A SCHEME which delivered more than 26,000 hours of additional foot patrols in towns and cities across Devon and Cornwall has been extended thanks to a £1 million funding boost.

The hotspot policing initiative is designed to tackle antisocial behaviour (ASB) and serious violence with targeted police and street marshal patrols in areas with the highest levels of crime.

The project, which was initially launched in May 2024, was made possible through £1 million of Home Office funding secured by Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The Home Office has now committed a further £1 million to continue hotspot patrols over the next 12 months – expanding the scheme to include two new hotspots in Tiverton and Bodmin.

The funding pays for additional officer time to conduct the targeted patrols, providing a boost in visible policing where it is needed most. Local crime data is used to identify areas with the highest levels of crime and antisocial behaviour.

While the priority is to prevent crime, the targeted approach to patrolling places police and partners in the right place at the right time, enabling proactive action. In the past year, this has led to:

Chief Inspector Dom Nicholls, who heads up the project, said: “Hotspot policing was introduced across Devon and Cornwall last year and we’ve already seen positive results. Focusing highly visible police and street marshal patrols in areas of high levels of violence and ASB has been effective in both preventing crime and making people feel safer.

“I am really pleased the force has received further funding this year as it provides the opportunity to build on the early success of hotspot policing and ensure that the public continue to see more police on the streets.”

Community engagement is a key part of hotspot policing to increase public reassurance. Since May 2024, more than 93,000 members of the public have been engaged with during a hotspot patrol and more than 40,000 premises visits. Businesses and residents have felt an increased uniformed presence and reported feeling safer as a result.

Hotspot policing will continue in the following areas: Barnstaple; Bideford; Camborne; Exeter; Exmouth; Newquay; Newton Abbot; Paignton; Penzance; Plymouth; St Austell; Torquay; Truro; Bodmin; Tiverton.

In addition to reducing ASB and serious violence, cutting knife crime in half is a new objective for the initiative.

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, will continue to match fund street marshal patrols.

She said: “Hotspot policing is delivering exactly what our communities have told us they want - more visible patrols, proactive policing and real action to tackle antisocial behaviour.”