By KLTV Newsdesk –

Crime reduction and community investment transform Huddersfield neighbourhood

A Huddersfield community is looking towards a brighter future after anti-social behaviour and crime fell dramatically following an ambitious partnership project aimed at improving life for local residents.

The Unity: Shape Up Clear Hold Build initiative, launched in Ashbrow in November 2024, has seen Kirklees Police, Kirklees Council and a range of partner organisations work together to tackle crime, support residents and invest in community services.

The success of the programme has attracted national attention, with members of the Parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee visiting Huddersfield earlier this month to learn more about the initiative and the impact it has had on the area.

Crime and anti-social behaviour significantly reduced

Latest figures show the project has delivered substantial improvements across the community.

As of Spring 2026, anti-social behaviour in Ashbrow had fallen by 63 per cent, while the area’s crime severity score had reduced by 46 per cent.

Overall crime in May 2026 was also down by seven per cent compared with the same period in 2025, with reports indicating that reductions have continued to stabilise.

Since the launch of the initiative, police have carried out 20 days of action, resulting in hundreds of arrests. Officers have seized more than 600 cannabis plants and removed a further £8,000 worth of Class A and B drugs from the streets.

In July 2025, joint operations involving West Yorkshire Trading Standards also recovered more than £65,000 worth of illegal cigarettes and tobacco in raids carried out in Ashbrow and other parts of Huddersfield.

Investment in young people and community services

Alongside enforcement activity, the project has focused heavily on improving opportunities and support services for local residents.

A thriving youth hub now provides activities for children and young people across a range of age groups, alongside regular intervention programmes designed to support those most at risk.

The initiative also secured £50,000 of Sport England funding to support Move More Ashbrow, encouraging greater participation in physical activity and healthier lifestyles.

Residents have also benefited from careers advice, adult skills workshops and a range of support programmes aimed at tackling poverty and debt.

Additional services include improved drug and alcohol rehabilitation provision, a food bank, baby clothing support and the popular Marvellous Monday community drop-in sessions, which offer advice and guidance to local people.

Many of these services are delivered through the Chestnut Centre Community Hub and the refurbished Top Club in Deighton.

National model for tackling organised crime

Clear, Hold, Build is an innovative framework developed by the Home Office to help police forces tackle serious and organised crime.

The model aims to reclaim neighbourhoods affected by criminal activity, improve public safety and strengthen confidence in policing and partner agencies.

Partners involved in Unity: Shape Up include Kirklees Council, Change Grow Live (CGL), the Probation and Community Payback Team, Homes and Neighbourhood Housing, West Yorkshire Trading Standards, the DVLA and DVSA, Kirklees Council Licensing, Locala and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Community support key to success

Chief Inspector Rebecca Calpin of Kirklees District Police praised residents and partner organisations for helping to drive the programme’s success.

She said: “Unity Shape Up was designed and named by communities in Ashbrow, and their huge support for the work we’ve carried out has been instrumental in its success.

“The crime statistics speak for themselves, and the feedback we receive from residents and partner agencies operating in the community makes clear that real change has taken place.

“The sustained fall in anti-social behaviour has been a huge win in particular for residents as it is that sort of offending which can really make life a misery day to day for those who witness and suffer from it.”

Highlighting the wider benefits of the initiative, she added: “Partners in Unity: Shape Up have been tremendously active over the last 18 months to improve spaces and offer communities support with education, employment, housing and general health.

“We are seeing the results of their efforts across the community and hope what we have started in Ashbrow will lead to long lasting change and improvements for residents.”