Devon and Cornwall Police and your Neighbourhood Teams are working hard to deal with important crimes and threats. Our current force priorities are:

• Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
• Organised Drug Supply
• Serious and Organised Crime
• Child Sexual Abuse
• Serious Violence and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
• Road Safety

Issued 01 July 2025

No action

Rural Crime and Engagement

Rural crime is an issue for large areas of the country, but it tends to go unreported. It can impact on insurance premiums, food prices, the environment, and can damage local communities.

The Axminster Neighbourhood Team are keen to pursue any offenders involved in rural crime, including recovering stolen goods, proactive late-night patrols in hotspot areas, and being a visible presence in the rural community to offer reassurance and crime prevention. The aim is to improve connectivity with the rural communities and provide education to users of our beautiful countryside. This includes attending rural events to gain knowledge about the issues effecting the rural communities and to offer the crime prevention advice.

Issued 30 June 2025

No action

Anti-Social Behaviour

Antisocial behaviour (ASB) is defined as 'behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household as the person'. There are three main categories of ASB which depends on how many people are affected: personal ASB, nuisance ASB, and environmental ASB. This can include littering, noise, inconsiderate behaviour, nuisance calls, antisocial driving, abandoned vehicles, begging, and street drinking.
To reduce and target ASB in the community the East Devon Neighbourhood team work with partner agencies such as East Devon Council, local schools, local shops, pubs, and Highways.
The Axminster Neighbourhood Team will be actively patrolling these ‘hotspot’ areas during specific times to target ASB. This will be between 0800 and 0930hrs, between 1500 and 1700hrs and between 0000-0300hrs, when they are available. The current hotspots are the Skate Park on Cloakham Drive, Axminster town centre, and Tesco.

Issued 30 June 2025

No action

Shoplifting

Shop thefts have increased with Tesco in Axminster being particularly hard hit. High value products such as alcohol and joints of meat are targetted by the offenders. They will often work in pairs or in a group, with one person placing the items in a bag and the others either acting as lookouts or distracting the staff. The offenders often use a vehicle with cloned plates to avoid detection. It is likely that the offenders travel in to Axminster from out of force, reducing the chances of them being recognised.
In response to the increase in shop thefts within the town Axminster NPT has carried out:

1- Plain clothes op within Tesco
2- Plain clothes op within Co-op
3- Regular interaction and foot patrol at Axminster Thursday market
4- Regular high vis patrols within stores
5- Taken robust action with shop lifters and arresting where possible
6- Discussion with stores around setting up DISC/shop watch within the town

Issued 30 June 2025

No action