Community safety partners in Wirral are developing a new strategy to address crime and disorder issues in the borough over the next five years.
The strategy, which sets out 10 priority areas for action between 2021 and 2026, was recommended for approval by the Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure committee last week and will now go to the next full Council meeting for final sign-off.
The 10 areas identified as priorities include, for the first time, road safety and coastal and inland water safety and expands, even more, the wide range of partner agencies who take a shared responsibility for delivering on specific elements of the strategy. Collectively, these organisations form the Safer Wirral Partnership Board (SWPB).
Cllr Helen Cameron, Chair of the Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure Committee, says, “Community Safety is one of the five key themes set out in the broader Wirral Plan 2021-2026 and this strategy, delivered by the efforts of members of the SWPB, has one overall objective – to make Wirral a safe place to live, work and visit.
“The strategy sets out the priorities for the next five years, which are based on consultation and by analysis of crime levels and patterns in the area. To have been a part of the development of this strategy is an honour and I am confident that it will have a lasting, positive impact on communities across the borough.”
The ten priority areas are:-
• Anti-social behaviour
• Violent crime
• Domestic abuse
• Drugs and alcohol
• Hate crime
• Modern slavery
• Prevent agenda
• Road safety
• Emergency Planning
• Coastal and inland water safety
Across each area, the strategy describes approaches and actions that partners will be taking to deliver further improvements over the next five years.
It also looked back on progress made over the previous five years, which has included projects to upgrade CCTV cameras and software, the opening of a new improved Emergency Control Room and the Safer Streets initiative in north Birkenhead which saw new alley gates installed, new street lighting and improvements to CCTV and home security.
A range of projects working with early years, young people and adults have been developed to help them better understand behaviours and consequences, to prepare them better for the challenges that life will inevitably bring.
And to help monitor and evaluate progress, Wirral has developed a monitoring tool – the Safer Wirral Tracker – which monitors and reports on all crime patterns and trends across Wirral. The tracker enables SWPB partners to respond to adverse patterns and deploys resources and actions to alleviate any pressures.
At their meeting last week, as well as approving the strategy, members of the committee also agreed to ask partners to provide bi-annual updates on the progress made on the priority areas in the coming years.
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