Police have been out knocking on doors, searching for wanted offenders, patrolling traffic and engaging with business owners and residents during a "surge" operation at targeted Newcastle locations.
Uniformed officers, along with specialised resources from highway patrol, the domestic violence and proactive crime teams, and youth and warrant officers, conducted Operation Confidence on June 17 and 18.
Police were deployed to Hamilton South and the Beaumont Street area, where officers have been working to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour.
Officers made arrests and seized items like number plates from unregistered vehicles, but also spoke with business owners and residents.
"Operation Confidence is an operation that has been long-running in the Newcastle City Police District," commander Superintendent Kylie Endemi said.
She described the blitz as "reassurance policing" where units surged into particular areas to target offenders, disruptive behaviour and listen to concerns.
"So it's about engagement as much as it is enforcement," she said.
"It's about showing the community that Newcastle City Police District is absolutely invested in keeping areas safe."
Police charged two people during this week's Operation Confidence and highway patrol officers issued 11 traffic infringements.
It was during a patrol on Beaumont Street that locals flagged down crime prevention officer Constable Blake Cleary and pointed out a man they alleged had been causing problems.
The 49-year-old man was arrested about 11.45am on June 17 for allegedly breaching his bail.
He was further charged with assault and assaulting a police after allegedly spitting on a policeman and a civilian employee as he was led to a paddy wagon.
About 11.15am the next day, police stopped a sedan on Webster Street for random testing. A 43-year-old woman was charged with driving disqualified and an oral fluid drug test was sent for further analysis.
Superintendent Endemi said police overwhelmingly found people were pleased to see officers in the targeted areas.
"That is what Operation Confidence is designed to do, to have a real visible presence in terms of the policing commitment to this area," she said.
"You might not see police resources, but that does not mean that they are not there and we are not targeting crime.
"But Operation Confidence is ... absolutely about the visible policing presence and making sure that the community see what we're doing, as well as the tangible benefits of arresting offenders that police are targeting."
Operation Confidence also involves collaboration with partner agencies, particularly for housing and mental health, to address the underlying causes of offending and improve long-term community safety.
Since the beginning of the year, police have taken legal action against 215 people for offences alleged to have originated in the Hamilton South area.
The most common crime category, after traffic offences, was domestic, family and personal violence.
