Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of town-wide safety campaigns in reducing crime in (a) Huddersfield and (b) other urban centres.

This Government wants town centres to be vibrant, welcoming places where businesses thrive and people feel safe and come to shop, socialise and live.

To that end we are working with Police and Crime Commissioners, and essential local partners such as councils, schools, health services, business, transport and community organisations in launching a new programme of work focussed on Keeping Town Centres Safe this Summer, with the aim of driving down street crime, shop theft and anti-social behaviour in town centres. This will help us build on existing data and evidence of what works locally to tackle these issues.

The Home Office has not assessed the effectiveness of town-wide safety campaigns in reducing crime. However, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, and to support making the country’s streets safer for 2025/26 £66.3 million Hotspot Action funding has been awarded to all 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. As part of the Hotspot Action Fund, West Yorkshire will be in receipt of £ 2,476,420.