Article date – 23 May 2018

A community safety partnership campaign which aims to clampdown on anti-social behaviour during spring months has proved successful, after figures revealed a 29 per cent reduction in reports of crime.

 

As part of the annual Springwatch project, St Helens Council, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and registered social landlords have been working together to promote the #Ready2Report campaign to help residents know what action to take if they witness anti-social behaviour, such as off-road vehicle nuisance, nuisance grassland fires and underage drinking taking place in their neighbour.

At the start of the campaign, a ‘day of action’ was held in the Sutton area of St Helens which saw community safety partners go out into the community to engage with residents, while a skip was placed near the Four Acre Lane estate to encourage the safe disposal of waste.

Data released by St Helens Council’s Community Safety team shows that 184 less calls were made to the authorities during April 2018 compared to the previous year – a result which has been welcomed by St Helens Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Based and Focused Services, Councillor Anthony Burns.

Councillor Burns said: “Campaigns like this are a fine example of how working together with our partners can achieve excellent results for the benefit of our communities, and we will continue to tackle issues such as anti-social behaviour for the protection of the public as we look to keep our communities a safe place to live and visit.

“Residents should not be made to feel intimidated in their own area so I would like to make it clear that we will not stand for this type of behaviour. I would therefore ask anyone who witnesses – or falls victim to crimes relating to anti-social behaviour – to contact the appropriate authorities so that action can be taken, and would encourage our local communities to stand together and support each other so that those accountable may be brought to justice.”

Michael Buratti, Arson Team Manager for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service added:

“Working with St Helens Council on this campaign has provided us with an opportunity to spread some important messages in the community about the dangers from arson linked incidents. It has also enabled us to provide residents and businesses with tips to help protect their properties.”

Chief Inspector Matt Drennan said: “I’m pleased following the launch of the #Ready2Report campaign, we’ve seen a great reduction in reported crimes in the area. Joint working with our partners is prevalent in supporting our communities and ensuring we can reduce all forms of anti-social behaviour (ASB) taking place.

“ASB can cause distress, damage and upset to neighbourhoods and we’ll continue to enforce our strong stance on tackling these crimes.

“We take all reports of ASB seriously and we’ll continue working closely with the council, other emergency services and the public to identify those committing ASB and bring them to justice.”

Anyone with information on ASB is asked to call 101, speak to local officers, or report online via @MerPolCC or @CrimestoppersUK.

 

For more information on #Ready2Report visit: http://www.safersthelens.org.uk/pages/ready-2-report

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here