Police ready for another busy year serving the public of North, East and West Devon

As a new year gets underway, policing teams in North, East and West Devon have reflected on a busy, but successful year during which they contributed to reducing crime and disorder and keeping communities safe.

The policing section, which includes the city of Exeter, encompasses urban, rural and coastal areas, with officers and staff responding to a plethora of incidents including missing people, road traffic collisions, anti-social behaviour, and crime and disorder throughout the areas.

Teamwork is crucial to achieving the policing priorities set by the Force, evidenced by the contribution from patrol officers, neighbourhood teams, detectives, police staff and volunteers. Crime stats improved compared to the same period in 2023 and there were improvements in the number of emergency calls attended within the twenty-minute target. The North, East and West Devon area received over 19,300 emergency calls between 1 January and 31 December 2024.

Following additional funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, to help tackle issues of anti-social behaviour, the area saw increased high visibility hotspot patrols in places including Barnstaple, Exeter, Exmouth and Bideford during 2024.

Chief Superintendent Dan Evans, the Policing Commander for North, East and West Devon said “Our neighbourhood teams have been highly successful in reducing anti-social behaviour across our area.  We have implemented a record number of Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) and Community Protection Notices (CPNs) against those people blighting our communities with their anti-social behaviour.”

• A Criminal Behaviour Order is available following a conviction for any criminal offence in the Crown Court, magistrates' court or youth court. The CBO prohibits the offender from doing anything described in the order, specific behaviour such as harassment or entering a defined area. The order requires the offender to stick to the terms - such as attending an educational course on alcohol and its effects. A CBO replaces the previous Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO).  
• A Community Protection Notice can be issued by police officers and is intended to stop a person continuing with persistent unacceptable behaviour which affects victims and has a detrimental effect on the community.
• Before a Community Protection Notice can be issued, the person must be given a written warning stating that a CPN will be issued unless their conduct ceases. Failure to heed a warning after sufficient time and if the behaviour continues, may then lead to the issue of a CPN.
• Breaches of CPN or CBO can lead to further sanctions or punishment.

Police officers have a variety of tools to help them prevent and detect crime. 

Ch Supt Dan Evans continued: “In line with a preventative and educational approach, we have established Youth Intervention Clinics across Devon. This is a new way of working to put the child first. If youngsters have reason to come to our attention, police officers will spend time with the child and their family to understand their needs and support them in gaining additional help by way of referrals to other agencies. The practice is restorative rather than punitive and is seeing excellent results; the latest figures show that more than 60% of the children dealt with in this way do not re-offend.

The Neighbourhood Support Teams (NST) were introduced last summer; these work in communities to tackle specific short and long term problems affecting local people; this can include issues such as anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other crime affecting communities.

The team covering North, East and West Devon work across a number of different areas, carrying out high-visibility foot patrols which has resulted in an increased level of confidence in communities.

Since July 2024, the NST has been running a regular operation in Exeter City Centre to support local business in the city. This has resulted in:

• 260 hours of dedicated high visibility foot patrol.
• 28 PSPOs (Public Spaces Protection Orders – designed to help tackle ASB by allowing police to confiscate items and disperse individuals from a specific area).
• 23 Stop Searches (eight positive for stolen goods, one positive for fake tobacco, four positive for drugs possession).
• 11 arrests.

There have been excellent examples of problem-solving work with our partner agencies to tackle and prevent protracted issues of criminality and ASB. Some examples include:

• The successful demolition of Taddiport Dairy in Torrington which had hundreds of previous incidents of anti-social behaviour linked to it.
• Tackling street drinking and ASB in Ilfracombe, with numerous Criminal Behaviour Orders and custodial sentences handed out to the main perpetrators.
• The detection of a series of caravan thefts, a total of 40 across the South West. Five individuals are remanded in custody and awaiting trial.
• A Safer Streets initiative in Barnstaple town centre and Exeter city centre alongside our partners in the local authority has resulted in reductions in criminality and the arrest of numerous offenders.

A specific mention should also be made of the following two operations:

• Operation Haku, was established after a number of drugs deaths in North Devon. The operation involved joint working between local officers and other Force wide resources which led to the seizure of kilos of class A drugs and long custodial sentences for those involved.
• A 27 year old man was sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment following a hearing at Exeter Crown Court in November 2024 after being found guilty of sexual assault in Exeter city centre. The court heard how he targeted the victim in May as she was walking home in the early hours.

This investigation is another example of outstanding work carried out by Exeter officers in partnership with Exeter City Council and demonstrates the commitment Devon & Cornwall Police has to making our area safer for women and girls.

Chief Superintendent Evans said: “Last year was really positive for us with so many examples of excellent work by our officers and staff. We’ve taken steps to make our communities safer and disrupt criminal activity in our area.

“The North, East and West Devon areas are safe places to live but I am committed, alongside my teams, to make them even safer through understanding the issues that we face and responding to them appropriately.

In 2024, the proactive team of non-uniformed officers also achieved some outstanding results including:

• 50 arrests
• Seizure of £54k of controlled drugs
• Seizure of criminal assets to the value of £94k
• Secured prison sentences of 68 years in total for some of our most prolific offenders

Ch Supt Evans added: “This year I want to improve our service to the public even further and build on the work that we did in 2024. I will be ensuring that we respond to calls for service promptly, provide a tailored and high-quality service when we arrive and resolve calls efficiently and effectively.”

Through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), police Forces are allowed to collect money gained from crime and distribute it to community-based groups who carry out worthwhile work to support different activities and age groups in our communities. In 2024 we granted funds to 11 organisations in NEW Devon totalling more than £16,000.

Ch Supt Evans continued: “I want my officers and staff to engage with the community and understand the issues people are facing locally - that way we can tackle them in the best way possible.

“There is no doubt about the positive effect our Neighbourhood Teams have had this year. They have provided reassurance to our communities at many different levels and have enabled us to build positive relationships as a result. This will continue to inspire confidence in police locally and together help us build stronger and safer communities.

“I also want to focus on prevention and education – working with our young people in schools, colleges and in the community to ensure that they grow with every possible chance of success and happiness.”

Ch Supt Evans added: “There will also be a huge focus this year on the standards of our investigations. I want officers to deal with crime in a timely but robust manner and provide a service to victims of crime that we can all be proud of.”