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Clear, Hold, Build is an innovative framework, developed by the Home Office, to help police forces tackle serious and organised crime.
It reclaims and rebuilds neighbourhoods affected by organised crime, makes areas safer and increases public confidence in the police and partner agencies.
In the North Yorkshire Police area, the first two Clear, Hold, Build projects were launched in March 2024 at:
Clear, Hold, Build is a three-step plan which sees organised criminals and their associates cleared from an area through relentless pursuit activity.
The area is then held and stabilised through high visibility police patrols, assistance from partner agencies and community support.
With support from key stakeholders, residents will be equipped and empowered to build a strong and resilient community, free from crime and exploitation.
The three-step plan in more detail:
Interventions, in form of arrests and relentless disruption, which target organised crime group members, their networks, business interests, criminality and spheres of influence. The police will use all powers and levers to impede their ability to operate. This creates safer spaces to begin restoring community confidence.
Interventions, counter measures and contingency plans to consolidate and stabilise the initial clear phase. This stops the remaining or other organised crime group members from capitalising on the vacuum created. It improves community confidence by ensuring spaces remain safe. Visible neighbourhood policing in hotspot areas provides continuing reassurance that police are still present.
A single, whole-system approach to delivering community-empowered interventions that tackle drivers of crime, exploitation of vulnerabilities and geographic places where crime occurs. This improves living, working and recreational environment in the community for residents. It empowers them to work with stakeholders to generate resilience and build a safer community.
Clear, Hold, Build was initially piloted in seven police forces and is now being used successfully by 19 forces across 33 sites to date.
Benefits across the pilot areas include:
National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Serious and Organised Crime, Local Programme lead, Detective Superintendent Andy Farrell, said:
“The national roll-out of Clear, Hold, Build will help empower communities to stand united in the fight against serious and organised crime.
“Areas which have already implemented this initiative have seen successes ranging from dramatic reductions in anti-social behaviour and violent crime to stronger, more enhanced partnerships with key community stakeholders and grass roots organisations.
“Clear, Hold, Build brings this all together. Through police-led disruption, key offenders are targeted and removed, allowing the community to come together and have their say on how to move forward.
“While police play a key role in bringing offenders to justice, partnership work and community cooperation are essential to the success of an area reclaiming its identity and moving forward, free from harm, exploitation and the threat of future criminality.”