Community SafetyCommunity Safety is about tackling crime, disorder and the fear of crime, which can have a negative impact on a person's quality of life. Crime figures recently released by the Bridgend Community Safety Partnership show that there was a significant reduction in the number of victims of crime in 2004 in Bridgend County Borough. |
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There were 1,310 fewer victims of crime in the county borough in 2004 than in 2003, showing that the area continues to be a safe place to live and work in. Community Safety embraces all social aspects of crime prevention and reduction, social exclusion and regeneration. It's about working in partnership with a variety of agencies on the premise that working in a co-ordinated way will have a greater impact than if those agencies worked in isolation |
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Crime Strategy ( English) / (Cymraeg) |
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Together in partnership, together in vision
The Safer Bridgend partnership was set up under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to tackle a whole range of crime and disorder problems in the county borough. The partnership recently appointed local man and former South Wales Police Inspector John Davies as its local co-ordinator.
John's role is to co-ordinate resources from the South Wales Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, the council, local housing associations, Probation Service, Youth Offending Team, health service, Crown Prosecution Service and voluntary organisations in a joint approach to reduce crime, the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour in the county borough area.
"The aim of the partnership is to make Bridgend County Borough a safer place to live, work and invest," says John. "The partnership is determined to tackle the causes of crime and disorder in our local communities by consulting with local residents and businesses and introducing innovative schemes and projects to combat the problems effectively. The good news is that overall crime in the county borough is down and this area remains one of the safest places to live in the UK."
Contact us
If you would like information about the partnership or would like to discuss any issue about community safety in the county borough, call John on (01656) 643530.
2004 recorded crime levels show significant reduction
Crime figures recently released by the Bridgend Community Safety Partnership show that there was a significant reduction in the number of victims of crime in 2004 in Bridgend County Borough.
There were 1,310 fewer victims of crime in the county borough in 2004 than in 2003, showing that the area continues to be a safe place to live and work in.
Recorded crime figures for 2004 show that there were 119 fewer victims of violent crime, a significant reduction as many other areas across the country have seen increases in such offending. There were 170 fewer victims of domestic burglaries, representing a dramatic reduction in a very sensitive area of crime, and 231 fewer burglaries of non-domestic premises.
Car crime also fell by 175 fewer stolen cars and 108 fewer thefts from cars. The level of criminal damage fell by 308 offences and there were 86 fewer victims of fraud and forgery. The county borough also has extremely low numbers of robberies or 'muggings'.
Says Keri Lewis, Chief Executive of Bridgend Borough Council and Chair of the Bridgend Community Safety Partnership: "The reduction in crime figures show that the joint approach taken by statutory and voluntary groups is obviously having a very positive impact on the level of crime and anti-social behaviour. This should give residents in the borough a firm re-assurance that crime is being effectively tackled."
The Bridgend Community Safety Partnership was set up under the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act to bring together statutory and voluntary groups to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in the borough.
Over the last year the partnership has introduced a number of initiatives including the introduction of taxi marshals in Bridgend town centres, activities to teach youngsters the danger of arson, and communicating the risks of buying counterfeit goods.
The Partnership includes statutory bodies such as the police, local council, health service and fire brigade probation plus a range of voluntary groups and representatives from the business community. All play a key role in working together to help reduce the level of criminal activity and anti-social behaviour in Bridgend county borough.
The aim of the partnership under the logo of 'Safer Bridgend' is to make Bridgend County an even safer place to live and work in. The partnership works closely with local residents and businesses to introduce schemes and projects within communities to help to address some of the causes of crime and disorder and anti social behaviour.
Tackling anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) have received a lot of media coverage recently. ASBOs are statutory measures that aim to protect the public from behaviour that can cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Peter Davies, the newly appointed ASBO co-ordinator for the Safer Bridgend partnership, explains how the system works.
What is anti-social behaviour?
Anything that causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people who are not in the same household as the perpetrator. This may involve unruly or drunken behaviour, assault, threatening and abusive language in a public place, graffiti or criminal damage.
So how does a member of the public make a complaint about anti-social behaviour?
In order to minimise malicious or vexatious complaints, the Safer Bridgend Partnership does not accept complaints form individual persons. Instead, complainants should contact the police, the council's Public Protection department or housing association landlords. Details of complaints can then be referred to the Bridgend Safety Partnership for relevant action.
What will the partnership do next?
There are a number of responses available which range from a letter of concern to an application to the courts for an Anti-Social Behaviour Order.
On the first occasion the Safer Bridgend Partnership is notified of anti-social behaviour, a letter is sent to the person identified. In the case of under 16 year olds, a letter is also sent to their parent or guardian warning of the consequences of any further incidents. The incident and personal details are formally recorded on a computer database for monitoring and following-up.
A second incident results in a personal visit by Safer Bridgend Partnership staff. This will reinforce the point that such behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. It will also assist in identifying the root cause of the problem and developing a solution.
The third referral generates a case conference involving the relevant partners acting as a problem-solving group. They discuss the anti-social behaviour and any surrounding issues. Any interventions required would be put into place at this stage to provide the subject with support and an opportunity to stop the unacceptable behaviour.
A fourth referral is again responded to by letter and case conference and could also then result in an antisocial behaviour order being applied for through the courts.
In addition to the above process, ASBOs can be imposed following conviction for criminal offences in the Magistrates, Youth and Crown Courts.
What action can be taken to change the subject's behaviour?
There are four options available to the Safer Bridgend Partnership:
Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABC) are normally used at stage three of the above process. This is a written agreement between a person involved in anti-social behaviour and the partnership. It sets out the anti-social behaviour and the actions needed to put things right.
Parenting Order - this is a civil order lasting up to 12 months that can be attached to an ASBO. Parents are ordered to take responsibility for their children and address any anti-social behaviour. They could be required to attend parenting sessions, or make sure that their children attend school, avoid certain places and come home by a certain time at night. A parent can be fined up to £1,000 for not keeping to an order.
Housing Act 1996 - action may be taken that will affect a tenancy agreement and could result in an injunction or eviction proceedings.
Anti-Social Behaviour Order - this is an order imposed in the Civil Court or following conviction for criminal offences in the Magistrates, Youth and Crown Courts. An ASBO sets down prohibitions on an individual including exclusions from places, or contact with individuals and certain actions that are specific to preventing anti-social behaviour. The minimum duration is two years and the maximum is life, depending on age of the person and seriousness of the behaviour.
How many referrals have the partnership received to date?
Since April, the partnership has received 734 complaints of anti-social behaviour. These complaints have been responded to promptly and were met with positive results in that approximately 85% have not progressed past the first stage of the referral process.
Contact us
To find out more, call Bridgend Police Station on (01656) 679558, the Public Protection department on (01656) 643260 or visit http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/anti-social-behaviour/
Tackling domestic abuseStatistics reveal that one in four women* and one in 10 men** in the UK will experience domestic abuse at some time in their lives. It is far more common than people realise and can take many different forms. The Bridgend Domestic Abuse Forum (BDAF) is a local body committed to eliminating domestic abuse throughout the county borough. It consists of representatives from a wide selection of statutory and voluntary agencies who have an interest in improving the way services are provided and victims are responded to. |
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"Domestic abuse can be described as any incident of threatening behaviour or mistreatment between two individuals who are or have been partners or family members, regardless of gender," explains Mary-Anne Rees, Bridgend's Domestic Abuse Forum Coordinator.
"The abuse can be physical, psychological, sexual, financial or emotional. Domestic abuse can affect anyone, male or female, regardless of age, race, religion, social class or sexual orientation.
"Those who experience domestic abuse often feel confused and isolated from family and friends. Fear of losing their children or home may well prevent them seeking help. Many believe that they themselves are to blame.
"Domestic abuse accounts for a quarter of all recorded violent crime. On average a woman is assaulted 35 times before she seeks help from the police ***. The BDAF working in partnership with Safer Bridgend hopes to remove any stigma associated with being the victim."
Bodies and organisations such as the BDAF exist to provide vital support to those wishing to escape an abusive situation.
Downloadable leaflets for advice on domestic abuse
Advice for men who are affected by domestic abuse (PDF version)
Advice for women who are affected by domestic abuse (PDF version)
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, please consider approaching one of the following organisations for advice or help:
Bridgend Women's Aid |
01656 766139 |
Bridgend Police Family Support, Domestic Violence Unit |
01656 305826 |
Emergency Social Services (out of hours) |
01443 294010 |
Bridgend Social Services |
01656 642279 |
Bridgend Council Homelessness |
01656 643551 |
National Domestic Abuse Helpline |
0808 2000247 |
Rape Crisis - New Pathways |
01685 379310 |
The Samaritans |
01656 662333 |
Shelter Cymru |
02920 556 120 |
Wales Domestic Abuse Helpline Service ( men and women) |
0808 80 10 800 |
Victim Support |
01656 679555 |
Black and Asian Women Step Out |
01792 642003 |
* DTI Women & Equality Unit (2003), Changing World, Changing Lives
** Wales Domestic Abuse helpline and Local statistics
*** Yearnshire S (1997), Analysis of cohort
CCTV in the county borough
The CCTV unit is in operation 24 hours a day, making the county borough a safer place for people to live in and visit.
The CCTV operators not only monitor 154 cameras covering all areas of the county borough, but also answer out of hours calls to the council in the evenings, nights and at weekends, some of which are emergency calls. All cameras record footage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year.
