Term time has started once more and the Safer Summer Streets programme is now in its last month and it is really pleasing to report some excellent results.
You may recall in a previous blog this requirement was mandated by the Home Office back in May and was to last for three months ending in September. It promotes a multi-agency approach and we were told to focus on nine nominated towns in Suffolk, the main two in the western part of the county being Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket.
In essence, the main objective is to deter lower-level criminal activity on our streets and where appropriate, arrest offenders and prosecute as appropriate. You might ask how this is being achieved - well the main thrust is increasing uniformed policing presence (which most of us know makes a significant difference and increases public confidence) supported by other organisations including local businesses through the Business Improvements Districts (BIDS) and local authorities.
The types of crime targeted by the additional patrols include on street drinking, drug dealing and anti-social behaviour such as littering and cycling in pedestrianised areas. It has always annoyed me when people ride their bikes with impunity because they can be a danger to pedestrians especially considering the speeds that some electric bikes achieve.
One aspect of the programme is particularly topical and that of course is shoplifting and assaults on retail staff. Actually, I would prefer it if society was far less tolerant of shoplifting because it is blatant theft and should be treated by the courts accordingly as it is unacceptable in any circumstance. It can be an intolerable burden on small businesses and it horrifies me that some larger national chains accept the financial losses regardless. It is true that such retail offences have increased recently in Suffolk but at a much lower rate than in many other force areas and there has never been this ridiculous approach adopted elsewhere of ignoring such offences if the value is less than £250.
The Constabulary’s partnership developed with Suffolk Trading Standards has also seen some notable successes when checking the business legality of what is seen by some residents as a sudden appearance of so many vape shops in town centres. I cannot comment on specific cases but want to reassure everyone this activity is receiving additional focus and good work is continuing with our local authorities making sure premises are licensed and compliant.
I recently met with some Home Office officials to discuss progress on the Summer Street campaign, pointing out much of this work was already being delivered. It has been helped by the previous government’s uplift programme and the commitment to keeping our Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) who are widely appreciated by the local community and front line officers.
You won’t be surprised that once again, I took the opportunity to remind the Home Office team about the appallingly discriminatory police funding formula and asked when would they do something about it as opposed to taking an ostrich like approach. I do realise the fault lies (mainly) with ministers but the case must continue to be made – my plea to them is listen, hear and then act please!
At the end of this month I hope we can build on the positive results of the campaign because it has made a significant difference. Our town centres matter, and low crime levels help them thrive. We want to build prosperity in all our towns and welcome back visitors and tourists to our great county. As we plan ahead for the next year, the one thing I ask is please report all suspicious circumstances. This helps pressurise the Home Office when allocating financial resources and the huge investment in the control room and other communication systems is making it easier than ever to report crime.
Once again, we can all see it is the power of collaboration paying dividends and keeping crime down. That’s what my Police and Crime Plan is about and everything possible will be down to make Suffolk safer, and help our towns become more prosperous.
Published in Bury Free Press in September 2025