Clear Hold Build

A partnership-led, strategy tackling crime and its causes through enforcement, community support, and long-term prevention in targeted Suffolk areas.

Suffolk County Council is working in partnership with key stakeholders to support the implementation of Clear Hold Build initiatives across Suffolk.

Three part initiative

It has three parts, and everyone involved works together to make things better. Clear Hold Build brings the police, schools, local groups and neighbours together so that everyone feels safe and happier where they live.

Clear

Targeted activity and crime disruption. This meas the police and others work together to stop crime and catch people who are breaking the law in certain areas.

Hold

Stabilising the area to criminals moving in to fill the void. This means that once the criminals are gone, the partnership makes sure no new criminals take their place and the area stays safe.

Build

Community-driven action to address the causes of criminality and prevent it from happening again. This means that people in the community along with other groups, work together to make the area better and fix the reasons why the problems happened in the first place. This helps stop crime from coming back.

In Suffolk, the first Clear Hold Build projects were launched in 2024 in Felixstowe and Newmarket.

In the middle of 2023, there was a noticeable rise in drug-related crime, violence, and anti-social behaviour in Felixstowe compared to previous years. Police received more reports about these problems between May and July and realised they needed to take extra action.

Between August 2023 and July 2024, police focused on clearing out crime by using more resources and tactics. During this time, they carried out over 15 search warrants, arrested 45 people, and seized drugs and cash on many occasions.

The project worked closely with local councils, schools, and other important partners. Together, they set up three groups, each focused on certain areas like making the environment better, giving young people positive activities, and planning for better education and support.

As the Hold and Build stages continue, these groups are working towards the main goals of the Future Felixstowe project:

Give better help to people who are most at risk.
Make public spaces safer and more welcoming.
Make Felixstowe a tough place for crime and anti-social behaviour to happen.

Newmarket Together is a new project in the town. It uses a three-step plan to remove organised criminals and their associates from an area through strong, coordinated action from different agencies. After that, the area is kept safe and improved with frequent police patrols, help from partner organisations, and support from the community.

This work, which targets drug-related crime and the harm it causes, started on 1 September 2024. Since then, more than 20 people have been arrested for supplying drugs.

What makes Newmarket Together different is its focus on long-term results. The police and their partners are not just tackling crime in the short term, they are working together to make sure that problems caused by crime and lack of support do not return.

More information about Suffolk Clear Hold Build areas and updates can be found on the Suffolk Constabulary website.