Funding opportunities available from the Western Suffolk Community Safety Partnership

The Western Suffolk Community Safety Partnership has published its Partnership Plan.  The  Plan sets out how the partnership will deliver, over the next 12 months, against its strategic priorities as agreed through the Strategic Assessment process.

The major purpose of the plan is to identify priorities and develop work on prevention, intervention and enforcement that gives “added value” to the work already being carried our by our partners.

 What is the Community Safety Partnership (CSP)?

The main objective of the CSP is to work in partnership to encourage crime reduction initiatives, in line with the priorities set annually in their CSP plan following a structured problem solving process.  Further Government Community Safety Partnership information can be found here.

The partnership covers the four council areas of St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Forest Heath, Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils.  Funding for the CSP in 2013/14 has been granted by the Police and Crime Commissioner and any funding application must meet the CSP priorities AND the objectives 3 and 4 of the Police and Crime Plan.

Commissioning: Who can apply?

A Commissioning Pack has been written for partners who are considering applying. The fund is open to all.  This includes strategic partners, voluntary or community organisations whether it be an individual or a group.  Details of how to apply are contained within the Commissioning Pack.

The Community Safety Partnership is committed to providing a service to communities and local citizens. The Partnership will promote diversity and equality issues where we work in partnership, or have influence with other bodies that are service providers/contractors and with other key organisations in the districts– with the overall aim of promoting the value and purpose of equality and diversity.

The Western Suffolk Community Safety Partnership is about addressing local Community Safety issues by working in partnership to maintain a safer environment for our community to live, work and enjoy.

War on Loan Sharks Week in North West Ipswich

I attended Castle Hill Community Centre this morning for the launch of the new war on loan sharks declared by Suffolk Trading Standards, Ipswich Borough Council, County and Local Councillors and  Partners in North West Ipswich.

Activities for the rest of the week include:

Tuesday 14 May
8.30am Dale Hall Primary School gates walkabout with shark suit and stickers
12.30–2.00pm  Young Parents Group at Meredith Children’s Centre
3.15pm Handford Hall Primary School gates walkabout with shark suit and stickers

Wednesday 15 May
8.30–9.30am  Walkabout with shark suit at Meredith Road and Whitton ‘Poets’ Estate
10.00–11.00am Messy Play at Highfield Children’s Centre
9.45–11.45am Community Playbus at Congreve Road
12:30-1:00pm  Lunch Club at Whitton Church
1.45–2.15pm Mums and Tots at Whitton Church
3:15pm Police briefing at the SNT Office, Whitehouse Road and Police-led door knocking

Thursday 16 May
8.30–9.00am Bramford Road Methodist Church Pre-school club with shark suit and stickers (stay on for coffee morning 10-11)
9.30–11.30am Stay & Play Club at Highfield Children’s Centre
11.00am–1.00pm Walkabout at Ulster Avenue shops and on to Upper and Lower Whitehouse Estates
3.15pm Whitehouse Primary School gates walkabout with shark suit and stickers

Friday 17 May
8.30am  Castle Hill Primary School gates walkabout with shark suit and stickers
9.30 – 11.00am SeeSaw at Meredith Children’s Centre
1.15 – 3.15pm Community Playbus at Ulster Avenue
9.00pm Football Project at Whitton Sports Centre with free burgers

Saturday 18 May
9.00–10.00am Men’s Breakfast Club at Whitton Church Hall

Sunday 19 May
10.30am Sundae Club (crafts/games with junior children) at Whitton Church

More information available from Trading Standards

To report a loan shark: Call the 24/7 confidential hotline 0300 555 2222.
If you are in immediate danger call 999.

Burglary Prevention Advice

Heart FM are supporting Suffolk Police, in their campaign to highlight the importance of securing your home and your property, by broadcasting a series of adverts.  These adverts can be heard during the early morning show from 6.00am to 10.00am and then again during the evening between 7.00pm and 12.00 midnight. Heart FM will run these adverts for 13 weeks to continue the burglary awareness messages.

You can also view video clips of preventative measures on YouTube:

Top ten tips to keep your house secure and deter potential burglars
Further Home security tips
Don’t leave valuables in an unlocked shed, nor ladders or tools that could help a burglar
Lock windows and doors Security

For more crime reduction information contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team or call them on 101.

Celebrate Bury Town Pastors

Bury Town Pastors will be celebrating 5 years of Town Pastors in Bury St Edmunds. On Sunday 5th May there is a Thanksgiving Service at St Mary’s Church, Bury St Edmunds at 3.00pm.  Here is an invitation to join the celebrations.

Bury Town Pastors 5th Birthday Invitation

Town Pastors is a voluntary, independent, inter-denominational church response to urban problems, engaging with people on the streets to care, listen and dialogue. They started in Ipswich in 2006, and now operate in 9 Suffolk towns: Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Newmarket, Stowmarket, Sudbury and Woodbridge.

Town Pastors enjoy a good relationship with the public on the streets at night and works with partners such as Police, local District and Borough Councils, the County Council, Paramedics and Door staff, to keep people safe.

Town Pastors are Christians, drawn from a variety of local churches and denominations. They go out in pairs, normally six people at a time, and operate every Friday and Saturday night throughout the year, from 10pm to 4am. On average, each Town Pastor is expected to be out one night a month. They wear a uniform of sweatshirt, yellow jacket and baseball cap and, for reasons of personal safety, are monitored by CCTV in the town centre area and linked in to the Townlink radio system.

All Town Pastors undergo a full training programme before becoming part of the team, covering such issues as core values; roles and responsibilities; the power of prayer; personal safety and conflict management; and drug and alcohol awareness.

Restorative Approaches

Partners across Suffolk are effectively using restorative approaches to support victims of crime.  Restorative processes can give victims the chance to tell offenders the real impact of their crime, to get answers to their questions, and on some occasions, an apology. This video clip shows the effect restorative justice can have.

The Restorative Justice Council website is a good source for more information.  A strategy and action plan for embedding Restorative Approaches further across Suffolk is currently being developed and will be available shortly.

Security and Safety Advice for the storing of Fertiliser

This information is circulated on the advice of Suffolk Police, however the advice given has been developed by the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), National Farmers’ Unions and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO).

There have been reports of thefts in the country.  Please report any suspicious activity/ thefts immediately.

Suspicious Activity

• All communities should remain vigilant and report suspicious behaviour to the police
• Report individuals asking specific questions about, or taking pictures of, a facility or a farm’s processes
• Report any attempts to purchase fertilisers, diesel, herbicides or pesticides by those not authorised or suspicious individuals

101 is now the number to call your local police
In an emergency always call 999

Chemical Storage

• Where possible store all fertiliser inside a dedicated locked building or compound
• Do not leave fertiliser where it is visible to the public
• Do not sell fertiliser unless the purchaser is known by you to be a bona-fide farmer or user
• Record fertiliser deliveries and usage and carryout regular stock takes and Report immediately any stock discrepancy or loss to the police
• Record any manufacturer code numbers from the bags and detonation resistance test certificates as you may be required to present them
• The Health and Safety Executive can provide further advice on the storage and transportation of fertilisers, particularly ammonium nitrate

From here you can download an Alert Leaflet containing all the relevant details.

Burglary Prevention Measures

Figures released by Suffolk Police show there were 40,009 crimes recorded in the county from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013 – 5,632 fewer crimes than the same period last year. The data also revealed almost a third – 32.5% – of all crime was solved, with 1,644 more solved crimes than last year, a total of 13,011. Robbery offences saw a 25% decrease with 84 fewer crimes being committed in the past year.

There were also 108 fewer dwelling burglaries. Outlined below are some measures you could take to help to protect your property and your home and outbuildings, to help reduce these figures even further.

Below are examples of video clips available on YouTube that demonstrate a range of preventative measures.

Top ten tips to keep your house secure and deter potential burglars
Further Home security tips
Don’t leave valuables in an unlocked shed, nor ladders or tools that could help a burglar
Lock windows and doors
Security lighting and visible burglar alarms

Do Not tell anybody your PIN and bank card details

The suspects target members of our communities including the elderly and vulnerable. Often people lose significant amounts of money as a result of this scam which causes significant distress. Click here for further advice.

Suffolk Police also have a range of Protecting your Home and Personal Security advice on their website.

Crimestoppers

To give information about crime anonymously call 0800 555 111 or through our secure online form.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Crimestoppers, please fill out our volunteer enquiry form.

For more information on Crimestoppers in the East please contact Ann Scott, Eastern Regional Manager, on 01255 475964 or ann.scott@crimestoppers-uk.org

Trading Standards

Also as part of National Rogue Trader Week 22-26 April 2013, Suffolk Trading Standards have teamed up with Safer Neighbourhood Teams for a week-long operation aimed at raising awareness of rogue traders and distraction burglaries.