Crime prevention operation to 'shine its spotlight' throughout West Yorkshire

Project Spotlight, which focuses on anticipating and preventing crime, is set to be rolled out throughout West Yorkshire following its success in Leeds.
By Kara McKune
Published 8th Feb 2023, 13:00 BST
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“Spotlight” operates through a combination of plain clothes and uniformed officers patrolling together to detect and prevent potential crime from occurring during the night.

Under “Spotlight”, officers enter identified hotspots, such as a busy street for nightlife, and will be highly visible to support the feelings of safety while also on the lookout for those who are in the space for a criminal purpose.

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The second phase of “Spotlight” is the launch of targeted social media campaigns which ask the public to “speak up” if they see a crime taking place or behaviour that is suspicious and report it.

Project Spotlight has been developed to focus on those who commit crime and prevent it from happening in the first place.Project Spotlight has been developed to focus on those who commit crime and prevent it from happening in the first place.
Project Spotlight has been developed to focus on those who commit crime and prevent it from happening in the first place.

Chief Inspector James Kitchen, force lead for Project Spotlight, said: “Project Spotlight is intended to combat all violent crime. It is to remove those who are in these locations for a criminal purpose and deter criminal behaviours from taking place.

“It’s about early intervention which could mean a few words to diffuse a situation or advised that their behaviour is unacceptable.

"Anyone who attends in a space where our officers are and makes the choice to commit crime will be found out and promptly arrested.”

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Spotlight patrols are now operating across West Yorkshire following a pilot phase in Leeds before Christmas, during which, crime notably reduced.

He added: “The early signs are that ‘Spotlight’ is having a real positive impact in the locations deployed. Due to this we are now expending Project Spotlight across West Yorkshire.”