A NEW police initiative has been launched in Newquay to crackdown on antisocial behaviour and serious violence.

Hotspot policing has provided additional police patrols that have already made an impact in the town.

The scheme funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez has enabled officers to engage with more than 500 members of the public.

The project delivered 176 hours of additional patrols in Newquay in its first month, which aims to provide a reassuring presence to help people feel safe while also disrupting crime and acting as a deterrent.

Police officers and public community support officers engaged with 516 individuals while out on patrol in May. They also attended 14 incidents of antisocial behaviour and had six cases of proactive policing, including one arrest and two stop and searches.    

Inspector Steve Johnson, who leads the neighbourhood police team, said: “In the upcoming year, hotspot policing in Newquay will empower us to conduct high-visibility community engagement in areas experiencing antisocial behaviour and serious violence.

“Our neighbourhood team already carry out partnership working and problem-solving initiatives on a daily basis and the proven methodology of hotspot policing will help to complement this broader work.” 

Hotspot policing, which forms part of a wider Street Focus project run by the Commissioner’s office, is tackling antisocial behaviour and serious violence in Devon and Cornwall. 

Commissioner Hernandez secured £1-million of Home Office funding for the project to deliver additional police and uniformed community patrols. The funding is shared across multiple locations in 13 towns and cities which have been identified as hotspots using crime data.

The Commissioner has committed a further £200,000 in funding to help maximise the number of partner patrols across Devon and Cornwall. 

Commissioner Hernandez said: “High visibility policing is what our communities want and we know it works. Antisocial behaviour is a key concern for people across the peninsula, so I am pleased to see the positive impact these patrols are already making.

“Not only are we deterring crime but delivering a reassuring presence to our residents and businesses. The commitment from our partners with the addition of street wardens and marshals will further strengthen our united front against antisocial behaviour and serious violence.” 

Members of the public have responded positively to the patrols, reporting feeling more at ease with increased police presence. Officers were also able to speak to members of the homeless community while out on patrol and signpost them towards support agencies.

Uniformed community patrols will commence in partnership with Cornwall Council in the coming weeks.

The Street Focus initiative works with a number of partners including local authorities to tackle issues in the community. People can find out more at street-focus.co.uk