Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to reduce levels of antisocial behaviour in town centres in the North East.

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

Police and Crime Commissioners are leading on targeted action to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour that blights our town centres and high streets as part of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative. The work is being delivered in partnership with councils, schools, health services, businesses, transport providers and community groups all playing a role over the summer.

Under the initiative, partners will use targeted enforcement, visible policing and place-based interventions to reduce retail and street crime and anti-social behaviour in over 500 town centres and high streets, including Stockton-on-Tees, across England and Wales. The full list of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative locations (also shown regionally) can be found here: List of Safer Streets summer initiative locations - GOV.UK

In addition, the Home Office is also providing £66.3 million funding in 2025-26 to all 43 forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence and anti-social behaviour. Cleveland Police will receive £1,420,423 of this funding to use across the county.