Police committed to making Plymouth 'safer'

A Devon and Cornwall Police senior officer has said 2024 was "challenging but proactive", following a series of large incidents in Plymouth, and that the force is committed to making the city safer.

Ch Supt Scott Bradley, who leads officers in the city, said it was a positive year - from handling an unexploded World War two device, to carrying out complex police operations.

He said entering the new year had been an opportunity to "pause and reflect" on big events as well as plan for the future: "We've taken many steps to make our communities safer and deter criminals."

He said the force had tried to plan and "structure its resources" to cope with larger incidents such as the Plymouth disorder.

'Reduction in crime'

Ch Supt Bradley said this was being done "in a way that still allows us to put officers on the frontline in order to respond to those calls for service, so we don't leave people in their hour of need".

He said anti-social behaviour in the city was having a negative impact on communities, as well as the increase in shoplifting for the retail sector.

Asked what he hoped 2025 would look like, Ch Supt said: "A reduction in crime.

"We would rather live in a world where rather than reacting to crime, we operated in a space that allows us to put the right people, the right resources in the right place at the right time that prevents criminal activity taking place in the first place.

"If we saw the end of 2025 with reduced crime rates, opposed to increased ones, I think everybody would agree that would be a success."

He added: "I certainly know there is more for the police to do – we aren't where we want to be yet and there are still improvements that both myself as the commander and members of the public want to see moving forward.

"Communities are telling us they want to see more police on the streets, they want their reports to be handled quickly and effectively, and action taken against criminals.

"As we move into the beginning of 2025, I want the public to know our commitments to them as police force."