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Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth has laid out her plans for the continuation of a project tackling anti-social behaviour and serious violence in North East
communities. Project Shield is once again being funded by a £1.8m government grant, and will see increased visibility through uniformed patrols, furthering the PCC's mission to deliver
safer streets for local people. A planning event for the second year of the project was attended by PCC, Northumbria Police, British Transport Police, Nexus, Stagecoach and all six local
authorities across the force area. Teams involved in Project Shield also incorporate analysts and researchers who will help guide deployment and identify trends and emerging issues, so that
activity can be rolled out in areas identified through this data. As well as this, officers will continue to engage with the public, with the project aiming to grow confidence in policing
and encourage people to report crimes. Since launching last year, PCC stats suggest that Project Shield has delivered a 12.5% reduction in serious violence in targeted areas, and has brought
about a 20% reduction in anti-social behaviour in the same these areas. This equates to 31,244 total patrol hours, 227 arrests, and 288 stop and searches taking place. Northumbria PCC Susan
Dungworth said: "Since launching Project Shield last year, we have seen it go from strength to strength - as the results demonstrate. It was great to get partners together today to
showcase the impact everyone’s hard work is having. "The positive impact of the project is being felt far and wide, I’ve had residents in our key areas telling me they’re seeing more
uniforms and feeling safer. I’ve also had retailers in our town centres contacting me praising the impact the additional patrols have had, and there’s been a lot of interest from the Home
Office too. "Project Shield supports many of the priorities I set in my Police and Crime Plan for safer streets and stronger communities. My commitments include ensuring we have an
engaged and responsive police force, tackling serious violence and reducing crime and antisocial behaviour, Project Shield helps towards it all." Assistant Chief Constable Andy Hill, of
Northumbria Police, added: "I want those in our Force area to be reassured that we remain committed to identifying those responsible for such criminal activity while also addressing
the root causes of these issues. "We’ve had great feedback from members of the public, who tell us that Project Shield is having a tangible and positive impact on their lives and thanks
to renewed funding for 2025/26, we aim to drive down the number of incidents in the coming months." JOIN OUR BREAKING NEWS AND TOP STORIES WHATSAPP COMMUNITY Join our Breaking News and
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