Police in Wiltshire have begun patrols on key crime areas in town, but these patrols could be stripped back as funding is pulled.
The patrols are part of a new Wiltshire Police operation, planning to crack down on anti-social behaviour.
Officers from the Royal Wootton Bassett Neighbourhood Team took to the streets on March 14-15 and targeted Clarendon Drive, Buxton Way, Cricketers Close, Beamans Lane, High Street, Sainsbury's car park and Whitehill Way in particular.
Cricklade, Purton and other small villages surrounding Swindon and Bassett were also raised as particular areas of concern for anti-social behaviour.
The new operation comes after years of funding which has been poured into cracking down on the crime, but this could all be about to change.
In April 2024, Wiltshire Police was awarded £1 million pound as part of a wider national funding scheme aimed at bolstering the response to Anti-Social Behaviour.
In March last year, the Home Office announced that an additional £1million has been made available under the Hotspot Action Fund for Wiltshire.
However, the 16,000 additional patrol hours this money allowed during 2025 are now at risk, after the Home Office confirmed Wiltshire will not receive the funding after March 2026.
Since the funding was put in place, a 20 per cent reduction has been seen countywide in reports of antisocial behaviour to police, with those in Swindon seeing a decrease of 19 per cent due to these patrols.
In Swindon, the areas identified as hotspots include Park South, Old Town, Penhill, Princes Street and Town Centre North.
“The Hotspot Fund has allowed Wiltshire Police to put officers exactly where they are needed most," said Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson.
"By directing resources to known problem areas, we’ve been able to ensure earlier interventions, provide community reassurance, and work with partners to address the root causes of antisocial behaviour and serious violence rather than just the symptoms.
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“We have shown that investment in targeted initiatives delivers real results for communities which makes this short-sighted decision by the Government staggering and certainly not in the best interests of our residents.
"I fear this is the start of them stripping away the voice and needs of our local communities as they move towards centralising police services and merging force areas.
"Without continued funding for hotspot patrols and prevention work, there is a genuine risk that the progress achieved so far could begin to reverse.”
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