£1.5m funding boost helps combat serious violence and antisocial behaviour

The Hotspot Action Fund (HAF) is a Home Office-funded initiative aimed at tackling serious violence, knife crime, and antisocial behaviour (ASB) in the areas most affected across Nottinghamshire.

With a total allocation of £1,529,097 for 2025/26, the fund supports a blend of high-visibility patrols and problem-oriented policing to address both the symptoms and root causes of crime.

Twenty areas of Nottinghamshire, including in the city and across the county, have been identified for the extra hotspot patrols, allowing officers to take overtime working in areas where serious violence and antisocial behaviour are most likely to occur, creating safer spaces for residents and communities.

The city hotspot areas covered include Old Market Square, the Lace Market, Hyson Green, Sneinton Hermitage, St Ann’s Well Road area, Radford West, Bulwell, Bulwell Forest, Leen Valley, and Whitemoor.

The county hotspots benefiting from the additional patrols include Mansfield town centre, Ravensdale, Beeston town centre, Eastwood south, Sutton central, Hucknall central, Worksop town centre, Newark castle, and in and around Newark town centre.

During May alone, there were a total of 1,196 hours of high-visibility patrols, alongside 233 local authority patrols, carried out in Nottinghamshire’s targeted hotspot areas.

These additional patrols led to 17 arrests, 14 stop and searches, and 35 instances where officers used their powers to tackle antisocial behaviour.

Previous statistics have showed that the extra hotspot patrol activity has had a positive impact, with serious violence falling by nearly six percent in areas where hotspot patrols were operating - outperforming a reduction of three percent countywide.

The impact was even more pronounced in public spaces – where serious violence plummeted by nine percent, compared to a countywide reduction of 3.9 percent.

Antisocial behaviour offences also fell by 8.2 percent in hotspot patrol areas, improving safety and quality of life for residents.

These figures are based on the number of incidents in a nine-month period between April and December 2004, compared to the same period the previous year.

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 there were 12,719 extra high-visibility police officer patrol hours carried out in hotspot areas thanks to the previous tranche of Home Office funding.

There were also 5,258 local authority patrols carried out during the same period under the fund.

Superintendent Heather Maelor is head of Nottinghamshire Police’s Prevention Hub which is coordinating the Hotspot Action Fund.

The Prevention Hub is a collaboration between multiple force departments responsible for developing and delivering strategies to prevent crime and disorder throughout the city and county.

Supt Maelor said: “I am really pleased that the force has received more funding from the Home Office this year as it gives us the opportunity to build on the success of our high-visibility hotspot policing.

“It will ensure that the public continue to see more police on the streets which is what they often tell us they want to see in their communities.

“Targeted hotspot policing continues to pay dividends in helping us to keep people safe, prevent crime, drive down violence, and provide reassurance. These hotspot patrols remain a key part of our success in deterring and reducing offending, as well as improving our engagement with communities and young people.

“Preventing crime before it happens and having the resources to target it where we know it’s happening is a crucial part of keeping our communities safe. This additional funding will enable us to provide dedicated resources to tackle such behaviour in areas of Nottinghamshire where our communities are most affected.

“These extra patrols have also meant our officers have been in the right places at the right times to take swift and decisive action when incidents have occurred.”

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden added: “This continued investment from the Home Office is making a tangible difference on the ground in Nottinghamshire.

“We know that visible policing works—whether it’s deterring crime, disrupting serious violence, or simply giving communities the confidence to enjoy their public spaces without fear.

“These patrols are not just about enforcement—they’re about prevention, visibility and connection with the public.

“I’m proud of the results we’ve seen so far, and this new round of funding will allow us to go even further in making our streets safer and our communities stronger.”

As well as increased hotspot patrols, more money from the fund is set to go towards funding other crime prevention initiatives and resources in certain hotspot areas as the year progresses.

Residents are encouraged to report concerns in their areas, helping to guide future efforts and ensure resources are deployed where they’re most needed.

For more information on hotspot policing or to report a concern, visit https://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/ro/report/asb/asb-v3/report-antisocial-behaviour/