Local Policing Team
Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams consist of Neighbourhood Team Leaders (police sergeants), Neighbourhood Beat Managers (police officers) and police community support officers (PCSOs) who are accountable to their local community. A key element of the role is to undertake community engagement to understand community concerns and update them on police activity in order to build confidence.
They will work in partnership with teams both within the police (for example alcohol licensing and youth intervention) and externally (local authorities, Environmental Health and registered social landlords) to problem solve community issues. The underlying principle of our neighbourhood policing model is to intervene at the earliest possible opportunity to prevent an escalation of crime and harm.
Crimes and priorities
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Priority:
Action taken:
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Reduce Antisocial 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.
Anti-Social Driving & Vehicle Offences The Seaton Neighbourhood Team and Devon and Cornwall Police are working to reduce the number of casualties and road traffic collisions in our area, through proactive work and positive action. Vehicle crime includes theft from motor vehicles, vehicles being driven without insurance and/or a valid driving licence, vehicle theft, unroadworthy vehicles, and drink and drug driving. Antisocial driving such as speeding, revving, loud music and large car meets also meets this criteria.
Action taken:
During June, officers have worked with Axminster NPT to target Anti-Social Drivers targeting our area to issue S59 warnings to three separate motorcycle riders. If they are caught driving in an anti-social manner again within the next 12 months, their vehicle will be seized. On 29th June 2026, the Crime and Policing Act 2026 was passed which means that officers no longer have to issue warnings to offenders and can now seize vehicles on the first instance allowing us to robustly target the worst offenders.
We have also been engaging with Restore, a group of volunteers dedicated to helping families, individuals and young people with support in the local area. We have been assisting them with their support of local youth engagement, specifically at the weekly youth club. Going forward we will be looking to build our relationship with Restore to help reduce the risk of future ASB.
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Drug Possession and Supply
Drugs can have a devastating social impact on community life and on those who are dependent on them. It can lead to anti-social behaviour, violence, safeguarding concerns, and other crime.
Community intelligence is invaluable to the Police, and without it would limit the ability to gain drug warrants and target offenders. Information from the public helps to prevent and detect crime, whilst ensuring the safeguarding and protection of our community. You may think that the information you hold will not be useful but it may be the final missing piece to the puzzle. If you suspect illegal activity in your area please report it via 101 online or by phone. Alternatively, you can report information anonymously to CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.
Action taken:
Officers have been conducting pro-active patrols in known drug use areas and building intelligence on drug supply in the area. We have also teamed up with officers from our neighbouring towns to target offenders outside of Seaton which helps build the wider picture into these Organised Crime Groups (OCG)
A male and a female were stop searched by Seaton NPT officers and found in possession of controlled drugs. Both parties dealt with positively and intelligence gained on the supply of the drugs seized. Members of the public are encouraged to continue submitting intelligence either directly to the police through our website or CrimeStoppers.
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Rural Crime & 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 Seaton Neighbourhood Team are conducting 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. Included within this we will be targeting Road Safety throughout our rural areas in attempt to reduce collisions.
Action taken:
Throughout June we have completed foot patrol in three of our more rural parishes, namely Southleigh, Rousdon & Combpyne and Colyford. These foot patrols have proved valuable to us, providing opportunities for us to engage with members of the public that would otherwise not see police officers. One example of this was a resident in Colyford approached officers to speak about dangerous parking in the area. Officers were then able to issue offending vehicles with warning notices outlining that in future, offending drivers could be prosecuted.
We will continue to organise more events like these and if you see us, please come and say hello. Additionally, if anyone would like to book a time to walk through any areas of concern, please contact us through Community Messaging. Any future engagements will be posted on our website and communicated through Community Messaging.