Crime reduction

Introduction

There are three main approaches to reducing crime:

Education – working with people and communities to change or stop behaviour which increases the risk of them being victims or perpetrators. Also known as Social Crime Prevention

Environment or Engineering – designing or changing the environment to make it harder to commit crime, or by increasing the risk of being caught. Also known as Situational Crime Prevention

Enforcement –targeting offenders by use of the law and other regulatory powers, by the police and a range of other agencies.

The Council has a statutory duty, along with other partners, to reduce crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour. All council services and departments must consider the potential impact on crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour when they deliver services and make decisions.

What does the council do towards crime reduction?

The Council has a significant role to play in reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, using all three crime reduction approaches, because so many of our services directly affect the safety and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities.

For example we work with and support individuals, families, and communities to change or stop behaviour which increases the risk of them being victims or perpetrators through Schools, Social Services, Services for Young People, Housing and Homelessness (advice and provision) Trading Standards, Road Safety, Sports, Leisure and Arts Development, to name but a few.

Our Environmental Services and Planning departments work towards making the built environment safer through design and careful management of our streets, towns and open spaces, Highways management and cleansing and waste management services.

A number of the council’s services can use enforcement powers to ensure that people comply with regulations which are designed to make communities safer. This includes Trading Standards, Licensing, Environmental Services, and Planning Services.

The council works closely with a wide range of partners including Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, Wiltshire Probation Service, NHS Wiltshire, and a wide range of voluntary organisations, both to plan joint approaches to crime reduction and also to carry out activities within the priority crime reduction themes:

Countering the crooks seminar 9 October 2009

You will probably be aware of the risk to elderly and vulnerable people from distraction burglars and rogue traders. You may even know someone who has been a victim of this despicable behaviour. But did you know that some frontline council staff, domiciliary care staff and parish stewards, have been trained to help reduce the risk of doorstep crimes against the most vulnerable members of our community. Following on from this training Trading Standards and the Safer Communities Team organised a very successful seminarfor banks and building societies to help inform them of how they can also help stop this crime.

Keith Humphries, Wiltshire Council's portfolio holder for health and well being said 'this seminar has emphasised the very important role that the financial sector has to play in working alongside other agencies to help protect the public against distraction burglars and rogue traders'.

Brian Moore, Chief Constable for Wiltshire Police gave the opening address in which he stressed the importance of protecting vunerable people from predators such as distraction burglars and making our county the safest it can be.

Feedback from delegates has been very positiveand many left determined to help tackle this issue by signing up to the financial sector pledge sheet.

Contact Details

Postal Address:
Safer Communities
Court Mills
Polebarn Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 7EG

Last updated: 22 October 2009