Success of our Safer Neighbourhood team

I have now been working for a full year as Chairman of East Dorset Crime and disorder reduction partnership and the results of the initiatives taken throughout the area will be available very soon. I have seen them and am very pleased that what we have started is beginning to make a real difference to peoples lives. But it is closer to home that real improvements are being reported. As a result of the Homewatch and PACT program's our Purewell and Stanpit team is reporting changes in rates of anti-social behaviour which would not have seemed possible two years ago when I first started my campaign. The process whereby the Police and partners plonk the police van in trouble spots and residents have then the chance to explain problems on their doorstep, so to speak, I call kerbside conferences, these have had a remarkable effect. Last night in one really big problem area my team did not record one reported incident. And this in an area where two years ago, dogged by anti-social behaviour to such an extent that residents wanted to move away.Homewatch has played an important part being the eyes and ears of the community and the steadfast, proactive early intervention work of our local Police team has insured that the community has learned to trust them and work with them for the betterment of the neighbourhood.So my residents are safer, feel safer in their homes and neighbourhoods and as a result fear of crime has fallen dramatically. Well done to everyone involved our next move is to build on this success and aim to increase the pride we have in this fantastic place where we live.There is still much to do but if we all work together in partnership, the sky is the limit.We may even stop people littering!!!