Anti-social behaviour increases by 30% in Staffordshire Moorlands

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) incidents reported in the Staffordshire Moorlands rose by 30 per cent last year, as new figures reveal.

Staffordshire Police recorded 1,175 incidents in 2025/26, compared to 895 the previous year.

Hotspots such as the Sainsbury’s in Biddulph and Leek bus station were particularly affected, according to the local policing team’s annual report.

Efforts to address these issues were shared with Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s scrutiny committee, which highlighted ongoing challenges including off-road biking.

Chief Inspector Cliff Goodwin, neighbourhood policing commander, noted that changes in recording practices partly contributed to the rise in reported ASB.

However, he pointed out that community nuisance reports, the largest ASB category, had decreased by three per cent across the policing area.

Tackling Specific Hotspots

Ch Insp Goodwin explained that focused actions have led to significant improvements in areas like Sainsbury’s Biddulph.

He said: “We identified a core group of young people causing persistent ASB and implemented multi-agency responses, monitoring, and increased visibility.

"As a result, reports decreased from 29 down to just one in the last reporting period.”

Successful efforts were also noted at Leek bus station, Brough Park, and Church Road, Biddulph, with continued efforts planned over the summer as part of Operation Reclaim.

The operation will deploy a fixed-wing police plane to track bikers and utilise ‘smart spray’ to mark offenders.

Ch Insp Goodwin added, “When we run our operations, we only need to succeed once in catching offenders.”

Addressing Shoplifting and Criminal Behaviour

In the past year, the local policing team obtained 11 criminal behaviour orders, including one for a 13-year-old, reducing shoplifting by 32 per cent.

Councillor John Jones advocated for stronger measures, suggesting more direct actions, while Councillor Nigel Yates expressed concerns about the effect of ASB on the community’s shopping habits at Sainsbury's.

Overall recorded crime in the Moorlands decreased by 16.9 per cent in 2025/26, though calls to police rose by nine per cent, largely due to public safety and welfare reports.

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