Crime in Saltwell, Gateshead

The local neighbourhood team are working with partner agencies including Gateshead Council to safeguard vulnerable tenants. We target and disrupt offenders and support victims, who often experience 'cuckooing'. Where suspects commit crime and disorder from their addresses we will seek to impose closure orders.

A multi-agency approach continues to underpin efforts to address street drinking and associated anti-social behaviour (ASB) within Gateshead Town Centre. Working closely with Gateshead Council, we are strengthening established partnerships between Police and Town Ambassadors to ensure a coordinated and visible response. The dedicated Town Centre Policing Team remains in place to provide consistency, reassurance, and targeted engagement. A structured Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) plan is in effect, focusing on those responsible for public order offences, retail theft, and ASB, enabling a more targeted and sustainable response. This activity is supported through regular monthly partnership meetings, which provide an ongoing forum to engage with local stakeholders, review progress, and align priorities to emerging issues.

Street drinking continues to present risks of violence and intimidation within public spaces, particularly at known hotspot locations. In response, we are maintaining a proactive and sustained approach, utilising targeted enforcement tactics including civil orders and tenancy interventions where appropriate. This is being supported by ongoing partnership work with drug and alcohol treatment services, delivering education and diversionary initiatives aimed at reducing relapse and supporting longer-term recovery. This combined approach is helping to suppress repeat offending, with continued reductions in incidents at key locations such as Jackson Street and Trinity Square, and activity remains under regular review to ensure it remains effective and responsive.

Although town centre issues are not currently directly linked to organised crime group (OCG) activity, we continue to ensure that our policing response remains aligned with broader intelligence-led priorities. Regular briefings and joint tasking processes are embedded to maintain oversight, alongside the use of early disruption tactics to mitigate any potential OCG influence. This approach is focused on preventing the exploitation of vulnerable individuals who may become involved in street-level anti-social behaviour or substance misuse, ensuring that emerging risks are identified early and addressed through coordinated, proactive intervention.