Police force proves old-fashioned bobbies on the beat does stop crime | UK | News

A police force has welcomed a drop in crime thanks to an old-fashioned approach of filling the streets with extra patrols of highly visible officers. On Monday Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans to reform the “broken” model of policing in England and Wales by creating police super units and reducing the number of regional forces from 43 to just 12.

But Staffordshire Police has revealed that reducing crime could be as simple as officers stepping up the pace after working 13,126 hours of overtime to increase the number of visible patrols on the streets. From May 2025 to January 2026, local officers carried out extra duties in 19 different hotspots to reduce crime, resulting in 350 arrests, an 11 per cent reduction in serious violence and a 29 per cent reduction in knife crime.

Inspector John Owen, who leads our problem-solving approach, said: “We often hear that people want to see officers on duty, visible and acting directly on their key concerns – this initiative is a great example of what is happening in Staffordshire.

“All of these hours are spent by officers alongside their duties in their area of ​​expertise. They spend more time building closer relationships with people and tackling problems head-on.

“This initiative is about acting on data, focusing our proactive efforts on areas most affected by crime, and putting more officers in the right places to address issues proactively and effectively.

“It is really pleasing to see this working well across Staffordshire and I can reassure local communities that we continue to focus on neighborhood policing services to provide the best service for people who live, work and visit Staffordshire.”

This week the home secretary promised a “new model of policing” that would fundamentally change the way police forces operate in the country.

A new government white paper will reduce the number of police forces across the UK and introduce a new National Police Service (NPS) to tackle major crime.

Mahmood likened the NPS to a “British FBI” aimed at combating interregional and international crimes. Existing police forces will focus more on local crimes.

The new, larger force will tackle more serious and organized crime, as well as complex cases such as international smuggling and drug operations.

Meanwhile, smaller local forces, which the home secretary argues are less equipped to deal with serious crime, will focus on “everyday” crimes such as shoplifting and phone theft.

But police in Staffordshire have put reforms aside, revealing that old-fashioned bobbie ways with visible patrols are the real driver of reducing serious crime.

This follows an allocation of £1 million to Staffordshire Police, Fire, Rescue and Crime Commissioner to tackle knife crime, serious violence and anti-social behaviour.

The money was used to pay officers more than 13,000 hours of overtime to carry out 16,000 extra patrols and record more than 14,000 conversations with local residents and businesses.

They arrested more than 350 people and saw overall crime in hotspot areas fall by eight per cent and two per cent across Staffordshire.

Staffordshire Police added: “We managed to reduce serious violence by 11 per cent and knife crime by 29 per cent across our key focus areas.

“As 19 areas experience an increase in ASB, we continue to work proactively in local communities to use all the legislative powers we have to address the root causes of these problems and stop prolific offenders.

“The National Action Fund pot is linked to the government’s Safer Streets Mission, which aims to halve knife crime within 10 years and crack down on ASB.”

Staffordshire Police, Fire, Rescue and Crime Commissioner Ben Adams said: “Residents and businesses continually tell me they want to see a visible, proactive Police presence and it is clear that these additional neighborhood patrols are making a real difference in hotspot areas.

“Local feedback is crucial to helping Police understand what is going on in a community and further prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.

“I would encourage everyone to continue reporting their concerns to the police so they can resolve the issues that are important to them.”