Crime falls as new hub makes Newcastle City Safe

Crime has fallen in Newcastle city centre after authorities sought to work more closely together.  

The City Safe project sees Northumbria Police officers, Newcastle City Council’s community safety team and NE1 street rangers patrolling from a base at City Library to tackle crime, reduce anti-social behaviour and provide increased access to support services.

For the April to October 2024 period, which includes the foundation of the City Safe hub, Northumbria Police has recorded an eight per cent overall fall in crime in the city centre including an:

• 11 per cent decrease in both thefts and anti-social behaviour
• 14 per cent reduction in violence that causes injury
• 27 per cent drop in vehicle crime
• 28 per cent fall in noise complaints

Officers have also made 116 arrests, with 30 community protection notices issued, barring problem individuals from the heart of the city.

Delight at early successes

Cllr Irim Ali, Newcastle City Council Cabinet member for communities, said: “The City Safe initiative shows the impact of authorities working closely together day to day, with sizeable year on year reductions across a range of crimes, and a more streamlined process to find vulnerable people the help and support they may need.

“We are delighted by these early successes, which all help to make our city a more welcoming place to live, work and visit, and by the positive feedback we are receiving from the public and businesses.

“We hope that the hub will go from strength to strength, growing as more organisations come on board, and that we can take what we have learned out into our other communities across the city.”

Chief superintendent Barrie Joisce, Northumbria Police’s area commander for Newcastle, said: "These superb results are testament to the positive impact City Safe has already had in Newcastle's city centre in its first six months.

"Our collaborative approach enables us to share intelligence and respond accordingly to deal with prolific offenders as well as targeting support to those in need quicker.

"The response from members of the public and businesses who we have engaged with has been overwhelmingly positive. Please continue to approach us if you see our teams out and about as we are here to help.

"City Safe has gone from strength to strength, but we will continue to build upon this excellent work so far and improve our service to make Newcastle as safe and welcoming as it can be."

Tariq Albassam, director of operations at NE1 Ltd said: “We are delighted that City Safe is delivering such notable success so quickly after its launch. 

"Helping to tackle on-street issues in Newcastle and helping make the city centre look and feel more welcoming have always been top of NE1’s priorities.

“The collaboration with Newcastle City Council and Northumbria Police builds on the tremendous success of NE1’s Street Ranger team, which has operated on the streets of Newcastle since 2011, liaising with businesses and the public and offering a prominent and highly visible customer service information and support service."

Seeking to build on the early successes the hub is now also set to welcome in representatives from the Probation Service, homelessness charity Changing Lives and other support services.

Report a crime

To report a crime in the city centre speak to a uniformed patrol, contact Northumbria Police by direct message on social media, or by using the live chat function or report pages on their website. For those unable to contact police in those ways, please call 101. In an emergency, or if a crime is taking place, always dial 999.

Photo: Newcastle City Council community safety officers and Northumbria Police patrol city centre streets from the City Safe hub.