Police launch new neighbourhood crime campaign

The new campaign marks Operation Calibre, a national week of police intensification dedicated to sharing crime prevention advice.

It is the second annual National Personal Robbery Intensification initiative led by the National Police Chief Council – in 2022 the success of Op Calibre saw 385 robbery suspects arrested after what officers described as “a week of intense action.”

Supt Peter Thorp, neighbourhood crime force lead, said: “Anyone can become a victim of neighbourhood crime.

“Criminals do not care who their target is – they are looking for easy opportunities where they can slip away without being noticed.

“The more you do to make it harder for a criminal, the lower the chance of you becoming a victim.

“We know that being burgled or having personal belongings stolen has a lasting negative impact on people, so we want to help share advice on what everyone can do to become less of a target to thieves.”

The force is identifying trends on how criminals commit neighbourhood crime-related offences and are developing problem oriented policing plans on how to tackle these rising trends.

Further activity during the week will include officers patrolling key “hotspot areas” identified to see increased incidents of personal robbery in a bid to take down prolific repeat offenders.

Neighbourhood policing teams and police community support officers will also be hosting engagement stalls in these locations and sharing crime prevention advice on how to keep your personal belongings safe while out and about.