Portsmouth police's new city centre squad hit the ground running arresting notorious thugs and thieves

Hampshire police has reintroduced its city centre police team in a bid to stamp out disorder in the heart of the island.

The crack squad is tasked with working with businesses in Commercial Road and Guildhall Square, alongside the Portsmouth Business Crime Reduction Partnership (PBCRP).

And the new team is already making solid progress, with officers two prolific offenders for robbery and targeting notorious repeat shoplifters, who are a blight on city traders.

Portsmouth Central district Inspector Pete Smith told The News: ‘The city centre policing team was introduced to tackle concerns raised to us by local businesses and residents about anti-social behaviour and criminality in and around Commercial Road.

‘So far the team have worked hard to address the issues raised and we have had excellent feedback from businesses and residents in the area, which we’re really pleased about.

‘I hope that this reassures the people of Portsmouth that we do listen to your concerns and take them seriously.

‘Our dedicated city centre team will keep up their work in this area to ensure the city centre remains a safe place to work and live in.’

Prior to July the PBCRP had more than 10 incidents per month reported to them by businesses in Commercial Road.

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However, since the city centre team has started, that number is now down to three, underlining the impact the team is having in a relatively short timeframe.

The work has been championed by Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan, who joined officers on patrol in the city centre.

The Labour MP said the increased presence of officers on the street came as Portsmouth continues to bid for £40m of government cash to invest in the heart of the city.

Mr Morgan said: ‘To boost our local economy, people need to have confidence to go out in our city centre, and the new dedicated police team is already doing fantastic work to make that happen.

‘I want to thank them for their efforts so far and will be working closely with the police to ensure its success to make our city centre safer.’