Community Safety Unit
The Southend Community Safety Unit is a multi-agency team based at Southend Central Police Station, who carry out the aims and objectives of Southend CDRP.
Aims and Objectives
- · Reduce crime, disorder and anti social behaviour
- · Be a model of best practice, providing leadership, advice and guidance to partner agencies and working groups.
- · Ensure achievement of local community safety targets.
- · Ensure the completion of an annual Strategic Intelligence Assessment and an annually refreshed Partnership Plan.
- · Provide financial management of all CDRP budgets.
- · Monitor and evaluate all CDRP activities, providing comprehensive performance management reports to CDRP Executive Group and SSCB as required.
- · Act as a conduit for multi-agency partnership working across the CDRP agenda.
- · Deliver high quality community safety communications
- · Improve resident reassurance, reducing the fear of crime, disorder and anti social behaviour
- · Engage and empower residents to create safer environments for all.
- · Be innovative and proactive
- · Build good working relationships with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to achieve the vision of a safer community for all.
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Community Safety Unit members
Partnership Manager Community Safety Simon Ford Southend Borough Council. Contact Number 0300 333 4444 ext. 470411, simonford@southend.gov.uk
Southend Multi Agency Anti-social Behaviour Response Team (SMAART) Contact number 01702 423504; Email smaart@southend.gov.uk
The team consists of: Anita McGinley ASB Partnership Manager seconded from South Essex Homes (SEH); Roger Robinson ASB Partnership Officer seconded from SEH; Lauren Goodge Anti social Behaviour Caseworker, seconded from Southend Borough Council.
Domestic Abuse Partnership Manager Althea Cribb Contact 01702 423190, 07833 400438; altheacribb@southend.gov.uk
The purpose of my role is to coordinate the partnership’s response to domestic abuse in Southend – all agencies and services in the area have a role in how we approach this issue. Whether they work directly with adults, young people or children in the community, or work with other professionals, domestic abuse is unfortunately so prevalent that we are all coming into contact with victims, survivors, perpetrators, their children or other affected people, every day. The partnership work is centred on the Domestic Abuse Forum (a CDRP sub-group) which I coordinate. My role is focussed on working with partners to ensure engagement with the Forum is as wide and meaningful as possible, and driving forward the Forum’s work.
Crime Reduction Officer Lorna Watson. Contact number 01702 423187.
When it comes to home security, Essex Police Crime Reduction Officers are the experts.They're on hand to offer advice on keeping you and your belongings safe.
Priority and Prolific Offender Officers (PPO scheme) Clare Thompson (Essex Police) Chris Penrose (Link Worker)
The Southend PPO scheme was created as part of Home Office guidance to break the cycle of offending for a small number of individuals that are identified as being responsible for a disproportionate number of crimes.
There are a number of agencies involved in the scheme that are wide reaching from Police and Probation through to housing providers and Drugs workers. Guidance and support are provided from agencies within the scheme in order to rehabilitate the individual and provide the tools to enable them to function in society independently.
Day to day the PPO team liase with partner agencies to ensure actions are being carried out and that all offenders are getting the appropriate attention, whether that be active targeting by police or support from probation, help with housing, drug intervention and so on. The team act as the central point for information and feedback to be reported to them and to disseminate out to the appropriate agencies.
The PPO team also liase with other police forces and outside agencies so that they are aware of any PPOs that may be moving to or from the Southend area.
Media and Communications Officer Chris English Contact number 0300 3334444 ext.470414, chrisenglish@southend.gov.uk
My role is to actively promote the work and initiatives of Southend CDRP by liasing with the local media. I undertake regular media briefings and create promotional material in relation to Southend CDRP initiatives. My post is funded by Southend CDRP.
I co-edit 'Communicate' newsletter, together with Michael Holland and Julia Pack (Police Media and Communications Co-ordinator) and assist at Community Safety Roadshows where I work with partner agencies that comprise the Southend CDRP.
Researcher Claire Homan
I am responsible for collating, assessing and disseminating crime data, as
appropriate, within Essex Police and partner agencies and in the appropriate
format so that it is fit for purpose. This process is an essential contribution
to the CDRP as it helps to assist the partnership in making informed decisions
about funding for projects and to monitor strategic priorities.
Community Engagement Officer Michael Holland. Contact number 01702 464199, southendnhw@aol.com
I am a retired Southend police office - I retired towards the end of the last century!. I spent most of my police career in Community Policing and have been involved with Neighbourhood Watch since its inception in the mid 1980s. My post is funded by Southend CDRP. I am responsible for supporting and creating Neighbourhood Watch Schemes; coordinating and running the Community Safety Roadshows; co-editing the Communicate newsletter; editing the CDRP Website; developing new community based initiatives, bid writing, managing the CDRP photograph library, and liaising with other agencies on community safety issues. I sit on the Executive Committee of the Essex Neighbourhood Watch Association and also chair the Foreshore Watch and Park Watch meetings.
Current projects
Community Safety Roadshow The Roadshow, which has been running since 2009, has been identified as best practice by the Home Office. It involves represenatives of various local agencies visiting members of the public at various locations across the borough. Bicycle and mobility scooter tagging, property coding and referrals for the HandyVan service and smoke alarms, are all provided free of charge.
Various personal safety items such as purse chains, personal attack alarms, bogus caller door stickers are also handed out to the public.
Details of this year's schedule of Roadshows can be found here.
*Please note: This service is only available in the borough of Southend-on-Sea.
Cycle Watch This initiative has been running since 21 October 2005. In that time we have tagged over 3,000 bikes. Of these, only six tagged bikes have been stolen giving a theft rate of 0.002%. The scheme involves fitting an electronic tag into the frame of the bicycle. Once fitted it cannot be removed. Details of the tag are held on a national database. A photograph is taken of the bicycle at the time of tagging, printed off and given to the owner, together with details of the tag unique reference number in a folder called the Cycle Passport. A large number of police forces nationwide have now emulated this scheme. In 2010 alone, more than 1,000 bicycles were tagged.
For details of where you can get your bicycle tagged, click here.
Burglary Watch The scheme has funded 5,000 UV marker pens and window stickers advising, Burglars Beware! Our Property is Postcoded. These are for distribution to identified vulnerable householders to enable them to postcode their property, thus rendering it less attractive to thieves. Funding has also been allocated for some timer switches, electronic tags for fitting to high value items such as laptop computers etc; and miniature ultraviolet lamps for use by PCSOs, police officers etc
Nominated Neighbour Scheme
Under the Nominated Neighbour Scheme, older and vulnerable residents are encouraged to seek the help of a neighbour or relative in checking that unexpected callers to their door are genuine.
The scheme involves people using a unique card if an unexpected caller comes to the door of an elderly or vulnerable person. The card will refer the caller to a 'Nominated Neighbour' who will then come back with the visitor and supervise the visit. The occupant will be encouraged not to enter into a conversation with the caller or open the door, but to just hand over or show the card.
It is hoped this will deter a potential bogus caller immediately and they will leave the area. A genuine caller will not mind following the instructions on the card.
Message In a Bottle Scheme
The Message in a Bottle scheme is aimed at people on long-term medication and has already proved a great success in the UK and further afield in countries such as Canada and Australia.
The “bottle" is a small plastic container, which is kept in the fridge and contains details of the person’s next of kin, medical condition, allergies, medication and doctor. This information can be easily found in an emergency and acts as a simple but effective lifesaver.
Inside each bottle there are two special stickers known to the emergency services. These are put up in the person’s house, one on the outside of the fridge door, the other inside their front door, but they can be easily found in an emergency. The door sticker should be located where it cannot be seen from outside
The scheme is fully supported by the Southend Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, Southend Police, Essex Fire and Rescue Service, and the Ambulance service.
HandyVan Scheme
The Age UK HandyVan is a unique home security service where trained HandyVan fitters
carry out home safety checks and install equipment such as door locks, door chains and
viewers, window locks and smoke detectors free of charge. The only requirements are that residents are aged 60 or over, and live in the borough of Southend.
The HandyVan Scheme is funded and supported through a partnership between the charity
Age UK, Southend Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) and Essex Police.
For more information or to make a referral, please contact Mick Holland on 01702 464199.
Alternatively Age UK can be contacted directly via 0845 026 1055.