Derby City Council is working with key partners, including Derbyshire Constabulary, to tackle serious and organised crime in parts of the city through Project Flex.

The project follows the Home Office’s Clear, Hold, Build approach which focuses on coordinated enforcement, prevention, and long-term community resilience in areas identified through crime data and feedback from residents. 

Following analysis of crime data and feedback from the community, the area which runs from St Peter’s Street in the city centre down towards the edge of Rosehill has been highlighted as a location which would benefit from this extra focus from law enforcement and civic authorities. 

This includes Green Lane, Wilmot Street, College Park, Southgate Retail Park, Moore Street and the Grove Street Car Park areas. 

The initial ‘Clear’ part will have an emphasis on police enforcement and has already yielded success, including the arrest of more than 50 suspects for a wide range of offences, including drug dealing, theft and weapon possession. 

A total of £6,500 of unlawfully earned money has been seized, along with about £20,000 worth of illegal drugs including Mamba, cocaine and heroin. 

Three men, aged 36, 32 and 19, have also been arrested for drugs supply offences and released on bail as the investigation continues.

Proactive work from Derbyshire Constabulary has seen officers take several weapons off our streets, including an umbrella modified to contain a sword. 

An enforcement operation with the Council’s Trading Standards team resulted in the seizure of 30 fake Labubu dolls, 32 unsafe dolls, cigarettes and illegal cannabis vapes from a shop in East Street in December. 

While searching the shop officers uncovered secret drawers in the shop counter which contained cigarettes and illegal cannabis vapes. 

The project has been supported by the Crimestoppers charity, which includes a social media campaign and leaflet drop to highlight to members of the public how they can report crimes anonymously.  

When the “Clear” stage is complete, the “Hold” phase will begin which will involve a mixture of enforcement and community work – such as high-visibility patrols and community clear-ups - in order to prevent other criminal groups from moving into the area. 

The third and final phase, “Build” will involve supporting residents to regenerate the area via a range of projects such as the creation of a community garden. 

Councillor Sarah Chambers, Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities and Public Safety, said: 

Every illegal item that is being taken off the streets during the ‘Clear’ phase is a step towards making our communities safer for all. Project Flex highlights the action that’s being taken across our services to tackle crime and protect our communities. From our Trading Standards team removing unsafe and illegal products from shelves to wider work in the Housing Standards team to tackle unsafe homes for renters, our teams are out there working for the city every day.

This is just the start for us. As we move into the Hold and Build phases, the Council will be working with residents and the businesses to improve community resilience to crime and anti-social behaviour. Whatever action we take will be decided with the community’s involvement. 

Project Flex is part of the wider picture of fostering a safe and welcoming city and goes hand in hand with work we’re doing to support the police, like increased, high visibility patrols by Public Protection Officers in the city centre and extending monitoring of CCTV cameras.

Inspector Anthony England, who leads the CHB team at Derbyshire Constabulary, said: 

The CHB method has a proven track record of success in Derbyshire and in other force areas across the country. 

The initiative puts a key focus on data analysis, community feedback and collaborative working in order to really drill down into the issues affecting the area so we can deliver long-term solutions ensuring those residents can enjoy a better quality of life in their community.

The team has already made significant inroads into disrupting criminal gangs in this area and that work will continue. 

We look forward to keeping the community updated on how the project progresses in the coming months.

A spokesperson for the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships (NABCP) said: 

This approach has a proven, cross cutting impact across all crime types and has delivered significant reductions in every area where it has been deployed.

As Derby moves through the first Clear and Hold phases and into the Build stage, the role of local people, businesses, and partner agencies becomes absolutely vital. This is the moment when collaboration truly shapes success.

Jackie Roberts, business crime reduction partnership project manager at East Midlands Chamber, said:

The Clear Hold Build initiative has shown great success in a number of areas since its launch and Derbyshire BCRP and our members are excited to be supporting the operation. Reporting crime allows all to achieve the aim of reducing crime, helping to keep our city a safer place to live, work and visit.

Dr Fatima Eltinay, deputy police and crime commissioner for Derbyshire, said: 

Working together is the only viable path to change, and I am pleased to be working in partnership with the police and others to disrupt serious and organised crime in Derby and build community resilience.

The CHB team provided updates about the project’s achievements so far and how the initiative will take shape in the future during a media briefing at Peter’s Church on Thursday 12 February.

Residents will be provided with regular updates on the project and its success through Derbyshire Constabulary’s website and social media.

A series of public engagement events will also be held to keep residents informed and to gather feedback from communities. 

Following on from the success of the Clear Hold Build initiative in Buxton, called ‘Project Unity’, Project Flex began in October 2025 and is expected to run for up to 18 months.

For more information about the project visit Derbyshire Constabulary's website.