NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Well over 50 police officers descended on the Olde Huntersville neighborhood Wednesday afternoon in a search of better community relationships.

“We all got to get coordinated,” said Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone to a group of community activists gathered outside the Huntersville Recreation Center. “This is how we make change.”

Boone made the remarks after his officers walked alongside them in a “Community Walk” meant as a time to discuss crime and concerns with residents.

A Norfolk Police officer stops to dribble a basketball with a child while on a Community Walk on June 13th, 2019 (Jack Noonan/WAVY-TV)

“This particular area, if you go back three or four years. We had some real serious challenges. We have been extremely fortunate this year that we have seen a significant crime reduction in every category,” Boone said. “But if you are a victim, you don’t care about data, you are the victim.”

Boone recently penned a letter to the city explaining that he believes Hampton Roads has a gun problem, especially when it comes to teens and kids contributing to gun crimes.

“We are going to be doing a lot of these this summer … we are going to be doing something more robust regarding gun violence,” Boone said.

Along with talking about crime prevention, officers picked up trash and stopped to have fun with neighbors. A young child was all smiles when an officer dribbled a basketball with him.

“That’s the goal,” Boone responded, “That’s one of the things we’ve been trying to really implement … and be authentic about it … folks know when you’re faking.”