Winter of Action to crack down on town centre crime
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-03)

A nationwide crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour  this winter has been launched.

A nationwide crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour this winter has been launched as police, councils and businesses united to protect shoppers, retail workers, and Christmas revellers.

To keep communities safe over the busy Christmas period, police will use hotspot patrols, quick visible enforcement, and locally tailored approaches, working closely with businesses and community groups to clamp down on shop theft and street crime across hundreds of town centres.

The Winter of Action builds on the Safer Streets Summer initiative, which took place in almost 650 town centres and resulted in over 16,000 arrests and fines, mostly for shop theft and anti-social behaviour.

The summer also saw targeted visible patrols up almost 20% compared to the previous year, largely in town centres.

This boosted public confidence in town centres. According to a IPSOS national survey, levels of anti-social behaviour witnessed or experienced in town centres reduced over the summer.

There was also a fall in concerns about anti-social behaviour and crime deterring people from visiting their local town or city centre.

Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said:

Shoplifting and anti-social behaviour are tearing at the fabric of our communities.

This winter we are launching a crime-fighting blitz with police patrolling our high streets across the country.

This is part of our wider plans to fight crime with 3,000 more police on the beat by the spring to catch criminals and make our communities safe.

Greater Manchester Police saw shop theft and other forms of theft reduced by 20% from last year, street crime down by 11%, and serious violent crime down by 8% as part of their Safer Streets Summer activity.

Violent crime nearly halved in Weymouth town centre thanks to dedicated patrols that began during the summer months, with increased activity taking place in the town centre on Friday and Saturday nights.

APCC Joint Leads on Local Policing, Chris Nelson (PCC for Gloucestershire) and Matt Storey (PCC for Cleveland) said:

Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and deputy mayors are committed to driving efforts to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour so that neighbourhoods and communities can thrive.

The government’s Winter of Action will build on the success of the Safer Streets Summer initiative with a particular focus on tackling retail crime and persistent anti-social behaviour, and offending linked to the night-time economy and male violence against women and girls.

We are determined to deliver continued change for our local communities so, with our local police forces and other partners, PCCs and deputy mayors will be working harder than ever during these busier, festive months to keep people safe.

Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said:

We welcome the ‘Winter of Action’, building on the great work seen over the summer with the Safer Streets initiative.

It is encouraging to see government taking action against retail crime which has climbed over the past few years.

Last year saw record highs of theft, violence and abuse, and incidents tend to spike around Christmas.

December will also see the police deploy a new tool in their fight against knife crime, targeting hyperlocal areas that are most impacted.

These special zones, known as HEX due to their hexagon-like shapes, are roughly the size of 10 football pitches and are identified using police intelligence and local data to focus resources where they matter most.

By focusing on these zones, police and local partners can work together on detailed problem-solving to tackle the root causes of crime and prevent violence in locations across towns and cities.

HEX pilots are commencing in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Peterborough, and London, focusing on locations where knife crime is most prominent.

In Birmingham, HEX activity is targeting hotspots around the city centre and key transport hubs, while in Leeds and Liverpool the approach is being tailored to areas with persistent youth violence and weapon carrying.

Nerys Thomas, Director at the College of Policing, said:

Protecting the public has, and always will be, the police’s top priority. We are working with a number of police forces to rapidly test new methods for tackling knife crime.

The consequences of knife-enabled offences are serious and we need for innovative, locally grounded, and evidence-based solutions for these complex problems.

The public want to see police tackling these issues, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. By taking an evidence-based approach, forces will be able to implement and test new initiatives at speed and get a real sense of what works best for their communities to keep them safe.

Pooja Kanda, knife crime campaign, mother of Ronan Kanda and member of the government’s Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, said:

For too long, our streets have been allowed to become scenes of violence. The government’s HEX initiative represents decisive action—long overdue action.

The introduction of HEX patrols will help residents feel safer and enable people to enjoy the city centre without fear. Since many violent incidents occur in busy areas, we strongly welcome this initiative.

When my son was murdered by a 16-year-old carrying a 22-inch ninja sword on the streets in broad daylight, the government responded by banning that weapon, showing strong and timely leadership. I believe that same determination is now being shown through the HEX patrol hubs, which offer real hope of preventing further tragedies.

Creating vibrant high streets where people want to live, work and spend time is part of government’s Plan for Change, alongside restoring neighbourhood policing after years of declining officer presence on Britain’s streets.

Police will also take action to tackle violence against women and girls during the Christmas and New Year period, with increased patrols at night life hot spots and action to tackle the threat posed by the illegal spiking of drinks.

Paul Gerrard, Director - Campaigns, Public Affairs and Policy, Co-op, said:

Co-op is focussed on British high streets, and welcomes a nationwide crackdown on retail crime this Winter, as we are confident the tide of criminality can be turned and have seen crime levels decline in the Co-op during 2025. But this must be just the start.

We continue to invest significantly in wide-ranging safety and security measures, and we need police to continue to attend more often and Government to maintain the focus they have on the issue.

Our partnerships with police forces across the UK are vital as we protect our colleagues, our shops and the communities they serve. Local stores play a vital role, and we all must continue to do all we can to protect them, we are dedicated to continuing with shared commitments and co-operation, and confident we can strengthen local communities and support high streets across the country.

The Winter of Action continues the government’s drive to restore neighbourhood policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which from July has meant named, contactable officers in every community, increased peak time patrols in town centres and anti-social behaviour leads in every force.

From spring next year there will be 3,000 additional officers in neighbourhood policing roles with officers set to have new powers to tackle shop theft and anti-social behaviour through the Crime and Policing Bill.

This includes a new specific offence of assaulting a retail worker, ending the effective immunity that currently applies for theft of goods of and under £200 and the introduction of Respect Orders.

Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman, said:

We welcome the launch of the Winter of Action initiative, which will put more police officers in town centres and neighbourhood parades to tackle shop theft and anti-social behaviour that is blighting communities.

Local shops continue to face unacceptable levels of theft, but we are starting to see positive signs of a stronger response from police forces. Encouragingly, over half of independent convenience stores (52%) now rate their relationship with their neighbourhood policing team as very good.

It is essential that police forces maintain this momentum and deliver targeted action against prolific offenders who repeatedly steal from shops and undermine community safety. Convenience stores invest over £5,000 per year in security measures to protect customers, colleagues, and the communities they serve. This initiative is a vital step toward ensuring those efforts are supported by effective enforcement.

*Source: Association of Convenience Stores, Voice of Local Shops polling of independent retailers, November 2025

Kari Rodgers, UK Retail Director at Primark, said:

Primark welcomes the launch of the government’s Safer Streets Winter of Action and the important commitments within the Crime and Policing Bill to tackle retail crime. These measures add real momentum at a critical point in the retail calendar, helping to address the growing challenges posed by retail crime and antisocial behaviour.

Initiatives like the Winter of Action, alongside the strong and ongoing partnership between retailers and the government, are invaluable. A locally tailored approach, driven by close collaboration between retailers, police forces, BIDs and other community partners, is essential to effectively reduce retail crime.

This summer saw some meaningful improvements and important steps forward in tackling retail crime and anti-social behaviour following the launch of the government’s summer initiative campaign. We hope through the launch of Winter of Action this collaboration and progress will continue and we’re committed to keep working closely with government to help make our high streets safer places to work, shop and visit.

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of British Independent Retailers Association, said:

BIRA welcomes this new initiative. We all want to see our high streets made safer. We support the particular focus on repeat offenders of retail crime - removing these perpetrators will make a positive difference to shop owners. In the longer term we hope that these events will be replaced by a significant increase in police on our high streets during the whole year.

Dr Lynne Baird MBE, founder of the Daniel Baird Foundation and member of the government’s Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, said:

As police introduce new HEX hotspot zones to target the hyperlocal areas where knife crime is most concentrated, the Daniel Baird Foundation welcomes this focused, intelligence-led approach to preventing violence.

Concentrating resources, community engagement and tailored interventions in these high-risk locations is an important step toward tackling the root causes of knife crime. In addition, it remains vital that every high-risk location is equipped with bleed control kits and that the public are aware.

Immediate intervention saves lives. Prevention is essential — but so is preparedness.

Additional Safer Streets Summer Initiative Case studies

Thames Valley

This summer Thames Valley Police arrested more than 1,300 people as they cracked down on crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) in town and city centres with officers making 30% more arrests for shoplifting in hotspots areas than for the same period last year.

Lancashire

Lancashire’s Safer Streets Summer campaign has had a significant impact across the county, with over 500 arrests, 500 illegal bikes seized, and thousands of pounds in criminal cash reinvested into community safety initiatives.

Hex/Hyperlocal intervention case study

Birmingham

Between June 2024 and August 2025, West Midlands Police cut knife-enabled robbery (KER) offences by 30% — the largest drop among KER taskforce forces. Building on this, Birmingham’s hyperlocal approach leverages strong partnerships to tackle knife crime in city-centre HEX areas. Funded interventions include targeted youth outreach at high-risk times, with teams engaging young people to defuse situations and improve community safety.

See a list of town centres participating in the Winter of Action (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/winter-of-action-location-list).