New proposals to keep South Cambridgeshire communities safe include work to prevent exploitation, improve support for those affected by domestic abuse, tackle anti-social behaviour and reduce shoplifting.
The priorities are all in the proposed 2026-27 Operational Plan for the South Cambs Community Safety Partnership (CSP) – which will be considered by the District Council's Cabinet next week.
While South Cambridgeshire is widely regarded as a safe place to live, partners are committed to ensuring residents feel even safer. The proposed plan includes:
- support for people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence
- targeted work to prevent young people becoming involved in exploitation or serious violence
- action to address anti-social behaviour hotspots
- joint initiatives with retailers and police to reduce shoplifting
- awareness campaigns in schools and communities.
The plan also includes continued work to combat fraud, scams and cybercrime, reduce substance misuse and reoffending, support vulnerable residents, and help communities identify and respond to emerging local concerns before problems escalate.
The proposals have been informed by analysis of local crime and community safety data, alongside intelligence and insights from partners. Targeted work is expected in several areas where data suggests extra support may be needed, including Cambourne, Northstowe, Milton and Waterbeach, Histon and Impington, and Fen Ditton and Fulbourn.
The South Cambs Community Safety Partnership brings together partners responsible for community safety, including South Cambridgeshire District Council, the police, health services, probation, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, Cambridgeshire County Council and voluntary and community sector organisations. Together, they work to reduce crime, disorder, substance misuse and reoffending, while helping residents feel safe in their communities.
Recently, the CSP has worked to implement Public Space Protection Orders at the Milton and Babraham Road Park and Ride sites to combat anti-social driving issues. It also ran a series of court experience days to provide knife crime and criminal justice system awareness to year nine students – with 120 young people attending during the last year and more events planned this year. Elsewhere, following research into effective interventions for young people, the CSP partnered with Public Health to contribute funding to the Skill Mill project - which aims to support young people away from offending and into training or employment.
As the accountable body for the Partnership, South Cambridgeshire District Council plays a leading role in coordinating its work. It oversees governance arrangements, commissions an annual assessment to identify priorities, coordinates partnership activities and supports a dedicated Community Safety Partnership Project Officer, funded by Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, who works with residents and communities to address local concerns. The Council also helps ensure community safety considerations are reflected in wider work – such as helping design safer new communities as the district grows.
Cllr Dr Lisa Redrup, Lead Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “South Cambridgeshire is already a safe place to live, work and raise a family. Our plan for next year focuses on working together to prevent problems before they escalate."
"No single organisation can tackle these challenges alone. The strength of the South Cambs Community Safety Partnership is that it brings together councils, police, health services, probation and voluntary organisations to share information, identify emerging risks and take action together. We’re proud to help lead this work and support practical initiatives that make our communities safer, stronger and more resilient."
Police and Crime Commissioner, Darryl Preston added: “Issues such as anti-social behaviour can blight communities and cannot always be solved by policing alone. I am pleased to fund the problem-solving co-ordinator role in South Cambs, enabling the CSP to have more capacity to work with local communities and partners on practical solutions to make our communities stronger and more resilient to ASB and disorder.”
If approved at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 29 September, the Operational Plan will guide the work of the CSP throughout 2026-27.
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