Skip to content

Birches Hd & Central Forest Pk — Neighbourhood Policing Team

Local policing team in the Staffordshire Police area: contact routes, current priorities and public events.

All Staffordshire Police neighbourhoods

A large residential area which has grown significantly in recent decades. Houses are mainly terraced in the older part of Birches Head, with semi-detached and detached featuring on the newer estates. Several schools provide education, and there are many small businesses to be found. Forest Park is the site of a former deep pit which is now one of Europe's largest skate parks, attracting thousands of visitors of all ages on a monthly basis.

Contact the team

telephone
101

In an emergency always call 999. For non-emergencies call 101 or use Staffordshire Police's online reporting.

Recorded crime — June 2026

136 street-level crimes recorded within this team’s boundary.

Compared with May 2026 (85): ▲ 51 (60%) higher. Recorded-crime counts fluctuate month to month.

  • Violence and sexual offences48 · 35%
  • Anti-social behaviour30 · 22%
  • Public order18 · 13%
  • Other theft12 · 9%
  • Criminal damage and arson7 · 5%
  • Burglary4 · 3%
  • Vehicle crime4 · 3%
  • Drugs3 · 2%

Street-level open data from data.police.uk (Open Government Licence v3.0), counted within this team’s official boundary. Locations on data.police.uk are approximate — snapped to anonymised map points near where each crime occurred — so figures are a guide, not an exact address-level count. Captured 2026-08-08.

What happened to reported crimes — June 2026

73 recorded outcomes logged within this team’s boundary.

  • Unable to prosecute suspect35 · 48%
  • Investigation complete; no suspect identified31 · 42%
  • Awaiting court outcome5 · 7%
  • Action to be taken by another organisation1 · 1%
  • Local resolution1 · 1%

Recorded outcomes from data.police.uk (Open Government Licence v3.0). A crime and its outcome can fall in different months, so these do not map one-to-one onto the crime counts above. Captured 2026-08-09.

Current priorities

Vehicle crime.

Local officers have been working hard to proactively identify repeat offenders in order to prevent further victims of vehicle crime. We are using intelligence and information to co-ordinate increased high visibility patrols in the area, and there has been recent arrests as a result of this which can be seen in the reduction of this particular crime for this area.

Set: 2025-12-05

Off Road Bikes

We are aware of the on going concerns raised by residents and members of the community about the use of off road bikes. As a result, our road crime team will continue to spend time in the areas. We have arranged targets operations using a variety of resources including our road crime team, Staffs off road bikes, drones and the fixed wing plane. This has been on going through the summer. This has also involved local officers engaging with petrol stations schools and joint visits with local housing officers to address problem properties. Operation Transom and Operation Reclaim is our response to nuisance off-road bikes. In conjunction with the Local Authority, we are trying to identify riders of the bikes, both through police reported incidents and information received by the Local Authority. Where the evidence allows, we are carrying out seizures of bikes and prosecuting riders. There have been occasions where riders have been identified as residing in Local Authority housing and tenancy breach action has been taken.

Set: 2025-12-05

Anti Social Behaviour

This has been identified as an area historically high in serious violence and as such, is an area dedicated for patrols using government funding with officers carrying out foot patrols in the worst affected streets. Other locations have been identified for ASB mainly from gathering youths and other areas have been targeted for patrols by PCSOs in support of youth provision for the area.

Set: 2025-12-05

Preventing and disrupting drug offences.

Local residents have expressed concerns over drug use in the local neighbourhood. Our local officers are working hard to collate intelligence which allows us to action Warrants and work with the council regarding tenancy of offenders. If you suspect illegal drug use in your local area, we encourage members of the public to report this to police using 101, the online reporting system or Crimestoppers. We will work with partners to support persons where possible but will also look to disrupt and be robust regarding repeat offenders.

Set: 2026-03-09

Residential Burglaries

Police are aware of a concern from local residents regarding residential burglaries. Members of public are reminded to keep all doors and windows locked, keep valuables in a safe place and ensure car keys (especially keyless entry) are kept away from the front door and in an RFID pouch/box if able. We currently have an operation running and a force burglary team which is looking to improve our response to residential burglaries ensuring all enquiries can be completed quickly and are more likely to lead to an offender. Residents are also encouraged to sign up to neighbourhood alert where you can receive updates on crime, actions, prevention advice and more in your local area.

Set: 2026-03-09

Anti-social behaviour including neighbour disputes

One of the most common issues in this local area is neighbour disputes. Local officers will always try to support residents and encourage mediation to reduce the issues in the first instance. If persistent issues continue, we will work alongside the council and housing associations to ensure that persons are abiding by the law and conditions of tenancy. The local authority can also deal with private owned issues if they are deemed to be anti-social behaviour and breach this legislation. In extreme cases, the police can assist with orders being placed on offenders and even look to terminate tenancy or put a closure order on an address.

Set: 2026-03-09

Public events & surgeries

Hanley Connect - drop in

2026-07-14 · 23 Hillcrest Street

Central Forest Park

2026-07-18 · Chell Street

Central Forest Park

2026-07-19 · Chell Street

Northwood Court Police drop in surgery

2026-08-03 · Northwood Court, Ringland Close

Hanley Connect Drop in

2026-08-04 · 23 Hillcrest Street

Northwood Day Care Summer Fayre

2026-08-07 · Oak Street

Central Forest Park Drop in with local councillors

2026-08-11 · Chell Street

Event listings reflect the last data refresh — check the official team page before attending.

Team locations

  • Longton Police Station (station)Sutherland Road, Longton, ST3 1HH
Official Birches Hd & Central Forest Pk team page on Staffordshire Police's site

Nearby teams in Staffordshire Police

All Staffordshire Police neighbourhood teams →

Source: data.police.uk API · Licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0 · Fetched 2026-07-13. BlueLineHub is independent and not affiliated with Staffordshire Police.