Suffolk joins nationwide blitz on town centre crime
Increased patrols and enforcement are part of a summer campaign targeting shop theft, street crime and antisocial behaviour in Suffolk and beyond
Last updated 4th Jul 2025
Police in Lowestoft have joined a national summer campaign to tackle rising crime and antisocial behaviour in town centres.
The Safer Streets Summer Initiative, launched in Suffolk this week by Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore, is part of a wider government effort covering 500 towns across England and Wales. It aims to increase police patrols and enforcement action to support safer high streets.
In Suffolk, the campaign is focused on nine town centres: Lowestoft, Beccles, Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe, Ipswich town centre and waterfront, Newmarket, Stowmarket, Sudbury and Woodbridge.
The initiative follows a sharp rise in street crime and shop theft nationally. Between December 2022 and December 2024, theft from the person more than doubled, and shoplifting increased by more than 60%, with a growing number of offenders using violence or threats against shopworkers.
Mr Passmore said: “We want town centres to be vibrant, welcoming places where businesses thrive and people feel safe to shop, socialise and live. Sadly, many town centres have experienced rising levels of retail and street crime and antisocial behaviour, which often increases over the summer months, so we are working together to drive down criminality and ASB in town centres.”
Chief Constable Rachel Kearton said: “By increasing visible patrols and working closely with our partners and communities, we are not only tackling antisocial behaviour and street crime, but also delivering on the National Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.”
The campaign is supported by the Home Office as part of the government’s Plan for Change. It includes named, contactable neighbourhood officers, peak-time town centre patrols and anti-social behaviour leads in each force. Local action plans have been developed by Police and Crime Commissioners with support from councils and businesses.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Residents and businesses have the right to feel safe in their towns. It’s time to turn this round, that’s why I have called on police forces and councils alike to deliver a summer blitz on town centre crime.”
She added: “Through our Safer Streets Mission and Plan for Change, we are putting officers back on the beat where you can see them and making our town centres safe again.”
The campaign also includes work to engage young people during the summer holidays and the launch of a new Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy, which will use shared data to disrupt all types of retail crime.