Progress on Community Safety in East Devon
East Devon is still a very safe place to live
By Gerry Moore Community Safety and Anti Social Behaviour Co-ordinator
Autumnal Safety
Our annual Autumnal Safety campaign is aimed at members of the community working together to reduce the incidents of anti social behaviour associated with Halloween, 5 November and the lead up to both days.
I am pleased to report that in total across East Devon there were only 12 reported incidents involving the misuse of flour and eggs and 14 reports of firework misuse. Not all of these reports involved young people and some of the reports involving firework misuse were about them being let off late at night rather than anything more sinister or dangerous.
Numbers of incidents continue to remain relatively low and I am pleased that in the main, parents are supervising their children who engage in ‘trick or treat’ activities. This can prevent older people from becoming frightened.
Domestic Violence
In respect of the Domestic Violence Awareness Week at the end of November we certainly did raise the awareness of this issue across the district. The Mayor of Exmouth, Councillor Joy Whipps, opened the week for us at our launch at the Open Door Centre in the town. Joy gave a very moving account of her own experiences of being a victim of domestic violence many years ago and the press who attended the launch reported this in the local papers.
My thanks go to the management of the Park Hotel in Exmouth who allowed us to join in their weekly quiz for fundraising. Thanks also go to Exmouth Rugby Club whose players wore white ribbons in support of the ‘Men against Domestic Violence’ campaign. The latter provided a very good photo opportunity and this featured in local newspapers.
In the Awareness Week, in terms of our fundraising, the monies collected, some £300, will go to the East Devon Safe House, where survivors of domestic violence and their children are temporarily housed in a safe and friendly environment.
Partnership Plan 2008 to 2011
The Partnership is currently in the process of developing its next Community Safety Plan. Preliminary work suggests that we will be prioritising the following issues:
•Violence in a public place, which is about tackling alcohol fuelled disorder associated with the late night economy.
•Acquisitive crime, such as burglary dwelling and theft from motor vehicles.
•Anti Social Behaviour, which includes criminal damage.
In the next issue I will be able to explain in greater detail more about the plan. One thing that we intend to do is focus our work and agency resources in geographical areas where they are most needed and where crime is higher than in other places. However we will still continue to do some work in those areas where crime is low but where the public have a disproportionate fear of crime.
Anti Social Behaviour
In terms of anti social behaviour, early research indicates that in East Devon there will be a predicted small percentage rise in reports to the Police by the end of this financial year. My own impression, as the Anti Social Behaviour Coordinator, for the district is that we are progressing in the right direction and I am getting fewer referrals than when I started in post nearly four years ago. The use of the ‘Escalation Process,’ a structure which all agencies work to in order to deal with anti social behaviour, does work and applications for Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) are only made as a last resort.
Distraction Burglaries, Bogus Callers and Scams
The problem of both distraction burglaries committed by bogus callers and scams, is always going to be an issue in places like East Devon where a high percentage of the population is elderly. Such areas are considered easy pickings for the unscrupulous who seek to take advantage of older people by catching them off their guard.
The golden rule is that if someone who you don’t know comes to your door don’t let them in until you are 100% satisfied that they are who they say. You can always seek the help of a friend or neighbour to come around to check them out. If they are genuine they will not mind you doing this and often they will encourage it.
If you have a letter delivered which offers something for nothing or offers something that seems too good to be true the chances are that it is a scam, therefore good advice is to have nothing to do with it.
If you have elderly friends, neighbours or relatives please give them simple advice about how to deal with unknown callers at their door. Encourage them to have a door chain or spy hole fitted so that they can talk to the callers without actually letting them in.
With regard to suspected scams, contact Trading Standards and Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.
If you have suspicions about a caller to your door telephone the Police using the 999 emergency number. You will not be criticised for using that number if you have a genuine concern.
Finally, East Devon continues to remain a very safe place in which to live, work and visit. Despite some of the doom and gloom reported in the national news about crime and disorder elsewhere, we tend not to have anywhere near the same type of problems. By working together and reporting any suspicious or criminal activity at the time it was witnessed I feel sure that this will remain the case.
Gerry Moore, Community Safety and Anti Social Behaviour Co-ordinator for East Devon, Tel 01395 273802, email Gmoore@eastdevon.gov.uk
