Launched on 11 March 2025, the Maple Together project takes an evidence-led approach to tackling serious and organised crime while strengthening long-term community resilience.
One year on, in Ipswich today, and as reported in January, crime levels are at their lowest for nine years, with a year‑on‑year decline since 2022. Recent figures show that Ipswich has seen a 13% fall in overall crime between 2022 and 2025.
The Maple Together programme focuses on areas within Ipswich’s Westgate and Gipping wards, selected following extensive data analysis and local intelligence. Clear, Hold, Build is a Home Office developed operational model now adopted by 41 police forces across England. It brings together local authorities, police, partners, businesses, and communities to disrupt criminal activity, stabilise neighbourhoods, and strengthen long-term community wellbeing.
The initial Clear phase has seen Suffolk Constabulary and Ipswich Borough Council working alongside a wide network of partners and community organisations.
In its first year, 212 arrests took place resulting in custodial sentences totalling 53 years, and now the focus is moving to community improvements in the local area and the services on offer.
There have been an additional 500 hours of patrols in the area since enforcement activity began in March last year, delivering substantial results.
As well as the arrests and convictions, £48,000 has been seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act, 117 vehicles have been seized, while there have been 116 drug seizures.
A Project Servator day of action was carried out in the area, looking at suspicious behaviour to find those carrying weapons. Across the year, 75 weapons were seized. There have also been days of action focussing on illicit goods, modern slavery, organised crime, road safety and use for fraudulent documentation in the area.
Alongside enforcement, the initiative has delivered over 500 community engagements, including neighbourhood surveys, community action days, family events, and joint patrols.
There have also been joint parking patrols, a sports project at Maple Park, twice weekly pop-ups at Barrack Corner and a Suffolk Ethnic Police Association meeting with the community.
Council and police teams have visited more than 150 households, listening to local aspirations, concerns, and ideas for improving the area, and as a result a detailed community asset map has been created to highlight the strength of local organisations forming the backbone of long-term community support.
The partnership working will increase as the operation continues into the Hold phase, with interventions, counter measures and contingency plans put in place to consolidate and stabilise the ongoing, Clear phase.
Last month, a community launch event was held a Burlington Baptist Church, with around 30 members of the community attending, meeting representatives from the constabulary and the borough council. This built on a launch event held in September for partners and community groups that have and will be supporting the initiative.
Both Ipswich Borough Councillor John Cook, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Sports, and Ipswich Central Locality Inspector Jess Lawlor, gave presentations at the recent event to explain what Clear Hold Build is, detailing the work over the past 12 months and clarify what the plans are for the future. Attendees were then able to ask questions, resulting in detailed and constructive engagement.
Insp Lawlor said: “It was very clear that the residents had noticed the work that was taking place and the effort being put into the Maple Together area by the partners.
“Attendees understood that this is a long-term project, and we were delighted to see their continued support for it moving forward.”
Work on the hold phase is now accelerating, with four operational delivery groups focusing on:
- Environmental improvements and infrastructure
- Youth support, diversion, education, and employment
- Service provision and community cohesion
- Reducing serious crime and sustaining enforcement
Tactical options include improvements to lighting and CCTV, targeted litter and waste removal, multilingual communications, outreach work, skills and language support, and closer collaboration with employers, partners, and community groups.
The overarching goals in Westgate and Gipping are to:
- Make neighbourhoods more resilient and hostile to criminality
- Improve engagement and reporting from hard‑to‑reach communities
- Enhance early help and support services
- Create new opportunities for education, diversion, and employment
- Deliver visible improvements to safety, cohesion, and quality of life
Cllr Cook, said: “Clear, Hold, Build is about more than enforcement, it’s about rebuilding confidence, strengthening relationships, and ensuring that communities in Westgate and Gipping feel supported, heard and safe. This is a true partnership effort, and together we are laying the foundations for long‑term resilience.
“As reported in January, crime levels in Ipswich in 2025 were at their lowest for nine years, with year‑on‑year declines since 2022. These results show what is possible when communities and partners work together with shared purpose and determination.
“The partnership will continue working closely with residents and stakeholders to build a safer and more confident Ipswich, as we move into the next phase of delivery, ensuring the community remains both informed and involved every step of the way.”
Superintendent Andy Martin said:“We have seen significant enforcement and exceptional results since the launch of Clear Hold Build in Ipswich 12 months ago.
“Following a strong partnership approach, Maple Together provides the platform for police, partners and the community to drive forward the next stages. The wider impact is clear. Recent figures show that Ipswich has seen a 13% fall in overall crime between 2022 and 2025, and Maple Together builds on this progress. Across this period there have been reductions in knife and violent crime as well as a significant uptake in prosecutions relating to drugs.
"Enforcement alone can never be the sole solution. Together with Ipswich Borough Council, our partners and our communities, we are shaping a lasting, safer, stronger Ipswich for the years ahead.
"I would like to recognise the strong partnership work and support we have had from the beginning from our fellow joint lead agency, Ipswich Borough Council, and the positive impact this has had and will continue to have for residents and visitors to this area."
Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “Clear, Hold, Build brings together the whole community to make the Maple Park area an even safer place for residents and visitors alike. One year on I am pleased to see the progress in this part of the town and the increased levels of community spirit and shared ambition to make a difference.
"I wholeheartedly support this multi-agency approach and am particularly keen to assist through our PCC commissioning fund in the ‘build’ part of this important initiative when we reach that stage in the project."
ENDS