£1 Million Pound Boost: PCC Joy Allen on securing funding from the Home Office

The Police and Crime Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington has secured £1 million in Home Office funding to tackle anti-social behaviour, serious violence and knife crime across the area’s communities.

In a recent article she explains, in her own words, what this means:

The programme is part of a nationwide drive to deliver visible policing where it’s most needed. Following successful pilots in 16 areas (including Durham), the Government has now extended the initiative to all 43 police forces in England and Wales. The aim is simple: to provide high-visibility patrols in areas suffering from persistent ASB and violence to deter offenders and reassure residents.

This significant package of funding will deliver at least 900,000 hours of extra patrols in the places where residents tell me they’re most needed. These patrols will be carried out by our police officers, PCSOs who will work alongside council wardens and other uniformed staff over the next 12 months,bringing a visible and reassuring presence to our streets.

Between January and March this year, we have already delivered over 3,600 hours of additional hot spot patrols, which resulted in 23 arrests, five stop and searches, 42 informal warnings, as well as dispersal orders and penalty notices. This proves that targeted action works – and with this significant new investment, we’re scaling that up.

We know that serious violence accounts for 13% of all crime in our force area, and it’s often concentrated in key locations such as Durham City and Darlington town centre.

Meanwhile,anti-social behaviour continues to affect too many lives in our towns and villages, whether it’s youth nuisance, illegal vehicles, criminal damage, or ongoing disruption to residents and businesses.

That’s why I have made it my mission to secure extra resources for our communities. I listen carefully to residents, and one message keeps coming through loud and clear: people want to see more police patrolling their streets. In my most recent consultation, one in four residents told me that police visibility is their top priority – and I agree with them.

This funding will help us deliver on that. But enforcement alone is not enough – we need your help to identify the right places to send these extra patrols. That’s why I’m asking all residents to report anti-social behaviour wherever and whenever it occurs. Whether it’s a group of youths causing disruption, a problem property, loud noise, or off-road bikes tearing up local green spaces,we can’t fix what we don’t know about. Every report helps us build a clearer picture and direct our resources to where they’ll make the most impact.

You can report ASB by:

• Calling101 (or 999 in an emergency);
• Reporting online at www.durham.police.uk;
• Contacting your local council; or
• anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

This investment is part of a wider programme I’m delivering through my Police, Crime and Justice Plan, which puts neighbourhood policing, early intervention, and community safety at the heart of everything we do.

Everyone has the right to feel safe in their home, on their street and in their community. By working together – through better reporting, stronger enforcement, and more visible patrols – we can drive down crime and give residents and businesses the peace of mind they deserve.

This is about action, not words and I’ll continue doing everything in my power to make County Durham and Darlington safer, stronger, and more resilient for everyone.

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