Summer Crackdown on Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour in Redditch Town Centre

I welcome the launch of a major Safer Streets summer crackdown that will see a significant increase in police patrols and targeted action to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Redditch town centre over the coming months. 

Running from 30 June to 30 September, the Safer Streets summer initiative will operate in more than 500 town centres and high streets across England and Wales, including Redditch. It aims to deliver visible policing, tougher enforcement and real partnership working with councils, businesses and community groups to keep local people safe.

The plan for Redditch has been developed by the Police and Crime Commissioner in partnership with West Mercia Police, the Borough Council, retailers and community organisations. It includes: 

• Increased police patrols in the town centre during peak times 

• Targeted enforcement powers to ban offenders from known hotspots 

• Support for shop workers and local businesses, cracking down on shoplifting and abuse which has soared by 60% nationally over the last two years 

• Activities for young people throughout the school holidays, helping prevent crime before it starts 

• Named, contactable neighbourhood officers and anti-social behaviour leads in every community, under Labour’s new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee 

  
  

The initiative also forms part of the Government’s wider Plan for Change, which will see 13,000 new neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs recruited by the end of this Parliament, backed by a £200 million investment in the first year alone. This means West Mercia Police will receive 31 new officers, 20 additional PCSOs and 15 more Special Constables this year.