Roadshow to show how police driving down crime levels

Safer York Partnership teams will be in Parliament Street between noon and 4pm for their annual Face The People Event – a statutory requirement for all Community Safety Partnerships in England and Wales.

The event will include demonstrations from the winners of last year’s Community Idol talent competition, with the opportunity for young musical and dance talent aged 11 to 17 to apply to enter this year’s event.

Jane Mowat, director of Safer York Partnership, said: “It is very important for the community and visitors to the city to see the work that goes on to reduce crime, disorder and antisocial behaviour by the organisations that make up Safer York Partnership. “The event will combine an opportunity to talk to members of the partnership about our work, but also to get crime-prevention advice and information. We have chosen the Easter holidays to make the event suitable for families with lots to see and do in our Community Safety Market.

“The event is open to residents and visitors to the city, providing the opportunity for them to see the work that goes into making York a safe city.”

As The Press reported last month, a report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary showed North Yorkshire Police was succeeding in keeping levels of robbery, vehicle crime and criminal damage low and had improved how it dealt with major crime investigations.

Each of the stalls today will have a community safety- related theme with participation from Trading Standards, Noise Nuisance, Community Watch, Street Environment, Fire & Rescue, Youth Offending Team, City of York Council, Probation, Cycling City, Family and Carers Service, the Criminal Justice Board and York CVS. The partnership will also be promoting its redesigned website saferyork.org.uk

The website now contains details about the work of the partnership and provides safety advice.

Police teams need higher profile

POLICE in North Yorkshire say they need to boost the profile of squads which keep communities safe after a survey showed most people did not know about their role.

Figures revealed in a study of public attitudes towards the work of North Yorkshire Police have marked out raising the awareness of the force’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams as a priority.

The analysis showed that, in most districts, only 33 per cent to 45 per cent of residents who were quizzed knew about this aspect of the force’s operation, although York bucked the trend with a 58 per cent awareness level.

Safer Neighbourhood Teams consist of teams of officers who liaise with communities to tackle the specific problems those areas face, such as graffiti, vehicle crime and antisocial behaviour.

The survey also revealed low levels of attendance at meetings where the police have an involvement across the force’s area, with the highest percentage – in Ryedale – being just 24 per cent. But it also produced a string of positive results, including more than 70 per cent of those who responded saying the police were doing a good job and between 84 per cent and 87 per cent saying officers treated them with respect.