The government has launched a major winter crackdown on crime, with ministers warning that police will be "present, visible and relentless" on Britain's streets in the coming months.
Visible Patrols and Hyper-Local Targeting
Policing Minister Sarah Jones announced the "Winter of Action" initiative, which will see hundreds of town and city centres across the country receive a surge in targeted police patrols. The operation, branded a "crime-fighting blitz" by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, aims to tackle shoplifting, anti-social behaviour, and street violence.
Jones stated that forces will employ sophisticated "Hex mapping" technology to pinpoint local crime hotspots with unprecedented precision. This system divides areas into small hexagonal zones, each roughly the size of ten football pitches, allowing officers to identify and respond to hyper-local issues.
Pilots in Major Cities and Community Backing
Pilot schemes for this new mapping approach are being established in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Peterborough, and London. The government says the crackdown builds on summer operations that resulted in over 16,000 arrests and fines, with targeted visible patrols increased by almost 20% compared to the previous year.
The initiative has garnered support from business and community figures. Andrew Moys, Vice President for Impact at McDonald's, which is backing the campaign, emphasised that tackling crime requires a collective effort focused on prevention and creating positive environments.
A Response to Tragedy and Rising Retail Crime
The push has been welcomed by victims of violent crime, including Pooja Kanda, whose son Ronan was stabbed to death with a ninja sword in Wolverhampton in 2022. She described the streets as having been "allowed to become scenes of violence" and said the HEX patrols offered "real hope of preventing further tragedies."
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood argued that shoplifting and anti-social behaviour are "tearing at the fabric of our communities." The action forms part of wider plans to deploy 3,000 more police officers by the spring.
Early data suggests targeted efforts can yield results. In Greater Manchester, crime statistics indicate shoplifting and other theft fell by 20%, with street crime down by 11% following similar operations. Helen Dickinson of the British Retail Consortium welcomed the government action, noting that retail crime, which tends to spike around Christmas, reached record highs last year.
