Why was Jess Phillips MP in Halifax town centre: Jess Phillips MP and Kate Dearden MP shadow neighbourhood policing operation tackling street crime in Calderdale
Jess Phillips MP and Kate Dearden MP were in Halifax town centre yesterday (Thursday) to shadow a neighbourhood policing operation.
The MPs patrolled the Woolshops Shopping Centre with West Yorkshire Police officers as part of the government’s Safer Streets Summer Initiative (SSSI), which was launched on June 30 and will run until late September.
The SSSI involves an increased police presence, and stronger prevention and enforcement action by the police – such as banning perpetrators from hotspots – in order to protect town centres from street crime and anti-social behaviour.
Speaking about shadowing the police patrol, Ms Phillips said: “I’ve been out walking with them today and seen some of the amazing work that they have been doing here.
“What people can expect to see is crime being solved and more police on the street.”
While patrolling the Woolshops Shopping Centre, the MPs spoke to a security guard outside the B&M store.
Ms Phillips said: “They talked about how they’ve been able to deploy plain clothes police officers within their shops to detect and then prosecute shop lifters.”
Chief Inspector May Preston of Calderdale District Police, who attended the patrol on Thursday, has worked in policing for 21 years.
She said that, as a result of the force’s work, Halifax has seen big reductions in shop thefts in the town centre.
Ms Preston said: “We’ve worked quite closely with our business partners, we’ve worked with local authority community safety officers, to actually look at increasing confidence around reporting.
“We’ve put structures in place so that we can identify offenders very quickly and deal with them robustly, so actually we’re addressing the problem and we’ve seen big reductions in shop thefts in Halifax town centre as a result of that work.”
On the SSSI, Ms Preston said: “It gives us increased resources to be able to look at tackling anti-social behaviour in local community areas.
“Specifically the focus is around Halifax, Hebden Bridge, and Brighouse, but we’ve looked to make sure we’re covering the communities across the district.
“What it means is you’ll see an increase in neighbourhood police officers in different areas using different tactics to address issues around anti-social behaviour and make people feel safer in the community.
“You’ll see our neighbourhood officers – so your officers in the hi-vis vests – going around engaging with people, you’ll see increases in enforcement around anti-social behaviour, using our powers, policing the public space protection order.
“You’ll also see initiatives like Operation Orion tackling off-road bikes, tackling anti-social behaviour in relation to vehicles and violence against women in other areas such as Mixenden and Ovenden – so there’s a whole range of different tactics and different approaches that we’re using to deal with issues that the community are telling us about in the area.”
Speaking about the patrol, Ms Dearden said: "After calling for more local resources to make our streets safer, it was great to join West Yorkshire Police today for their summer crackdown.
"Residents told me about the problems they face, and today I saw the real, tangible impact of the Safer Streets Scheme – preventing crime, deterring offenders, and giving people more confidence to enjoy our town centre while feeling safe.
“This Labour Government is delivering on its commitment to put more patrols on our streets, give police stronger enforcement powers, and create real deterrents to crime.
“We will keep building on this momentum so Halifax is a safe, welcoming place where local people feel confident and businesses can thrive.
“My thanks to our local officers for the tireless work you do every day to protect and support our community."
Every police force in England and Wales now has a named contactable police officer in every neighbourhood, as part of the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
These officers are required to respond to concerns within 72 hours.
The Home Office said street crime has “sky-rocketed” in recent years, with “theft from the person” more than doubling between December 2022 and 2024, and increased levels of shop theft.
West Yorkshire Police will receive up to £695.6 million in funding for 2025/26 – an increase of £43 million on the previous year.
This includes an allocation of £8.52 million from the £200 million Neighbourhood Policing Grant.
By Spring 2026, the first cohort of 3,000 new neighbourhood policing officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) will be deployed to communities across the country.