Summer campaign to strengthen neighbourhood policing

I am launching “Your Streets, My Priority” this week – a coordinated programme of action to enhance neighbourhood policing and create safer, more vibrant town centres and high streets across the region. 

You’ve told me you want safer streets and more visible policing and I’m doing it. I’ve listened to your concerns about anti-social behaviour, retail crime, and criminality in town centres, and I am working with the Chief Constable to put more officers where they are needed, tackling crime in high streets and areas you care about, because you should feel safe in your high street. 

The scheme is supported and underpinned by £5 million from the Home Office national Hotspot fund and additional funding to restore neighbourhood policing, through the police funding settlement. “Your Streets, My Priority” brings together essential local partners, including councils, businesses, and community organisations, to deliver coordinated action where it is needed most. 

Key initiatives under “Your Streets, My Priority”: 

• Safer Summer Streets  
  Running until the end of September 2025, this initiative includes enhanced police patrols and regular street surgeries as well as closer working with businesses and communities to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) and shoplifting.  There will also be multi-agency pop-up events to engage residents and businesses and provide practical crime prevention advice and deliver visible and proactive policing in town centres. 

• Hotspot Action Fund  
  Supported by additional funding and resources, these dedicated patrols will contribute approximately 14,000 additional patrol hours this year in targeted areas as well as a further 10,000 hours of high-visibility patrols in surrounding areas.  

• Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee 
  As part of the government’s commitment to neighbourhood policing, Avon and Somerset Police has added 70 officers, PCSOs, and special constables to its neighbourhood teams. This dedicated boost to local policing capacity ensures continued focus on the areas that matter most to communities.  

The extra neighbourhood policing resource has already had an impact, including: 

• PCSOs used intel in Taunton to stop a vehicle involved in thefts – recovering stolen property and making key arrests 

• Individual jailed for assaults and thefts in South Gloucestershire  

• Extra patrols through Cheddar Gorge to engage with car enthusiasts and reduce noise and anti-social driving 

• A stolen moped was recovered in Withywood 

• A prolific Bristol shoplifter sentenced 

• Two people convicted of shoplifting in Bath 

• Three charged following an investigation into the supply of Class A drugs in Bristol 

• An arrest made after a knife and 4×4 were seized during patrols in South Bristol 

In addition to policing, the campaign will highlight diversionary programmes and opportunities for young people, provided by local authorities and the region’s Violence Reduction Partnerships. These initiatives include sports programmes, youth clubs, community hubs, and outreach sessions, designed to provide positive activities and address underlying risk factors for anti-social behaviour. 

Throughout the summer, I will be visiting locations across the region to engage directly with residents, businesses, and local policing teams, monitoring progress and ensuring the campaign delivers lasting improvements. 

To keep you up to date with what’s happening in your area as part of “Your Streets, My Priority”, I’ll share updates through this website and my social media accounts.