Home Office Good Practice Seminars
Young Pepole & Crime Seminar
Workshop 3
Working Together to Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour
Bryan Heard, Safer Swansea Partnership
Key points from the presentation
Safer Swansea is a multi-agency approach to combating all aspects of nuisance and offending. It enables all agencies to align their priorities for reducing crime and disorder to one common theme.
All agencies have a part to play. Agencies include: Community, Health Authority, Housing, Social Services, Local Authority, Mental Health, Probation, Education Authority, Neighbourhood Watch, Police, Fire Service, Voluntary Sector, and more.
The catalyst for Safer Swansea is that it has its own joint office. It was key people that set it up - no single agency is allowed to take the lead.
Marketing is the key to the partnership. No agencies were allowed to include their logo's to any documentation, a new joint logo was created for Safer Swansea, which incorporated themes from all the partners.
The media's involvement is also an important factor to the success of the partnership. 70% of people believe what they read in the newspapers and hear on the news.
Early intervention is key to Safer Swansea's 'common-sense' approach. The partnership is not about obtaining ASBOs. It is about intervention at the very first level.
Fear of crime in an area is proportional to what a person feels is fearful. Safer Swansea adopted the HAD model (Harassment, Alarm, Distress). The definition of this is any Harassment, Alarm or Distress caused to any person outside of their own household.
Fear of crime affects everyone in the community. Nobody likes being isolated, and the engagement of everyone in the community is the key to Safer Swansea's approach.
Safer Swansea aims to engage and intervene at the earliest point with the 'potential offender'. Identification and communication at this level is the key to addressing anti-social behaviour.
Key points from the discussion
Dislocating a youth or a 'potential offender' from their community may exacerbate their nature to the negative outcome.
All agencies should be involved in the partnership, as all agencies have a "Duty of Care" to create a safer environment for all in the community.
The importance of Information sharing amongst all the agencies was highlighted. This follows on from legislation like the Crime & Disorder Act and the local crime audits.
The goal is to work with the individual to stop them offending and assist them in achieving their full potential in society. The benefit is to the community as a whole.
Download the PowerPoint presentation (2.9 Mb WARNING - large file)
Further information
Sergeant Bryan Heard, South Wales Police
Tel: 01792 562888
E-mail: bryan.heard@south-wales.pnn.police.uk
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