that my shadow secretary of state had written to me on Twitter, and I knew it because he also published my response to him on Twitter. 'I'd never seen the letter from the shadow secretary of state. I had never seen the letter written in my name, but there it was: my response and my signature. 'And these sorts of things, unfortunately, in the Civil Service Code should be more serious than it was.' The Tory peer added: 'Sometimes people try and suggest it's just politicians trying to do this, that and the other. 'I'm not accusing the Civil Service, but their job is to try and manage and, ultimately, I could go on about another legal case where I was named as the defendant. 'I didn't know until a ruling had come against me, formally. 'These things, I'm afraid, do happen.' Her comments came as peers debated a report from the Constitution Select Committee entitled Executive Oversight And Responsibility For The UK Constitution. Lady Coffey was deputy prime minister in the Liz Truss government in September and October of 2022. After her brief premiership, Ms Truss took swipes at the Civil Service and blamed the so-called deep state for 'sabotaging' her. Speaking at a conference in the US in 2024, the former prime minister said: 'I wanted to cut taxes, reduce the administrative state, take back control as people talked about in the Brexit referendum. 'What I did face was a huge establishment backlash and a lot of it actually came from the state itself.' Ms Truss added: 'Now people are joining the Civil Service who are essentially activists. 'They might be trans activists, they might be environmental extremists, but they are now having a voice within the Civil Service in a way I don't think was true 30 or 40 years ago.'
