Each year the Paddington Sector Working Group (SWG) discusses the community/policing issues that affect them locally and from THEIR point of view. It is important the police and local authority understand communities and their problems on their terms and not those of the police/local government etc. A major role of the SWG is to better engage the diverse community of Paddington in policing issues and to improving the service of policing at local service delivery level. See Developing Partnership Policing page
Apart from The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) priorities of street crime (see http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/safer_streets/ and our Metropolitan Police Safer Streets Campaign page, 2007 sees the local Paddington SWG community safety strategy & crime reduction plan concentrating on three main areas of community concern.
These, in addition to MET Policing priorities such as anti terrorism measures and safer neighbourhoods.
- Vice, prostitution and related crime such as drugs
- Youth diversion, truancy, policing in schools
- Hate and Homophobic crime including domestic violence, sexual offending and the encouragement of Third Party reporting especially across multi ethnic, vulnerable and our minority communities.
There are also other concentrations such as anti social behaviour, aggressive begging, quality of life issues, retail and hotel crime. There is much attention given to community-led evidence gathering to secure Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) and for more information on this please see our ASBO page at:
http://www.padpolice.com/asbo.php. Also visit our page at http://www.padpolice.com/hatecrime.php for more information on hate crime and contact points such as victim support.
The Community Safety Strategy for the Paddington Sector Working Group (SWG) feeds into the Westminster Borough-wide Crime & Reduction Strategy and contributes to policing priorities in the Capital. These can be viewed at our Crime & Disorder Reduction Unit page.
Policing - Building Safer Communities Together
Paddington Hyde Park Sector Working Group (SWG) is often asked to contribute their views from their multi cultural police/community representation to dialogues and debates on community policing relations and police reform. This is sometimes undertaken through sharing best practice (visit our Sharing Best Practice page)
On other occasions, our experience is discussed with visiting guests from home and overseas, to our SWG meetings in Paddington. Also by invitation to Home Office and other policing events such as the recent participation by SWG Chair, Lynda King Taylor, on a House of Lords committee discussing policing and building safer communities.
The SWG are usually selected because of the anticipated value that our local knowledge, experience and community relations rapport brings to the consultative and conference commitment. We build this experience into our Community Safety Strategy and into our contributions to major consultations such as Building Safer Communities Together. For more information on our contributions visit our Building Safer Communities Together page
In 2004 the Home Office consultation and action happenings into which the SWG contributed including the 'Paying the Price' proposals on changing legislations on prostitution. These deliberations can be viewed direct at The Home Office Website and also at http://www.policereform.gov.uk/docs/buildingsafercommconsult.pdf
The Paddington Police/Community feeds into these consultations and the Community Safety Plan at our Crime And Disorder Reduction Unit & Strategy page
Communities Get £74m To Fight Crime
In 2004 it was announced that local communities are to receive £74m to tackle crime and drugs and make their communities safer.
Announcing the funding, Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said the partnerships could use the investment on projects like warden schemes, CCTV cameras or combating drug crime. The Minister said, "This funding of £74 million gives local partnerships the investment and flexibility they need to deliver real change on the ground to tackle drugs and crime, enabling them to take into account local circumstances and priorities"
The funding is flexible, allowing partnerships to be able to fund a programme of varied work to help make their communities safer.
The investment will be allocated to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships from the Government's Building Safer Communities Fund. Visit http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/partnerships2.htm
The fund enables local people to support a programme of varied work to help make their communities safer.The partnerships involve police, local authorities, probation service, health authorities, the voluntary sector, and local residents and businesses such as the Paddington Hyde Park Sector Working Group see SWG Constitution & Principles
|
