Find out about our Operation Town Centres which will help ensure all Torbay towns are safe and welcoming
We want to achieve high-quality, welcoming, and vibrant town centres where all communities can feel safe and where businesses can thrive.
Operation Town Centres will ensure all Torbay towns are safe and welcoming. Our investment will provide additional enforcement officers and support and welfare staff to address the root cause behind anti-social behaviour.
This will be through collaboration between our staff and the police and using other tools to support this work (read more about this below).
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) has also pledged to make safety in town centres a priority as part of its Street Focus – Torquay project and we’re working closely with them on this.
One way we’re doing this is by collaborating with Neighbourhood Watch. One of its co-ordinators, Steph Good, will be working in Torbay over the coming months to support existing Neighbourhood Watch schemes, set up further schemes and encourage businesses and groups to sign up to its Community Safety Charter.
Uniformed town centre officers and street marshals assist in tackling ASB and improve community safety. They are on patrol in Torquay and Paignton. Speak to them if you’re concerned about anything.
Watch this Devon and Cornwall Police video to find out more about hotspot policing, which sees town centre officers and street marshals working alongside police officers to keep our streets safe.
If you’re a town centre business, why not consider signing up for StoreNet or NiteNet?
These are radio systems which improve communication and help to address any shoplifting or anti-social behaviour experienced by traders.
The radio system is linked to our CCTV control room which is in turn linked to the police.
StoreNet operates during the day while NiteNet is the system for the evening and night-time economy.
Public Space Protection Orders
Community Protection Warning (CPW): This is a written warning which must be issued before a Community Protection Notice. It is a request to stop doing something.
Community Protection Notice (CPN): This is a formal notice that addresses ongoing problems of nuisance which are having a negative effect on a community’s quality of life. The notice will direct an individual, organisation or business to stop behaving in certain ways, or to take certain action to resolve an issue. Breach of a CPN is a criminal offence and can be prosecuted in court.
Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO): CBO’s can only be issued following a conviction for a criminal offence in court. A CBO is an order made by the court that can last indefinitely and restricts someone from behaving in certain ways or being in a certain area. They usually last for around three years. Breach of a CBO can result in a prison sentence of up to five years.