The disconnect is stark. Police officers told us they prioritise walking beats but community members say they rarely see officers.

Our research identifies what forces can do to better meet public expectations. Read out report here:

www.crestadvisory.com/neighbourhoo...

Between 2016 and 2024, neighbourhood officer numbers fell by 55%. The Government's plan to deliver an additional 13,000 neighbourhood officers, PCSOs and Special Constables is welcome, but implementation will determine success.

This research suggests that VFR can provide a faster response to domestic abuse victims, while delivering similar levels of victim satisfaction as a business as usual response.

🔹Mostly positive safeguarding measures for VFR victims
🔹Mixed impact on arrest rate and time
🔹Victims would choose VFR again

📌 Key Findings:
🔹VFR can speed up response times for domestic abuse victims
🔹VFR may improve the quality of risk assessments

In our new blog, published alongside the report, we argue that it’s not incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour themselves that matter most but what they represent: that no one is in charge, that social norms are eroding and that the fabric of everyday life is under threat.
tinyurl.com/2hpfbr3y

This report calls for a neighbourhood-based approach to tackling crime and antisocial behaviour, grounded in evidence that strong community relationships — alongside enforcement — are essential to creating safer places. It sets out five areas of action to support this goal.

🔹Social cohesion and trust can act as protective factors, particularly in areas of disadvantage.
🔹Crime and ASB matter to communities — they act as wider signals of neighbourhood decline.

Key findings:
🔹Crime is heavily concentrated and persistent in areas of multiple disadvantage
🔹Disadvantage and instability reinforce each other, weakening community control.
🔹The built environment shapes both risk and resilience.

There’s still time to join the YJB’s Child First Day webinar at 2:30 today (20th August), where Jess will be sharing insights from our research on applying the Child First framework in youth justice services.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/child-firs...

As part of our YJB commissioned research, we engaged children directly via a national survey to understand their experiences at their youth justice service, and to build evidence on how the tenets of the Child First framework translate into practice.

In his foreword, Sir Stephen Kavanagh, former Executive Director of Police Services at INTERPOL, puts it plainly: “The criminal threats have moved on – and we haven’t.”

Key recommendations:
◆Launch a tech-driven offensive to disrupt full criminal operations
◆Impose cross-border sanctions on criminals and complicit financial institutions
◆Deploy coordinated international sting operations to cut supply chains

We propose a bold new strategy: a Five Eyes-style Serious Organised Crime Alliance, built to dismantle entire networks, not just chase individuals in a game of whack-a-mole.

Our research shows how serious organised crime has evolved from old-school mobsters to complex, multinational criminal enterprises that rival legitimate high-growth businesses.

Our partnership allows Police Now officers the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of the criminal justice system beyond operational policing - and it gives our staff the chance to learn valuable insights from frontline practice to enrich policy and strategy development.

🔹Shoplifting incidents have hit a 20 year high
🔹Fraud reports continue to rise - now making up nearly half of all crime
🔹There are small but consistent falls in violent crime - but overall figures remain high
🔹A new way of measuring VAWG highlights the scale of the issue