Crime falling following 13,000 hours of overtime patrols

Crime rates are continuing to fall as a result of 13,000 hours of overtime patrols across Staffordshire.

Since May last year, local officers have been carrying out extra duties across 19 different hotspot locations locally in an effort to drive down crime and to tackle the main concerns of people and businesses in our communities.

Now, we’ve clocked a total of 13,126 hours of #problemsolvingpolicing patrols in these areas, and the results are showing that these concerns are being dealt with robustly.

From May 2025 to the end of January 2026, we’ve:

Across our key areas of focus, we were also able to reduce serious violence by 11 per cent and knife crime by 29 per cent. 

It comes following a £1-million allocation to the Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime to tackle knife crime, serious violence and anti-social behaviour.

While we have experienced an increase in ASB across the 19 areas, we are continuing work proactively in local communities to address the root causes of these issues and to use all of the legislative powers we have to stop prolific offenders.

The national Action Fund pot is linked to the government’s Safer Streets Mission to halve knife crime in 10 years and crack down on ASB.

Superintendent John Owen, who has been leading on our problem-solving approach, said: “We hear it often that people want to see officers on the beat, being visible and acting directly on their main concerns, and this initiative is a great example of that happening in Staffordshire.

“All of these hours have been put in by officers on top of their own duties in their own specialist fields. They’re spending more time engaging on a closer level with people and tackling problems head on.

“This initiative is about acting on data, focussing our proactive efforts on the areas most affected by crime, and putting more officers in the right places to tackle issues proactively and effectively.

“It’s really pleasing to see this working well across Staffordshire, and I can assure local communities that we are continuing to focus on our neighbourhood policing delivery to best serve people living, working and visiting Staffordshire.”

Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Ben Adams said: “Residents and businesses consistently tell me they want to see a visible, proactive Police presence, and it’s clear that these additional neighbourhood patrols are making a real difference in hotspot areas. 

“Local feedback is essential in helping the Police understand what is happening in a community, and further prevent crime and anti-social behaviour. I would encourage everyone to continue reporting their concerns to the Police, to allow them to tackle the issues that matter to them.”

#VisibleLocalTrusted