Kirklees Police and local partners have delivered a major boost to Huddersfield’s Ashbrow area by cutting anti-social behaviour by 63% and reducing crime severity by 46% since November 2024. The Unity: Shape Up Clear Hold Build project, backed by Kirklees Council, has transformed community safety and wellbeing over the past 18 months.
Clear Hold Build Impact
The Home Office-developed Clear Hold Build framework was launched in Ashbrow to tackle organised crime and reclaim neighbourhoods. It combines enforcement with community care, boosting public confidence through collaborative policing and support services.
Major Police Action
Since November 2024, officers have conducted 20 days of targeted action in Ashbrow, making hundreds of arrests and seizing over 600 cannabis plants. In July 2025, joint raids with West Yorkshire Trading Standards recovered more than £65,000 worth of illegal tobacco and cigarettes.
Community Support Programmes
The initiative has also improved community life with a vibrant youth hub, intervention sessions, and £50,000 Sports England funding to promote local fitness. Additional projects offer careers advice, poverty support, drug and alcohol rehab, food banks, and baby clothes provision at the Chestnut Centre and the refurbished Top Club in Deighton.
Boosting Local Confidence
Chief Inspector Rebecca Calpin praised community backing as key to the scheme’s success. She said: “The crime statistics speak for themselves and feedback from residents and partners shows real change. The sustained fall in anti-social behaviour is a huge win for people’s everyday quality of life.”
Looking Ahead
Members of the Parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee recently visited Huddersfield to review the project’s progress. Kirklees Police and partners plan to maintain and expand Unity: Shape Up efforts to secure lasting improvements across the district.
