Week of action highlights ongoing commitment to neighbourhood policing

We are committed to tackling the priorities that matter most to local people, and that’s why we’ve carried out a number of enforcement and educational activities across Staffordshire as part of national neighbourhood policing week of action.From Monday (22 January) activities promoting what neighbourhood officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and volunteers do to protect individuals and communities throughout the county were planned, including:

• Targeted operational action, including a number of warrants being issued and activity focusing on knife crime, road safety and speed awareness, rural crime, burglary, shoplifting, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and safer nights

• Community engagement events

• School visits

• High-visibility patrols

Part of this activity involved local officers discussing priorities and issues that concern local people in a series of community meetings. More than 460 people from across the county also engaged with our virtual chat events to talk about local policing priorities.A number of arrests were made across the force throughout the week, with drugs, weapons, cash and phones seized, and stolen cars recovered. Officers also targeted shoplifters and carried out a series of pre-planned warrants.Superintendent Mark Ward said: “Neighbourhood policing is at the very core of what we do across Staffordshire on a day-to-day basis. As a force we are proactive in our pursuit of offenders and this annual week of action gives us a chance to further demonstrate this commitment.“We also understand that all our communities, the length and breadth of Staffordshire, want a police force that is approachable, firm and visible. This week provides us with an ideal opportunity to highlight the work we are doing to deliver just that.”

Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Ben Adams said: “Neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of what Staffordshire Police do. As this week of action shows, our communities are seeing the benefit of having more officers and PCSOs based in their neighbourhoods and able to deal with the issues that matter to them.

“These teams are visible and responsive, developing closer connections with their communities and local partners to enable them to respond to calls for service more quickly and keep us all safe.”