DRAFT North Somerset Sustainable Community Strategy 08 - 26.pdf

Safe CommunitiesNationally crime has fallen by a third in the last decade 17 . The southwest has the lowest crime rate in the nine English regions; the level ofcrime in North Somerset is below the average in the Avon and SomersetPolice area. In Avon and Somerset Police Force area the total crime perthousand population amounts to 50.5; in North Somerset the total crimeper thousand population is 40 (to end September 2007) 18 .In some parts of North Somerset there are disproportionate levels ofcrime. In Weston-super-Mare, a vibrant night-time economy meansmany people enjoy a night out in the town centre; sometimes this leadsto violence or criminal damage. In the 12 months to June 2007, 55% ofviolent crime and 39% of criminal damage (identified in our PublicService Agreement) occurred in Central and South Wards 19 . In the towncentre 62% of assaults took place on a Friday or Saturday night 20 .In response, resources have been targeted to tackle this. OperationJigsaw has been put in place to provide extra policing during peak times– an early review shows impressive results with a 14.9% reduction inviolence against the person on Friday and Saturday nights in CentralWard 21 . Operation Joined-Up addresses alcohol-related violent crime,underage drinking and anti-social behaviour. The top 10 problematicvenues attracting a high level of crime were identified and a structuredinspection and enforcement mechanism was introduced with successesincluding an overall reduction in violent crime (13% in 2007) 22 . This multiagencywork gained national recognition and inclusion in a nationalbest practice guide.In working together to tackle crime and help people feel safe, werecognise the importance of listening to and working with localcommunities to address issues. In North Somerset there is a strongnetwork of more than 1200 Neighbourhood Watch groups and over 30Local Action Teams 23 , with a range of community projects.Neighbourhood policing and area-based working by some key agencieshas enabled more services to be delivered by directly responding tolocal concerns. Close links with communities are central to the policingstyle in North Somerset, with Beat Managers and Police CommunitySupport Officers working in identified geographic areas to build andmaintain strong working relationships, particularly in our disadvantagedneighbourhoods that experience disproportionately higher levels ofsome types of crime.Domestic violence accounts for 33% of all violent crime in NorthSomerset, a steady increase from 31% in 2005-5 24 . There are measures inplace to provide additional support and advocacy services to victimsand increased access to perpetrator programmes. There is a localpriority to increase reporting of domestic abuse, but also to reducerevictimisation rates by addressing perpetrators’ behaviour andproviding more support to those who have survived domestic abuse.Tackling drug misuse is a local priority, and Weston-super-Mare has ahigh proportion of registered bed spaces for residential drug treatment12