Extra cash for Lancashire to tackle antisocial behaviour after successful Blackpool and Fleetwood pilot

The county was one of 10 areas selected to pilot a government initiative which has now been deemed so successful that it has been rolled out nationwide.

Lancashire was last year handed an extra £2m as part of a trial to increase the uniformed presence in known antisocial behaviour “hotspots” like high streets, parks and public transport. The first of the additional patrols hit the beat in the Brunswick area of Blackpool and Fleetwood town centre in July.

As The Gazette reported in May, the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Andrew Snowden, rejected the option of using other uniformed authority figures – as well as police officers – to make up the patrol numbers.

Now, the Home Office has allocated £66m to forces across the country - including Lancashire - to begin the programme proper. Each area will get at least £1m.

The Lancashire pilot was praised for having particular success in Blackpool’s Brunswick ward, where reported antisocial behaviour fell by 42 percent compared to the same period last year and public confidence in the police dealing with the issue increased by almost eight percent..

Work in Brunswick included the creation of a monthly PACT - Police and Communities Together - meetings to allow residents and local councillors to raise any concerns with police officers.

The Home Office said the new cash will help “drive down crime and boost public confidence”.

There were more than 80,000 hours of patrols carried out over six months in the force areas that were part of the pilot, leading to hundreds of arrests.

Meanwhile, a target to shut down a further 1,000 county lines drug networks by August has also been set.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said getting more officers out on the streets was “vital for public confidence”, adding: “Our plan will put more officers on patrol in local communities up and down the country – an approach that has been proven to work, to help ensure that people are not only safe, but that they feel safe, in their neighbourhoods.”

The announcement is the latest step in the Government’s anti-social behaviour action plan, which was launched in March last year and pledged to take a “zero-tolerance approach to all forms of antisocial behaviour”.

The news was welcomed by bodies representing police chiefs and police and crime commissioners.

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet, who leads the National Police Chiefs’ Council work on anti-social behaviour, said: “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.”

Steve Turner, who leads the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ work on local policing, said: “The antisocial 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 know from their engagement with communities how the public want the tackling of anti-social behaviour to be prioritised.”