Forty-three towns across the East Midlands have been listed to receive increased patrols to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour this summer. 

The 'Summer Blitz Initiative' was announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on a recent trip to Derby and now a full list has been published, including Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Coalville, Loughborough, Leicester, Market Harborough, Oakham, Hinkley and Melton Mowbray. 

Towns in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire have also been included locally with over 500 towns across the country signing up for the Home Secretary's Safer Streets initiative.

Increased police patrols in Ashby Town Centre hopes to make the streets safer this Summer (Photo: Ashby Nub News)

Between December 2022 and 2024, theft from a person has more than doubled, with shop theft rising by 60% in the same period. 

As part of the government's Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, from July, communities will see named, contactable officers in the area, especially patrols during peak times in town centres. 

Speaking about the Summer Blitz Initiative, Yvette Copper said: "High streets and town centres are the very heart of our communities. Residents and businesses have the right to feel safe in their towns. But the last government left a surge in shop theft, street crime and anti-social behaviour which has left too many town centres feeling abandoned.  

"It's time to turn this round, that's why I have called on police forces and councils alike to work together to deliver a summer blitz on town centre crime to send a clear message to those people who bring misery to our towns that their crimes will no longer go unpunished.  

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"The fact that 500 towns have signed up shows the strength of feeling on this issue. Through our Safer Streets Mission and Plan for Change, we are putting officers back on the beat where you can see them and making our town centres safe again."