REGULAR readers of this column will know that I’m passionate about improving community safety in our towns and cities, particularly in problem hotspots that are blighted by the menace of anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and violence.

I know very well – from recent public engagement events and my budget survey results - that residents up and down the peninsula are fed up and want these problems resolved for good.

That’s why I am proposing to include tackling antisocial behaviour and reducing violence, drug dealing and theft as priorities for the new Police and Crime Plan that’ll be published later this year. You can be assured that I won’t shy away from addressing these problems but I can’t pretend there are quick fixes either.

All too often, the issues we’re facing in our town centres stem from a complex range of societal challenges that require communities to work with a range of services to solve – that way, we can ensure local solutions genuinely match local need. And that’s exactly what’s happening at the moment in Paignton, Camborne and Redruth, where Home Office Safer Streets funding is helping local councils address interconnected problems in their towns head-on.

Between them, their local areas will directly benefit from nearly £800,000 worth of community safety funds – to be spent on evidence-based projects such as improved street lighting, enhanced CCTV and street marshals in town centres, plus specialist youth workers and restorative justice “circles” to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour.

I’ve written about this before, but it’s through the tactical and timely use of ring-fenced funds, such as Safer Streets, plus the dedication of enhanced neighbourhood policing teams and personal commitment from community leaders, that towns can really turn a corner. I welcome this targeted investment in our region’s towns and have high hopes for the positive change it will achieve on behalf of residents.

As I outlined in last week’s column, I have secured additional Home Office funding for hotspot patrols in 13 towns and cities across Devon and Cornwall. Camborne and Paignton are two towns that are benefitting from these additional policing patrols, where the force’s tactical and preventative approach is really boosting peninsula community safety during the busy holiday period, and beyond.

I would draw readers’ attention to the good work that’s under way in both our Safer Streets funded areas – strong partnership work that I witnessed first hand when I visited Camborne, Redruth and Paignton back in the spring.

It was clear to me then that neighbourhood police, council leaders and their commissioned agencies were fully committed to the vital task of community improvement and determined to spend funds wisely for the public good.

I applaud this collective endeavour and will continue to support a multiagency response to tackling the menace of anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and violence across the region.

Help us tackle crime in your community by reporting it to Devon and Cornwall Police. Always call 999 in an emergency. You can also contact 101, use the online reporting form, or report incidents anonymously through Crimestoppers.