Anti-social behaviour is your main concern

Whether it is inconsiderate neighbours playing music too loud or stinking out their neighbourhood with the smell of cannabis, anti-social behaviour remains Devon and Cornwall residents’ top concerns.
Of 22 issues mentioned in my annual policing survey it has come out top for a number of years – and early indications from this year’s survey suggest that will remain the case when we get the final results in January.
One of the reasons ASB remains such a persistent problem is that it takes such a variety of forms – some is dealt with by council officers and some is criminal behaviour which should be directed towards police.
Anyone underestimating the impact of ASB on people should think again – left to escalate it can result in some of the most serious crimes being committed. The charity ASB Help will point out some appalling examples, including the harassment and eventual murder of an entirely innocent man.
Since 2020 bids to the Government’s Safer Streets fund, many of them co-ordinated by my office, have netted £5.6m to tackle ASB and make cities and town centres across Devon and Cornwall safer for women and girls.
Enforcement and policing are clearly part of the solution and I have been keen to support action on this front, funding training to 332 police officers and front-line staff, 81 housing officers and 137 housing officers so they are confident of the legal powers granted to them to tackle those who insist on behaving in a way that negatively impacts on others.
I am delighted with the force’s response to ASB since I made it a priority in my police and crime plan too. Operation Loki – a high visibility response to rises in ASB after the pandemic - was launched earlier this year.
Policing teams took part in this drive to get back to the basics of dealing with street-level nuisance and criminality using a hot-spot policing approach. Loki resulted in 156 arrests, 300 person and vehicle stops and 30,000 positive interactions with the community by November 2023.
A second round of Loki is taking place in Exeter over the next few weeks, where the focus is on street drinking, aggressive begging and drug dealing – issues which really impact on residents of the city and visitors who are enjoying festive shopping and nights out.
Undoubtedly it will take more rounds of Op Loki, hundreds more arrests and a concerted effort between partners before ASB ceases to be people’s top concern in Devon and Cornwall. But I am heartened that robust action is now being taken by the force to address the issues which so many of us feel so strongly about.
If you have yet to tell me what you think about policing in Devon and Cornwall there is still time to have your say on my Your Safety, Your Say survey. Simply visit my website to answer the questions online or call my office on 01392 225555.