As the sun shines on Suffolk, Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore is proud to launch the Safer Streets Summer campaign — an ambitious, united effort to make our town centres safer and more welcoming.
Part of a national campaign, Suffolk Constabulary along with local authorities, local partners and community organisations will be carrying out activity to help prevent and address antisocial behaviour (ASB), retail crime and street crime in our communities.
The Safer Streets Summer Initiative is being led by Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables, supported by the Home Office and underpinned by £66m in Hotspot policing funding nationally for this year. The Initiative starts this week, aligned with ASB Awareness week, and runs until the end of September.
Tim Passmore said, “We want town centres to be vibrant, welcoming places where businesses thrive and people feel safe to shop, socialise and live. Sadly, many town centres have experienced rising levels of retail and street crime and antisocial behaviour, which often increases over the summer months, so we are working together to drive down criminality and ASB in town centres.
“Fortunately in Suffolk we start from a good place, crime is falling faster than it is across the country and we are the third safest county – five years ago we were ranked 13th. But in recent years, trust in policing nationally has eroded and that has impacted on us. Through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we hope to turn the tide by bringing back visible, community-led policing. I know that by working together as ‘Team Suffolk’ we can create safer, thriving town centres and make a lasting difference to communities.
“By putting more officers on foot, we’re not just preventing crime—we’re building trust, reducing harm, and making our town centres more attractive places to live, work and visit, which I know will be appreciated in our communities.”
Suffolk’s Chief Constable, Rachel Kearton: “The Safer Streets Summer Initiative is a powerful example of how local action will deliver local engagement supporting national priorities. By increasing visible patrols and working closely with our partners and communities, we are not only tackling antisocial behaviour and street crime, but also delivering on the National Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This initiative is firmly supported by the legislative framework set out in the proposed Police and Crime Bill, which empowers us to take a proactive, partnership-led approach to public safety. Together, we aim to make Suffolk’s town centres safer, more welcoming places for everyone.”
The Safer Streets Summer Initiative will focus on nine Suffolk towns: Beccles, Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe, Ipswich – town centre and waterfront, Lowestoft, Newmarket, Stowmarket, Sudbury and Woodbridge.
Tim Passmore launched the campaign in Lowestoft with representatives of Lowestoft Vision and ShopSafe, and local officers.