Working together to keep communities safe
The work of the county’s public services continues to improve safety for residents according to the Warwickshire Safer Communities Partnership.
A number of positive trends were reported at a recent meeting of the group including; a significant drop in crime figures, a reduction in the number of deaths and casualties on the county’s roads, and an increase in young people receiving treatment for drug and alcohol misuse.
Warwickshire Police’s end of year crime statistics show a 29 per cent drop in reported violence since 2007/08, the greatest reduction any force in England and Wales. Incidents of criminal damage and anti-social behaviour are also down on last year falling by 19 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. The report also showed a drop in numbers of aggravated robberies and vehicle theft.
The police also shared feedback from victims of crime who completed a recent user satisfaction survey. This showed that fear of crime has gone down and that most people surveyed are happy with treatment received by the police and the way police and the county council are dealing with crime and anti-social behaviour issues.
The county’s road safety partnership also shared casualty figures for the year. The 2009 edition of ‘Reported Road Casualties Warwickshire’ reveals that 308 people were killed or seriously injured in road collisions in 2009, down almost 12 per cent from 348 in 2008. This period was the ninth successive year in which the number of reported road casualties has fallen.
The county’s intervention work with drug and alcohol abusers is also paying dividends as people are continuing to access and remain in effective treatment programmes. The next few months will see Warwickshire’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team directing extra focus to tackling alcohol related harm and hospital admissions.
Good news also came from an evaluation of the county’s Safer Schools Partnership. Since the police and local authority collaboration was set up in September 2008 placing a police community support officer in selected schools positive reductions in crime and absence from school have been achieved. The scheme is currently available in thirteen of the county’s schools with plans to expand it further.
Councillor Richard Hobbs, Portfolio Holder for Community Protection and Chair of Warwickshire Safer Communities Partnership said: “Once again our partners have presented a set of impressive results to the group proving that Warwickshire is an even safer place to live.
“It’s reassuring to know that people are getting the support they need, that information is readily available to them, and most importantly that our combined approach to tackle crime and disorder in the county is working.”
The Safer Communities Partnership includes membership from a range of public services. Each represented agency is committed to protecting communities by fighting crime, providing treatment and support services and issuing relevant safety information to residents.
For more information please visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/communitysafety.