Neighbourhood policing officers carried out high visibility patrols across Peterborough city centre on Saturday night as part of the force’s Winter of Action, a renewed push to keep the night-time economy safe during the busy festive period.
CambsNews joined officers on shift on 13 December as they moved between venues, spoke with revellers and dealt with incidents as they arose. The operation formed part of a wider countywide effort aimed at tackling retail crime, anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls, and general safety concerns linked to the festive period.
Sergeant Chris Arnold, the city centre sergeant leading the operation, said the focus throughout the evening was on visibility, prevention and early intervention.
“With it being the festive period, we were expecting a large number of people out enjoying Christmas parties and the night-time economy,” he said. “Our main objective was to keep the city centre safe. We did that by using the powers available to us, things like ASB legislation, Public Space Protection Orders and Community Protection Warnings, but also by being present, talking to people and working closely with venues.”
He said the team’s approach was deliberately proactive.
“It takes a lot of resources to patrol the city centre when we have wider demand across Peterborough and the northern part of Cambridgeshire,” he said. “Having boots on the ground helps us reduce offending before it happens rather than just reacting to it. Nights like this are about being out early, engaging with staff and making sure everyone knows what behaviours we need to be alert to, particularly around violence against women and girls.”
Arnold said officers maintained a zero tolerance stance on incidents involving violence or intimidation.
“We always think arrest first when dealing with those offences,” he said. “We deal with them robustly and immediately to get the best possible outcome for victims.”
The Winter of Action follows a similar summer operation which, according to the force, led to a significant reduction in anti-social behaviour and crime in the city centre.
“We have already seen from the summer action plan that ASB reduced significantly in the city centre alone, and crime as well,” Arnold said. “We are confident the winter plan will follow suit. Dedicated resources make a real difference. By putting officers out on the ground and keeping the focus tight, we can help keep the streets safe.”
A police spokesperson said demand across the county remained high over the weekend. Across Cambridgeshire, from Saturday into the early hours of Sunday, officers made 38 arrests for a range of offences in various locations. Over the same period, the force received 667 calls for service.
Despite that pressure, Arnold said partnership working remained strong.
“We are lucky to have a really good Safer Peterborough Partnership,” he said. “We work closely with the council and other services around the city centre. One of our biggest challenges is simply being in the right place at the right time, but having that network helps us respond quickly.”
Officers are expected to continue targeted patrols throughout the festive season, with additional teams deployed on key weekends, bank holidays and other high demand periods.
