A MAJOR new campaign to keep Surrey’s town centres safe over the summer has been launched.

The Home Office-backed Safer Streets Summer Initiative will see a focus on the busiest areas of the county to bolster crime prevention and community safety.

The scheme, which brings together the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Surrey Police and partners across Surrey, including schools, councils, health services, businesses, and transport and community organisations, aims to tackle crimes that blight communities.

Anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls, retail crime and violent offending will be among the types of criminality targeted with visible patrols and special police operations. Some of these crime types typically increase during the summer months.

Officers will also proactively use anti-social behaviour powers and visit retail premises to offer advice, reassurance and support.

Locations for the initiative span the county and targeted activity will take place until September.

Plain-clothed officers will spot signs of suspicious behaviour in the county’s busiest nightspots, while joint operations are set to target crime enabled by motorbikes and mopeds.

Youth engagement officers will work with partners to find opportunities for young people during school holidays, and roads policing teams will be on the lookout for dangerous or distracted drivers.

Officers will also mount specific patrols tackling retail crime and anti-social behaviour in tandem with partners from environmental health, licensing and trading standards.

News of the initiative comes as Surrey marks national Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week. Anti-social behaviour is a key priority for the county’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams throughout the year.

Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend has made available funding for any developing town centre work that needs support over the course of the summer.

The commissioner said: “While Surrey remains one of the safest places to live in the country, I know that anti-social behaviour, retail crime and violence against women and children are among the issues that matter most in our communities.

“The Safer Streets Summer Initiative will allow police officers and staff, along with our fantastic partners, to put a spotlight on neighbourhood policing and community safety.

“This type of visibility is what residents have told me they want to see.

“The aim isn’t simply police enforcement – it's collaboration, and we aim not only to respond to crime, but to prevent it altogether.

“A huge range of activities will be taking place across the summer.

“More anti-social behaviour warning letters will be sent out, while data and intelligence will be used to identify areas that are disproportionately impacted by specific crime types.

“There will also be various days of targeted action in tandem with some of our key partners.

“We will work with Business Improvement Districts to protect retailers, and our Youth Engagement Officers, working with other services, will support vulnerable children and divert them away from crime.

“I look forward to sharing more about this initiative in the weeks to come, and I wish all residents a Safer Streets Summer of their own.”