Stephen Melville (Safer Streets Co-Ordinator) from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner will be attending the meeting to give an update on the Safer Streets Fund initiative.
Minutes:
Stephen Melville (Safer Streets Co-Ordinator - Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner) gave an update on the Safer Streets fund initiative and highlighted the following:
· Since the update provided to the Committee in March 2024, there had been lots of partnership work with Trowbridge Town Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the Council’s Licensing Team which had led to the instigation of a new Pub Watch group meeting up in Trowbridge;
· The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner had provided free county wide Wave (Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement) training which was developed to provide those working in the licensed industry with an awareness of vulnerability, their responsibilities it and how to deal with it. It aims to increase the skills, knowledge and confidence of those working in licensed premises focusing on identifying vulnerability and making appropriate interventions;
· The first event was held in Trowbridge on 10 July 2024 and was attended by publicans and their staff, local neighbourhood policing colleagues, alongside police and Wiltshire Council licensing staff. The WAVE presentation included details of Ask for Angela, and venues were offered free registration with the Licensing SAVI scheme to support development of safer premises for staff and customers. The next event was due in Salisbury on 30 September;
· There had been discussions with Trowbridge Town Council regarding CCTV upgrades through a funding resource with anti-social behaviour hotspot funding being provided for extra Police patrol hours for Trowbridge, Salisbury, Devizes and Chippenham;
· They project had also been working with the town’s Street Pastors and those involved in the nighttime economy; and
· The funding from the Home Office for the Safer Streets initiative was due to end in March 2025 and they were in the process of gathering data to show the positive progress/outcomes. They were currently looking at ways to find alternative funding should there not be a Safer Streets round 6 initiative after March.
The Chairman thanked Stephen for his update on the initiative and commented that it was doing good work. On behalf of the Committee, he asked that a further update be provided at the March 2025 meeting to provide details of the effectiveness of the projects that had been supported. The Chairman commented that if the support being provided with town’s CCTV was not going to continue then they would need to be notified of this as soon as possible so that Town Council’s/Wiltshire Council could manage their budgets accordingly.
Stephen commented that although they have some idea of the effectiveness of the projects and were setting their commissioning intentions based around what they would like to continue to provide and ways to set aside money for this, it was a Home office scheme and they wouldn’t know if it had been confirmed effective and the criteria met until the end of the projects. After this time, they would be able to advise Town Council’s etc of what/if projects would be continuing – but there may well be a gap in this due the nature of the initiative.
Resolved:
1. That the Committee note the update on the Safer Streets fund initiative.
2. That the Safer Streets Co-Ordinator provide a further update to the Committee at their March 2025 meeting.