Shoppers and businesses in Hounslow will see increased police patrols and local action to tackle town centre crime this summer, as the Home Secretary launches a major blitz to support safer high streets.
More than 500 towns have signed up to the Home Secretary’s Safer Streets summer crackdown, including Hounslow.
This will mean increased police presence and visibility.
It will mean ramping up the use of targeted enforcement powers against troublemakers – including banning perpetrators from hotspots.
Under the Tories, shoplifting soared to record levels, with a staggering 70% increase in their last two years in office alone. That is the Tories’ disastrous legacy on law and order. It’s now up to Labour to really take back control.
Fourteen years of Conservative Government saw neighbourhood policing decimated. The number of PCSOs was slashed by half, while Special Constable numbers were cut by two-thirds.
By the end of this parliament, the Government will have put 13,000 more police personnel in neighbourhood roles.
This summer initiative will also support young people, making sure there are activities across the 500 towns for young people to be involved in throughout the holidays.
The Home Office, alongside police, retailers and industry are also launching a new Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy, which will use shared data to assist in disrupting not just organised criminal gangs, but all types of perpetrators including prolific offenders who are stealing to fund an addiction and ‘opportunist’ offenders.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
“High streets and town centres are the very heart of our communities. Residents and businesses have the right to feel safe in their towns. But the last government left a surge in shop theft, street crime and anti-social behaviour which has left too many town centres feeling abandoned.
“It’s time to turn this round, that’s why I have called on police forces and councils to work together to deliver a summer blitz on town centre crime, to send a clear message to those people who bring misery to our towns that their crimes will no longer go unpunished.
“The fact that Hounslow has signed up shows the strength of feeling locally on this issue.”
Hounslow’s Enforcement Review
Back in April, Hounslow’s Labour administration launched it’s own long-term enforcement review to crack down on fly-tipping, shoplifting and antisocial behaviour.
When completed, the review will ensure residents see and feel a tangible improvement in the cleanliness and safety of our borough.