Dozens of arrests made after £1m boost to cut anti-social behaviour |
Surrey's Police and Crime Commissioner has joined officers on a special 'hotspot' patrol after her office was awarded £1million to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Lisa Townsend joined officers for a shift in Staines ahead of Surrey's Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, which took place in July.
It comes after her team secured Home Office funding to boost visible policing in 15 areas, each of which were identified based on current crime data.
Since May, the funding has paid for an extra 900 patrols, resulting in 34 arrests for offences including assault, possession of drugs and breaching anti-social behaviour legislation.
Officers have also engaged with more than 2,600 members of the community.
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Great-gran, 93, among 'hidden' victims of little-known form of exploitation |
A woman forced to sleep on the kitchen floor of her own home and a 93-year-old great-grandmother are among the “hidden” Surrey victims of a little-known form of exploitation, Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend said.
Cuckooing involves criminals taking over the homes of vulnerable people to use for offences including sex work and county lines drug dealing.
Lisa partly funds Surrey’s gold-standard Cuckooing Service, run by Catalyst, contributing £54,000 from her Community Safety Fund in the past financial year.
Since it launched in 2018, the service has received 518 referrals from across the county.
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Lisa said: “Criminals take advantage of their victim's vulnerability in the cruellest possible way, by turning safe refuges into prisons.
“The harm caused to these victims is devastating, although cuckooing can impact entire communities."
For more information, visit catalystsupport.org.uk, call 01483 590150, or text 07909 631623.
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CCTV boosted after funding secured |
A total of 20 new CCTV cameras are in use in two areas of Surrey thanks to funding achieved by Commissioner Lisa Townsend's team and key partners.
Since last year, additional cameras - and enhanced monitoring of existing systems - are in place in both Walton-on-Thames and Epsom.
It comes after the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Surrey Police, borough councils and other partners worked closely together to secure grants from the Home Office's Safer Streets Fund in 2022 and 2023.
In Walton, Elmbridge Borough Council has extended the monitoring of nine public space CCTV cameras, allowing for 24/7 coverage. Five new mobile cameras are also in use to deter anti-social behaviour.
In addition, 15 fully-digital, high-definition CCTV cameras were installed in Epsom last year.
The cameras, secured thanks to the 2022 Safer Streets Fund, are being monitored locally by The Ashley Centre’s security team, Mercury Security.
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August 7 - Visit to HMP Bronzefield
August 20 - Commissioner to attend event at community garden, Walton
August 27 - Commissioner to visit retail staff for retail crime discussion
August 29 - Children and Young Persons' Policing Board
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Services highlighted for victims in Surrey |
Surrey residents have revealed that littering, speeding and fly-tipping are among their biggest issues in a wide-ranging new survey.
More than half of the 1,325 respondents to the survey, created by the county’s Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and Community Harm Reduction Partnership Delivery Group, said that anti-social driving, including speeding and inconsiderate parking, were the most significant issues in their area.
Around 40 per cent of residents selected littering, inconsiderate dog ownership and fly-tipping as top concerns in their area, while
36 per cent chose drug-taking as a key issue.
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Since the 2023 survey, more residents said they’d feel confident in who to contact about ASB in their community.
However, fewer people knew about the ASB Case Review – previously known as the Community Trigger – which specifically deals with persistent cases of ASB.
A Review can be requested if a resident feels that a complaint made about the same issue three or more times in a six-month period has not been satisfactorily resolved.
Lisa said: “I’m committed to ensuring residents feel safe where they live."
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Officers take action in Redhill blitz |
Lisa Townsend said she's "taking action on residents' concerns" as she visited Redhill to observe a crackdown on crime.
The Commissioner joined Reigate and Banstead officers for operation Clear, Hold, Build, which tackles anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and shoplifting, among other offences.
The initiative, which saw 54 arrests, sees officers 'clear' crime hotspots of offenders with targeted action, before 'holding' the areas with patrols so offenders are unable to return.
Lisa contributed £60,000 to the scheme.
As part of the 'build' phase, a further £265,000 in Home Office Safer Streets funding secured by Lisa, Reigate and Banstead Council and Surrey Police, will be used for town centre improvements, youth outreach and anti-social behaviour training.
“I have heard what Redhill residents want, and we are acting on their concerns.”
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