Results from a two-year hotspot policing programme in Leicestershire offer a detailed picture of what targeted, data-led prevention can achieve — and what it costs to get there.
The programme, funded through the national Hotspot Action Fund, focused dedicated patrols on areas identified through crime data and intelligence as being at higher risk of serious violence. Officers delivered 14,300 hours of patrols over the year, exceeding the original target of 13,000 hours. Analysis from September to December 2025 shows a 15.4% reduction in serious violence within hotspot areas, and — notably — an 8.6% reduction in surrounding areas too, suggesting the benefits extended beyond the immediate patrol zones.
Alongside violence reductions, the programme saw increases in arrests, intelligence-led stop searches, use of antisocial behaviour powers, and missing children located — indicators of a broader safeguarding impact alongside the enforcement activity.
The programme is estimated to have prevented 571 incidents, representing around £98,840 in social value and an overall harm reduction of £16.2 million over the two-year period — a 54% reduction.
Chief Inspector Craig Smith-Curtis, force lead for Crime Prevention and Community Safety, described it as a “genuine collective effort” across police, local authority, partner organisations, and charities in the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Partnership.
As the Hotspot Action Fund comes to a close, the programme offers a useful evidence base for making the case for sustained investment in prevention-focused policing.
Source: Hotspot policing delivers major reductions in serious violence and harm — Leicestershire Police (29 April 2026)
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