Overall crime has fallen within the five wards that are the focus of Operation Refresh since the operation began at the beginning of September 2010.

In the seven weeks since the start of Operation Refresh, there has been a 4% decrease in overall crime compared to the seven weeks period prior to the operation starting.

Although burglary and robbery have seen slight increases (by 8 and 11 offences respectively), the number of serious violent crimes fell by 43 offences from 126 in the seven weeks prior to 83 during the seven weeks since Operation Refresh began.

Superintendent Dave Stringer, from Croydon police said: “The signs are encouraging, but we still face a big challenge in the area. The number of serious violent crimes falling by such a degree is good news, but we know that we still have work to do, and people in the area can expect to see even more activity to tackle all crime over the coming months.”

Police activity within Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Selhurst, Thornton Heath and West Thornton wards has been gradually increased and will continue to do so as a variety of tactics are being used to target crime hotspots and criminals in the area.

15 ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) operations and more than 15 raids on addresses have been carried out by the five Safer Neighbourhoods Teams (SNTs), who have also been carrying out regular night patrols, to target the right places at the right time.

Three of the teams have moved into a new patrol base in Parchmore Road and across the five teams, there are now 5 Sergeants, 18 PCs and 24 PCSOs, which is an increase for the teams since the operation started in September.

Over 40 small businesses within the wards have also been visited by officers, in order to find out about the crime and security issues they are facing and to offer them advice and support.

Inspector Chris Green, responsible for the five SNTs taking part in Operation Refresh said: “We know that some business owners don’t always report things happening to them to police, which is why we’re making an effort to speak to as many as possible. They often think that police can’t help them, but the flip side to that is we can’t help if we don’t know about things. This is about improving communication between both sides to help reduce crime.”

In addition to the SNTs carrying out their regular activity, Croydon’s Safer Transport Team, the Uniform Tasking Unit (UTU) and CID squads have also been focusing their activities in on the five wards in a coordinated effort to tackle crime.

The Safer Transport Team has been carrying out regular patrols on the transport routes through the wards and also carrying out revenue protection operations in conjunction with colleagues from BTP and TfL.

Officers from Croydon’s UTU and Crime Squad have also been carrying out operations targeting burglars and addresses where stolen goods are believed to be stored, and addresses with connections to drugs, with one man being arrested in connection with 40 burglaries.

Croydon Council has also been playing a crucial part in achieving these results and helping the police reach the community living and working in the five wards. Trading standards are continually working with businesses and on Monday 15 November they will target shops with Croydon’s Age Check scheme. The scheme encourages retailer responsibility and helps shops manage sales of age restricted goods, such as alcohol and knives.

Youth services are dealing with young offenders of crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as engaging local young people in positive activities. Using a wide range of resources and powers across the council, such as deploying extra CCTV cameras to key areas, this has helped to deliver real results.

Councillor Steve O’Connell commented on what has been achieved so far: “This is another great example of how working together and combining resources, can achieve results. This is great news for residents”.

Inspector Chris Green added: “I think that we’re making good and steady progress with Operation Refresh. What I want the local communities to understand is that we’re here for the long-term. This Operation is not just about a quick fix - we will be focused on these wards for the foreseeable future.

“One of the big aims for us is to engage more with the local communities in a positive way so that we can help resolve any crime or antisocial behaviour issues they have. Hopefully people that may normally be reluctant about speaking with police will see us taking positive action and be more willing to tell us what issues are affecting them.”