Borough crime rate falls thanks to joint action
Crime in Newcastle-under-Lyme has fallen by more than a fifth over the past two years, according to the latest figures.
Data from the Newcastle Community Safety Partnership shows overall crime in the borough has fallen by 20.4 per cent over the last 24 months, leaving Newcastle-under-Lyme performing better than both regional and national trends.
A report outlining the figures and the work being undertaken to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour across the borough will be considered by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s Cabinet next week.
The Newcastle Community Safety Partnership brings together Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, health partners and other organisations to help keep communities safe.
While the overall trend is positive, partners acknowledge that many residents do not always feel crime is falling and that concerns remain around anti-social behaviour, town centre issues and the nighttime economy.
Councillor Andrew Fisher, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services and Neighbourhoods at Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, said:
The figures are encouraging and show that overall crime in Newcastle-under-Lyme is moving in the right direction.
However, we also recognise that many residents do not always feel that reflects their experience in their neighbourhoods. Whether it is anti-social behaviour, nuisance activity, shoplifting, vehicle crime or other offences, people rightly expect to feel safe in their communities.
One of our concerns is that not every incident is being reported. If crimes and anti-social behaviour are not reported, they do not appear in the data and it becomes much harder for the council, police and our partners to build the evidence needed to take action.”
Work to tackle local issues continues through a range of targeted initiatives.
This includes enforcement of Public Space Protection Orders covering the town centre, parks and car cruising hotspots, with council officers and police working together to address persistent problems. Dedicated town centre policing teams and proactive operations continue to focus resources on identified hotspot locations.
Partners are also maintaining a strong focus on the nighttime economy, with regular safer nights operations providing high-visibility patrols, venue checks and enforcement activity. Street medics, the Safe Space initiative for women and girls, and enhanced CCTV coverage are all helping to keep people safe on nights out.
The partnership recently launched the Safer Newcastle initiative, which aims to promote the borough as a safe place to live, work and visit. This includes practical tools such as the WalkSafe app, which helps users identify safe routes and locations if they feel vulnerable.
Alongside enforcement activity, partners continue to work together through intelligence sharing, targeted operations with agencies including Trading Standards and Immigration Enforcement, community engagement events and regular police drop-in sessions.
The report highlights that many enforcement powers, including injunctions against persistent offenders, depend on a robust evidence base. Residents, businesses and community groups are therefore being encouraged to report incidents as soon as they occur.
Councillor Fisher added:
As a Reform UK-led council, we are committed to pushing enforcement powers as far as we legally can. But to do that successfully, we need a strong evidence base.
Whether that is helping secure injunctions against persistent offenders, targeting hotspot locations, supporting police operations or strengthening the case for further enforcement action, every report helps build a clearer picture of what is happening on the ground.
We welcome the strong partnership working that already exists across the borough and will continue working closely with Staffordshire Police and our other partners. But if we are going to tackle the issues residents care most about, we need people to keep reporting what they see and experience so that action can be taken.”
The Newcastle Community Safety Partnership will continue to monitor crime trends and adapt its approach to ensure residents feel safe, supported and confident that action is being taken where it is needed most.