Guildford Town

Borough Priority - Retail Crime
Retail crime is a national priority and is not unique to Guildford borough. Retail crime, especially shoplifting, presents complex challenges with shoplifters often acting quickly and discreetly, making detection and prevention difficult. There are also instances where shop workers are threatened or assaulted which is not acceptable. The local team are keen to support retail locations and their staff to not only prevent retail offending, but also deter those that come to our borough to do so.

Local officers often patrol key locations and take any opportunity to engage with retail staff to address this issue. With our designing out crime officers we will attempt to improve security with stores and the safety of their staff. Through proactive operations which robustly deal with offenders, we also use anti-social behaviour legislation such as Community Protection Notices and Criminal Behaviour Orders to target those committing the offences. We also work with key business across the county who have multiple retail locations to target organised crime groups that travel through the borough whilst offending.

Borough Priority - Violence against women and girls (VAWG)
VAWG encompasses any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women and girls, including threats, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty. This can include various forms of abuse like domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, and harmful traditional practices. This can often be prevalent in night time economies, such as Guildford Town.

Prevention and Awareness: Proactively educate the public and raise awareness about the impact of VAWG, encouraging reporting and creating community partnerships to prevent violence.
Effective Response: Prioritise quick, supportive responses to victims of VAWG, including specialized officers trained in handling sensitive cases, and ensuring appropriate safeguarding measures for victims.
Investigation and Prosecution: Conduct thorough and sensitive investigations into VAWG crimes, collect strong evidence, and work closely with partner agencies to ensure perpetrators are held accountable.
Support for Victims: Provide resources and referrals to support services such as shelters, and counseling.
Collaborative Approach: Work with other agencies, such as social services and healthcare providers, to tackle the underlying causes of VAWG, coordinate responses, and implement joint strategies for support and prevention.

Data Collection and Monitoring: Collect and analyse data on VAWG incidents to identify trends, gaps, and areas for improvement in policing and response efforts.

Borough Priority - Anti-social behaviour (ASB)
Anti-social behaviour (ASB) poses ongoing challenges for police, impacting community safety and quality of life. It often involves low-level but persistent offences that are hard to evidence and resolve quickly. Police must balance enforcement with prevention, working closely with local authorities and community groups. Managing ASB requires early intervention, tailored support such as youth engagement officers, and effective communication to address root causes like social issues and mental health. Building trust within communities is essential for reporting and cooperation. A coordinated, proactive approach helps reduce ASB, improve neighbourhoods, and maintain public confidence in policing.

The local team routinely review all reports for their areas and identify if there are any emerging issues or trends. They will also identify any chronic neighbourhood issues or those with community impact. They will then use several tactics to address various issues. Be it, high visibility patrols in key areas to deter offending, or provide the community an opportunity to engage with the team. To working with key partner agencies to identify the cause of issues and utilising the appropriate agency in order to resolve the matter.

Youth related antisocial behaviour.
This is predominantly weekends, but does occur during the week also. This is a mixture of gathering in large groups causing ASB, low level public order offences or nuisances to local businesses.

There are long running actions to improve this, with an increase in town marshals, and shop security. As well as priority patrols of key locations and use of dispersal notices for those coming to the town to cause issues. Crimes are dealt with robustly and shops supported in dealing with any issues. This receives additional patrols and officers at the weekend.