Progress is being made over pledge to create safer communities

The community safety Councillor Advocates seminar

Reassuring updates highlighting ongoing efforts to create safer communities have been shared by the two most senior leaders in Devon and Cornwall policing.  

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez and Chief Constable James Vaughan provided insights into how new schemes, extra resources and improved policing efficiency is making a positive daily impact on the lives of local residents, businesses and visitors to the region.  

The information was shared during a Councillor Advocate Seminar hosted last week by the Commissioner at Devon & Cornwall Police headquarters in Middlemoor, Exeter. Councillor Advocates are volunteers from unitary, district and parish councils who have signed up to the scheme to improve communication between local councillors, the police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. 

More than 40 councillor advocates attended the seminar which focused on community safety – a key priority area within the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan. The Chief told delegates how ‘hotspot’ policing activities in 15 towns and cities in Devon and Cornwall are being delivered and the importance of police officer hotspot foot patrols with 1,138 hours delivered between April to September 2025, and 6,540 by street marshals during the same period.  

Examples of proactive policing were provided with 852 ASB incidents attended, 319 arrests made, 65 items of stolen property, drugs or alcohol seized and 20 safeguarding referrals made.   

Councillor advocates were informed about efforts being made to tackle retail crime, including community resolutions for low-level crimes.   

Assurances were also provided around tackling drugs through initiatives such as South West Country Lines Intensification Week – including Operation Scorpion – in June. Successes included in 102 people being arrests, large qualities of drugs and money being seized, as well as weapons, and 38 people being safeguarded.  

The Commissioner revealed how successful initiatives are reducing crime such as hotspot policing, the successful continuation of her Street Focus project covering Torbay and Camborne, and the continuing rollout of UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) Business Crime Reduction Solution.  

The latter is an online portal – also available as a smartphone app – which provides a quicker and easier way for businesses to report issues such as shoplifting, antisocial behaviour and violence to police.  

Further details were provided by Gareth Lewis, Head of Security and Loss Prevention for Southern Co-op and Chairman of UKPAC, who gave a presentation about how the scheme works, how it is successfully targeting repeat and persistent offenders and hopes for its future expansion across the region.  

Currently, it is being provided for free for an initial 12-month period – funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) – in Torbay, Teignmouth, Barnstaple, Saltash and Liskeard.  

Updates on how antisocial behaviour (ASB) is being tackled in South Devon and Exeter were shared by Devon & Cornwall Police’s ASB force legal advisor, a role funded by the OPCC along with an ASB Paralegal. 

It was explained how ASB issues are being dealt with more swiftly and decisively through the issuing of community protection warnings and notices, or pursuing civil injunctions, criminal behaviour orders and closure orders.     

Since September 2024, this dedicated resource has helped secure 31 closures orders, three civil injunctions, six civil injunction breaches and 40 community protection warnings and notices.  

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly gave up update on Street Focus Torquay – the umbrella name for a serious of coordinated activities being undertaken in Torquay under the convening powers of the Police and Crime Commissioner since May 2024 to support partners in driving down antisocial behaviour and crime in Torquay Town Centre.  

Street Focus Torquay was launched after Police and Crime Commissioner secured £1 million from the Home Office to fund hotspot policing in multiple locations across Devon and Cornwall, including Castle Circus in Torquay.  

During the first 12 months, it resulted in more than 1,000 hours of additional hotspot foot patrols and responded to more than 80 ASB incidents attended. Street marshals also made a significant impact, including having engaged with nearly 5,300 members of the public and made almost 3,000 premises visits during that period.  

A further £1 million has been secured by the OPCC to continue hotspot patrols for another 12 months, with two new areas added – Bodmin and Tiverton. 

The learning from Street Focus Torquay is being used to help other towns, the next being Camborne.  

Other successes have included extending the Saturday night bus service to get people safely home after a night out. This year it is running from May 31 to New Year’s Eve and different locations throughout Devon and Cornwall.  

Information was shared about the Commissioner’s Community Grant Scheme which offers funding to organisations, charities and voluntary group to help deliver projects committed to tackling burglary and theft, and its root causes, and also the OPCC’s  

CCTV grant funding scheme which is being launched next Monday, September 15.   

It is providing £125,000 of one-off funding to parish and town councils across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to install or upgrade CCTV equipment and infrastructure. The maximum funding available is £10,000.  

It was the third councillor advocate seminar organised by the OPCC this year with each meeting based on a different theme. Councillor Advocates are also given the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers.    

Commissioner Hernandez said: “I launched the country’s first Councillor Advocate scheme because it is vital we engage local authority members in policing. They are my ears and eyes across Devon and Cornwall and the information and concerns they share with me, and the force, play a vital part in keeping communities safe.  

“I was pleased to be able to share with them the combined efforts being made to reduce issues that cause such a devastating impact in communities such as ASB, shoplifting and drugs and alcohol.  

“I look forward to giving further updates on the key priorities set out in my Police and Crime Plan at the next Councillor Advocates seminar in December.”  

To find out more about the councillor advocate scheme, please visit Councillor Advocate Scheme – Your voice in policing 

More than 40 councillor advocates attended the seminar which focused on community safety – a key priority area within the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan. The Chief told delegates how ‘hotspot’ policing activities in 15 towns and cities in Devon and Cornwall are being delivered and the importance of police officer hotspot foot patrols with 1,138 hours delivered between April to September 2025, and 6,540 by street marshals during the same period.  

Examples of proactive policing were provided with 852 ASB incidents attended, 319 arrests made, 65 items of stolen property, drugs or alcohol seized and 20 safeguarding referrals made.   

Councillor advocates were informed about efforts being made to tackle retail crime, including community resolutions for low-level crimes.   

Assurances were also provided around tackling drugs through initiatives such as South West Country Lines Intensification Week – including Operation Scorpion – in June. Successes included in 102 people being arrests, large qualities of drugs and money being seized, as well as weapons, and 38 people being safeguarded.  

The Commissioner revealed how successful initiatives are reducing crime such as hotspot policing, the successful continuation of her Street Focus project covering Torbay and Camborne, and the continuing rollout of UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) Business Crime Reduction Solution.  

The latter is an online portal – also available as a smartphone app – which provides a quicker and easier way for businesses to report issues such as shoplifting, antisocial behaviour and violence to police.  

Further details were provided by Gareth Lewis, Head of Security and Loss Prevention for Southern Co-op and Chairman of UKPAC, who gave a presentation about how the scheme works, how it is successfully targeting repeat and persistent offenders and hopes for its future expansion across the region.  

Currently, it is being provided for free for an initial 12-month period – funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) – in Torbay, Teignmouth, Barnstaple, Saltash and Liskeard.  

Updates on how antisocial behaviour (ASB) is being tackled in South Devon and Exeter were shared by Devon & Cornwall Police’s ASB force legal advisor, a role funded by the OPCC along with an ASB Paralegal. 

It was explained how ASB issues are being dealt with more swiftly and decisively through the issuing of community protection warnings and notices, or pursuing civil injunctions, criminal behaviour orders and closure orders.     

Since September 2024, this dedicated resource has helped secure 31 closures orders, three civil injunctions, six civil injunction breaches and 40 community protection warnings and notices.  

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly gave up update on Street Focus Torquay – the umbrella name for a serious of coordinated activities being undertaken in Torquay under the convening powers of the Police and Crime Commissioner since May 2024 to support partners in driving down antisocial behaviour and crime in Torquay Town Centre.  

Street Focus Torquay was launched after Police and Crime Commissioner secured £1 million from the Home Office to fund hotspot policing in multiple locations across Devon and Cornwall, including Castle Circus in Torquay.  

During the first 12 months, it resulted in more than 1,000 hours of additional hotspot foot patrols and responded to more than 80 ASB incidents attended. Street marshals also made a significant impact, including having engaged with nearly 5,300 members of the public and made almost 3,000 premises visits during that period.  

A further £1 million has been secured by the OPCC to continue hotspot patrols for another 12 months, with two new areas added – Bodmin and Tiverton. 

The learning from Street Focus Torquay is being used to help other towns, the next being Camborne.  

Other successes have included extending the Saturday night bus service to get people safely home after a night out. This year it is running from May 31 to New Year’s Eve and different locations throughout Devon and Cornwall.  

Information was shared about the Commissioner’s Community Grant Scheme which offers funding to organisations, charities and voluntary group to help deliver projects committed to tackling burglary and theft, and its root causes, and also the OPCC’s  

CCTV grant funding scheme which is being launched next Monday, September 15.   

It is providing £125,000 of one-off funding to parish and town councils across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to install or upgrade CCTV equipment and infrastructure. The maximum funding available is £10,000.  

It was the third councillor advocate seminar organised by the OPCC this year with each meeting based on a different theme. Councillor Advocates are also given the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers.    

Commissioner Hernandez said: “I launched the country’s first Councillor Advocate scheme because it is vital we engage local authority members in policing. They are my ears and eyes across Devon and Cornwall and the information and concerns they share with me, and the force, play a vital part in keeping communities safe.  

“I was pleased to be able to share with them the combined efforts being made to reduce issues that cause such a devastating impact in communities such as ASB, shoplifting and drugs and alcohol.  

“I look forward to giving further updates on the key priorities set out in my Police and Crime Plan at the next Councillor Advocates seminar in December.”  

To find out more about the councillor advocate scheme, please visit Councillor Advocate Scheme – Your voice in policing