Increased police patrols aimed at making neighbourhoods safer led to hundreds of arrests, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.
The Home Office-funded ‘Operation Trailblazer’ initiative enabled Durham Constabulary to target areas impacted the most by anti-social behaviour across County Durham and Darlington, Operating between July 2023 and March 2025, the force carried out more than 30,000 hours of additional dedicated community patrols, allowing them to provide rapid support when needed.
Thirty-four ‘hotspot’ areas across South, west and east County Durham were identified alongside Durham City and Darlington.
Over the course of the whole initiative Durham Constabulary carried out:
250 Arrests
179 Stop and Searches
454 Informal Warnings
42 Community Protection Warnings
24 Community Protection Notices
14 Dispersal Notices
243 enforcement actions due to PSPOs
165 Fixed Penalty Notices
Between April 2024 and March 2025, there were 2,478 anti-social behaviour-related incidents within the identified hotspot areas.
Nuisance remained the most prevalent type of anti-social behaviour during the Trailblazer 2024/25 period, Durham Constabulary said, while inconsiderate behaviour accounted for the majority of primary demand.
A new £1 million Operation Pave initiative involves peak time patrols in town centre hotspots to tackle serious violence, knife crime and anti-social behaviour.
The visible deterrent of extra patrols is just one part of a drive to further improve neighbourhood policing across the region.
Six new inspectors have been appointed to cover Spennymoor, Seaham, Barnard Castle and Crook, Consett and Stanley, Darlington and Newton Aycliffe to spearhead improvements to community policing across the force area.
The new inspectors will be joined by 26 extra beat officers and PCSOs over the next few months, recruited to bolster the frontline fight against crime and antisocial behaviour.
Chief Constable Rachel Bacon said: “We have delivered on our promise that every resident of County Durham and Darlington will have a named, accessible officer who they can raise concerns with, highlight priorities for action in their area and view progress to solve those problems.
“We still have more to do, not least recruiting and deploying those extra officers we want to see on the ground, but we are already seeing results and as we move forward, I am confident that we will make a real difference in all our communities.”
Bill Edgar
Reporter for the Local Democracy Reporter Service.
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
