Devon & Cornwall Police Want To Hear About ASB Where You Live

Anti-social behaviour reports have been falling across Cornwall, and the force says the people who live here are the reason it can keep falling. This week it is asking residents to report what they see and flag the problems that matter most on their own streets.

Devon & Cornwall Police is backing ASB Awareness Week 2026 and asking people across Cornwall to report anti-social behaviour and tell the force which problems matter most where they live.

The national campaign runs from 29 June to 5 July and is led by Resolve, an organisation focused on community safety and anti-social behaviour. It is backed by HM Government, the Local Government Association, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and a long list of other national partners, alongside Devon & Cornwall Police and forces around the country.

The Camborne turnaround

Camborne is one of 15 locations across Devon and Cornwall chosen for extra foot patrols over the past two years. In Cornwall the hotspot areas are St Austell, Newquay, Penzance, Truro, Bodmin and Camborne.

The patrols are carried out by police officers and street marshals. They were paid for through Home Office funding secured by Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez, with extra money from her own office covering Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Before the scheme started, Camborne’s anti-social behaviour figures were rising by a fifth each year. In 2025, the first full year of the approach, they dropped by 40%.

Across all 15 hotspot areas, reports of anti-social behaviour and street violence fell by an average of 10% in 2025 compared with the year before. The scheme began with 13 areas and grew to 15 last year. Those original 13 had seen an average 20% rise in reports between 2022 and 2024 before the 2025 fall.

Hotspot policing lead Inspector Dominic Nicholls said the Camborne result was not down to any one thing on its own.

“While the positive and tangible change in Camborne is not down to a single intervention in isolation, it is an example of the positive picture that can be seen when visible patrols, police activity and partnership problem-solving are brought together in a focused way,” he said.

What the patrols involve

Street marshals hold limited police powers granted by the Chief Constable under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme. Because they are out on the streets regularly, they are more likely to see anti-social behaviour as it happens. They can then pass real-time information to police and local councils, which speeds up enforcement and prevention.

Targeted patrols, outreach work and partnership activity all form part of the wider approach, which sits inside a larger Street Focus project aimed at safer town and city centres.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said the figures backed up the idea behind the scheme.

“The results speak for themselves. The force, my office and our partners delivering the foot patrols have driven down ASB and violence rates,” she said. “ASB is a scourge on our society and the daily grind of it can significantly impact residents going about their lives or shopkeepers trying to earn a living.”

She also pointed to deeper causes behind disruptive behaviour, from drug and alcohol treatment to housing, that need their own investment.

A 10% drop across the force

Lead Inspector for Neighbourhood Policing Steve Philp said the force has recorded a 10.2% reduction in anti-social behaviour incidents over the last 12 months. He put that down to work with Community Safety Partnerships, housing authorities and other agencies, delivered through Neighbourhood Policing Teams who know their patches best.

“Anti-social behaviour is a significant issue as it affects people’s sense of safety, their mental health and, for some, their ability to stay in their home,” Steve Philp said. “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and their neighbourhood, and the public are our strongest partners in this. If ASB is blighting your community, please report it.”

Neighbourhood Policing Teams have a range of tools to deal with anti-social behaviour. These include Community Protection Warnings and Notices, Criminal Behaviour Orders, Civil Injunctions, Closure Orders, Public Spaces Protection Orders and dispersal powers.

How to report it and have your say

Anyone can report anti-social behaviour through the ‘Report’ button on the Devon & Cornwall Police website by choosing the ‘Report antisocial behaviour’ option, or by calling 101.

The force is also asking people to fill in its community priority survey to flag the issues that matter most in their area. The free Devon and Cornwall Community Messaging service lets residents get updates about their neighbourhood and message the force back.

Rebecca Bryant, Chief Executive of Resolve, said reporting was central to the week.

“It is a deeply disruptive issue that affects how safe people feel, their wellbeing and, for some, whether they can remain in their home,” Rebecca Bryant said. “ASB Awareness Week is about raising awareness, improving confidence in reporting and strengthening the partnerships needed to respond effectively. We are delighted that Devon & Cornwall Police is supporting this vital campaign.”

For now the street marshals behind the Camborne result are funded to the end of a six-month window. Alison Hernandez has confirmed that much, while she waits to hear what the government will put towards other street-focused work after that.