Combating crime and disorder is not just a role for the
police. Forest Heath works with a number of agencies to
keep crime figures low.
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998, as amended by the Police Reform
Act 2002, states that statutory agencies must work together to
produce three year strategies to tackle crime and disorder and
substance misuse within their area. These statutory agencies
are:
- Forest Heath District Council, St Edmundsbury Borough Council
and Mid Suffolk District Council
- Suffolk County Council
- Western Suffolk
Police
- Suffolk Police Authority
- Western Suffolk Primary Care Trust
- Suffolk Fire & Rescue
Service
Partners are required to work together with a range of private,
voluntary, public and community groups to deliver their crime
reduction agendas.
In 2007 these agencies merged with neighbouring
partners to become the Western Suffolk Crime and Disorder Reduction
Partnership.
Since the partnership formed many successes and projects have
been implemented across the district:
- Burglary offences continue to reduce
- Introduction of
racial incident reporting form
- Improved CCTV system across the district
- A number of projects to reduce crime including Western Compass,
burglary initiatives, motor vehicle crime reduction and Safe as
Houses
- A number of disorder and anti-social behaviour projects
including successful applications for Anti Social Behaviour
Orders
- Continuing with raising awareness around sensitive issues such
as domestic violence, bogus callers and homophobic
attacks
The partnership carries out an
audit of crime and disorder throughout the
district every three years based on statistical data and
consultation with the local communities. Although Forest Heath
is a safe place to live, the partnership wishes to continue to
make the area even safer and will continue to deliver crime
reduction plans focusing on the four main objectives:
- Reducing crime
- Reducing the perception of anti social behaviour
- Reducing the harm that drugs and alcohol can cause
communities
- Reducing deliberate arson within communities.
For further information on the work of the partnership or
general enquiries on community safety, please telephone 01638
719343 or email
community@forest-heath.gov.uk