And officers are so concerned about the level of crime taking place at Hay Hill they have upped patrols in the area.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by this newspaper found that police were called to the square 386 times in 2025 – the most in the last seven years.

The next highest number of callouts was 267 in 2019.

Hay Hill is surrounded by shops and eateries, including Primark, Next and McDonald’s.

It reopened in 2024 after Norwich City Council spent £3.2m revamping the site.

The square is also near William Booth Street, a 150ft alleyway wedged between Next and Cotswold Outdoor stores, Norwich’s most crime-ridden street in 2022.

William Booth Street saw the highest number of recorded crimes in 2022 (Image: Denise Bradley)

CRIME HOTSPOT

Hay Hill was closed for a year and a half to enable a rejuvenation of........

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