Inspector Ludlam - monthly update

Inspector Ludlam - monthly update

City Centre Policing Commander Update – end of June 2026

Good afternoon all,

This update covers policing activity across Leicester City Centre during June 2026, reflecting the work delivered between 1 June and 30 June. During this period, the team maintained a clear focus on visible patrols, partnership problem-solving, retail crime, anti-social behaviour, public confidence and the night-time economy. I would like to thank businesses, partners and communities for their continued support and engagement throughout the month.

This month has also seen one of our largest recent pieces of community engagement, with a city centre perception survey helping us better understand where people feel safe, where they feel less safe, and what issues they want police and partners to prioritise.

June 2026 – Community Confidence and Engagement

Throughout June 2026, Central Leicester NPA completed a dedicated Neighbourhood Link perception survey for Leicester City Centre. The survey generated 788 responses, providing a strong evidence base around public confidence, safety and priorities.

788 responses were received during June 2026.

37% of respondents reported feeling fairly or very safe.

40% reported feeling fairly or very unsafe, highlighting a clear confidence challenge.

52% identified late evening or night-time as the period when they feel least safe.

The strongest areas of concern were the Clock Tower, Granby Street, Town Hall Square and Humberstone Gate.

The results are show that public concern is concentrated around specific locations, behaviours and times of day. This gives police and partners a clear opportunity to target activity where it will have the greatest impact.

June also brought a busy programme of community activity across Leicester, creating opportunities for visible policing, reassurance and engagement alongside partners. This included Armed Forces Week activity at Town Hall, the launch of a dedicated public spaces team to tackle anti-social behaviour, Riverside Festival activity, Summer in the Square at Jubilee Square and wider summer events promoted through Visit Leicester.

Armed Forces Week: The Armed Forces flag was raised at Leicester Town Hall on 22 June, providing a civic moment for community engagement and visible support.

Public spaces and ASB focus: A dedicated public spaces team began work during June, aligning with policing priorities around city centre reassurance, ASB and hotspot management.

Summer events: Riverside Festival and the Summer in the Square programme brought increased footfall into the city, supporting engagement around safety, confidence and reporting.

Community visibility: These events helped officers and PCSOs engage with residents, visitors, businesses and partners in high-footfall public spaces.

Operational Performance – June 2026

The overall crime direction across Central Leicester remains positive. Current performance data shows continued reductions across a number of important crime types, with sustained focus on violence, shoplifting and priority-location harm.

Key performance highlights:

All crime since the start of the financial year: Down 14.7%, equating to over 511 fewer victims.

Shoplifting offences: Down 22.7% compared with the same financial year period, equating to 123 fewer victims.

Robbery: Q1 2026/27 recorded 35 offences, the lowest Q1 figure in the available comparison period.

These reductions reflect sustained neighbourhood activity, targeted enforcement, improved intelligence use and close working with businesses and partners.

Continuing areas of focus:

Violence, anti-social behaviour, street-based drug activity and public confidence in key hotspot locations remain priority issues.

Retail crime remains a live priority, with repeat victim locations continuing to receive targeted prevention, engagement and enforcement activity.

During June, the team continued to focus on repeat retail locations, progressing Criminal Behaviour Order applications and delivering PCSO engagement at key retail areas. This work is designed to reduce repeat offending, support businesses and improve confidence in reporting and police response.

Operational Activity and Good News

Operation Pedalfast continued to target road safety and neighbourhood crime, with 10 deployments so far this year, 180 vehicles seized and 840 illegal or modified vehicles recovered over 16 months.

Focused problem-solving around Town Hall Square continued, supported by dedicated patrols, partnership patch walks, environmental improvements and targeted enforcement.

June saw strong community engagement activity, including local priorities, patch walks, beat surgeries, crime prevention activity and bike registration events.

The city centre survey now provides a clear “You Said, We Did” opportunity to show communities how police and partners are responding to the issues they have raised.

Current Priorities – June 2026

Visible reassurance in hotspot locations: Targeted patrols around the Clock Tower, Granby Street, Town Hall Square and Humberstone Gate, particularly during late evening and night-time periods.

Tackling drugs, violence and ASB: Continued disruption of drug dealing, weapons carrying, street harassment, illegal e-bikes and repeat anti-social behaviour around Narborough road area.

Retail crime and business confidence: Focused support to repeat victim businesses, offender management, CBO applications and ongoing engagement with retail partners.

Public confidence loop: Sharing visible action, outcomes and partnership activity so communities can see how their feedback is shaping delivery.

Share Your Concerns

Please continue to share your views and concerns with us via Neighbourhood Link and through your local policing contacts.

Your feedback helps us identify emerging issues quickly, direct patrols to the right locations and work with partners to address the problems that matter most to those who live, work and visit Leicester City Centre.

Together, we will continue to focus on visible policing, targeted enforcement, partnership problem-solving and building public confidence across the city centre.

Thank you for your continued support.

Inspector Ryan Ludlam
City Centre Policing Team

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Ryan Ludlam
(Leicestershire Police, Insp 1958, Central Leicester)