Funding for local police forces to tackle anti-social behaviour

The Home Office has announced £66 million to fund hundreds of thousands of hours of patrols to tackle violence and anti-social across England and Wales.

Every police force is set to receive at least £1 million and areas with high levels of anti-social behaviour will be targeted.

It is hoped that the funding will enable each force to deploy uniformed patrols for up to 20,000 hours in “hotspot” areas each year in an attempt to drive down crime and boost public confidence in their local force.

The approach has already been piloted in ten areas with over 80,000 hours of patrols in the six months since it launched. During the pilot, there were nearly 600 arrests, close to 1,500 stop and searches and around 700 uses of anti-social behaviour powers such as community protection notices and public protection orders.

According to data from the local police and crime commissioner, the hotspot approach has helped cut anti-social behaviour by more than 40 per cent in Brunswick, Lancashire.

Police in Essex have reported that incidents of anti-social behaviour in Southend have almost halved in the last 12 months.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: "Anti-social behaviour destroys communities and takes away the public’s right to feel safe in the place they call home.

"Our plan to cut crime on our streets is working, with neighbourhood crime, including robbery and theft, almost halved, and we must stick with it.

"We will not stop until every person, no matter where they live, can feel safe and proud of their community. That is why we are investing in every police force in England and Wales so they can tackle violence and disorder head on."

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for anti-social behaviour, said: "Tackling violence on our streets and ASB in our communities are top priorities for policing because they can have such a corrosive impact on people’s lives and wider society.

"Residents often tell us they want to see more uniformed officers out in their local area and this additional funding will not only help forces to enhance their current activity, but it will enable them to target their resources to hotspot areas, where criminal activity is most concentrated and areas most at risk of harm.

"I welcome any measure which helps to reduce reports of ASB, violence and disorder and show our communities just how seriously we take these issues."

Steve Turner, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners joint lead on Local policing 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 ten 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."