This blog aims to look at the crime prevention strategies specifically in Wakefield, West Yorkshire and the rest of the nation with the inclusion of statistics and analysis. Do we do enough as a nation to add our own safety measures to deter crime?
Local strategies
Wakefield, West Yorkshire is deemed to be one of the safest districts in West Yorkshire. Wakefield Council embraces partnership working through a variety of schemes to reduce the risk of crimes relating to modern slavery, hate crimes, physical and sexual abuse to name a few. A popular scheme is 'Ask for Angela'. West Yorkshire Police have worked closely with many participating venues across the Wakefield district to train staff in how to help people who are feeling unsafe within the venue. This could be through a date not going well or generally feeling uncomfortable or intimidated. The staff are trained to help and ensure your safety through providing a safe space, contacting the police if necessary and safe to do so, helping you find your friend or assisting you to call a taxi (Wakefield Council, 2025).
The Crime and Disorder Act 1988 places statutory obligations on multi-agency partnerships to address crime and community safety with a community safety partnership.
Wakefield's community safety partnership works within the framework of 'Safer Together'. This enables multi-agencies and originations to work together and share information to make Wakefield district a safe place for it's locals and the community. These organisations include:
- Wakefield Council
- Nova Wakefield
- West Yorkshire Police
- Community Rehabilitation Company
- Wakefield District Housing
- West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
- Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group (Wakefield Council, 2025)
These authorities work collaboratively to prevent crime and annually assess local crime priorities and provide an action plan on how to deal with this (West Yorkshire Combined Authority, 2025).
in 2023 Wakefield council launched the Shop Security Grant Scheme to help local business secure their premises through security improvements and deter anti-social behaviour. Qualifying businesses could apply for up to £6,000 towards the cost of installing new CCTV cameras, security shutter and alarm systems. This scheme was funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Wakefield City Centre was the first area to have access from the grant scheme and received lots of interest and applications. However, the funding had its limits and soon maxed out it's capacity leaving many other shops, particularly small businesses without benefit of this grant. Local businesses have received a total of £211,000 (Wakefield Council, 2024).
According to POLICE.UK (2025), the crime level overview has reduced from 9.2% (1049) in March 2024 to 6.8% (773) in February 2025 which demonstrates that all of these measures have been effective in the reduction of crime.
National strategies
In 1997, The National Pubwatch was established as a small voluntary organisation with the aims of supporting all licenced premises throughout the UK to provide a safe responsible sociable drinking environment and therefore reduce alcohol-related crime and anti-social disorder. 85% of licensees, staff, police and local authorities are adamant that Pubwatches help to create safer drinking environments. A survey was conducted at Leeds Becket University with funding from JD Wetherspoon and Diego has concluded that 53% of the 300 survey participants had observed a decline in anti-social disorder and behaviour with thanks to Pubwatch Schemes. Metropolitan Police Chief Ian Graham states the importance of pubs and the police collaborating to reduce and prevent the risks of alcohol related crimes (Weller, R. 2025).
2021 sees the government focusing on the long term vision for the UK prison system. The Prison Strategy White Paper 2021 was designed to prioritise the rehabilitation, safety and reduction of reoffending. The government have invested £100m into the security programme with a further £25m in prison security since the White Paper was published. The government are currently building and designing modernised prisons with all of the tools and resources to ensure maximum levels of rehabilitation through meaningful activities, learning new skills. engaging in education and building on basic independent life schools. The prisons will also support individuals to rebuild relationships with their families and encourage them to engage with restorative justice where necessary. All of these factors are beneficial for reducing reoffending and integrating individuals back into society where they can go back to work and move forward with their lives (Atkins, V. 2022).
These are two transformative strategies moving forward with social development but what else can we do to ensure our own conduct can reduce the likelihood of engaging in criminal activity? How much money will we have to keep investing through the tax payers money to fund the expansion of prisons and ensure safer environments for prison inmates and prison officers? where do we draw the line between rehabilitation and punishment?
I am intrigued to discover what my readers perspectives are on the content of this blog. Is there anything that we are missing or over looking that can be rectified? please feel free to discuss in the comments section below.
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I think the ‘ask for Angela’ scheme is one of the better ones out there to be honest. It’s safe and discreet, and more than likely actually works. Fortunately, I’ve never had to use it. But I can see how it would help make women feel more comfortable and safe when out.
Do you think there was any way for the Shop Security Grant Scheme to have been more fairer towards smaller businesses, possibly through making it proportional to the size of the business? Although, I’m sure it could also depend where in the city centre it was situated. I’m sure there could’ve been better ways to handle the distribution of the money in less secure areas, but that’s just my opinion. There’s also the possibility some of these business may not have spent it on security? It’s not a guarantee, but I guess it could’ve happened.
I don’t think a slight overhaul of the prison system is a bad thing, personally. To benefit the country, rehabilitation should 100% be something that focused on. Modernising our prisons, like those in Sweden and Norway, would be a great first step in my opinion. Building their life skills and improving education is an excellent way to prevent reoffending when they get out.
Prioritising actual rehabilitation instead of providing nothing is a great thing. Preventing crime at its roots on the outside and making sure it can’t thrive and be perpetuated in prison is vital. It’s an essential thing for any state to survive.
Overall, this was a great and interesting read to see what’s being done locally to prevent crime. It gave a nice insight and made me happy things are being done for some of the vulnerable places and people in my area. Is there anything else being done? Is knife crime a problem here like it is many other areas in the UK? Are youths happy about their city? I’d hope enough is being for them too, stop crime reaching people at a young and impressionable age.
Excellent! The blog was really intriguing and explained well the different ways our system works and promotes how we can actively reduce crime in our local area. The blog gave me a really good insight to how wr can prevent it and explained facts I didn't know about
All off the above measures only work if there is communication between the participating agency's, the ask for Angela has been tested by journalists, sadly on that occasion a worrying number of the pubs had not trained their staff, when asked for Angela, they had no idea, a consistent approach is what is lacking in reality, in theory however seem a way forward.
Very intriguing and interesting read this one. It ins nice to see and understand what the local agencies and communities are trying to do to prevent crimes but these only work if everyone keeps on top and uses them.
Wakefield sadly isn’t doing great on the ground.
Not only the riots last year there are some real pockets of drug use and crime. Gangs and youth gangs are a problem. Sadly some of the answer is better opportunities, grass roots programs and youth work, some is more police, who also need higher standards (fitness, self defence). All answers lead to funding, and the government would rather give millions to rebels in Syria so…… ideas in a hat?