News archive
Workshops on Panel products
On 15 October 2004, police officers and police authority staff from around the country gathered in London to share their experiences of, and views on, community engagement. They were introduced to the work of three demonstration sites and the 16-member Panel. Participants were then invited to comment on the thinking and work of these groups to date, and to feed into the further development of the products that will be produced as part of this project.
See the summary report of the workshops (Word, 120kb; opens in new window)
Local democracy
Norma Kielty-Crummey, the Merseyside postholder, held an event with 120 young people at Croxteth Comprehensive as part of Local Democracy Week. She took advantage of the 'take your councillor to school' initiative to arrange for the school to host Merseyside Police Authority members. Norma also used the opportunity to ask the students about future engagement, stop and search and fear of crime.
See more photos of the event (opens in new window)
Community engagement audit
Adrian Cantle-Jones, the Northumbria postholder, has carried out a detailed audit of current community engagement activity in the region.
First event held at Chevington
Twelve residents attended the first Chevington Beat event in Northumbria. While this number is small, and efforts will have to be made to involve more people, this is a positive start.
Residents split into two groups and discussed priorities for crime and community safety in the area. Many issues were raised, including police visibility and accessibility and anti-social behaviour in local shopping precinct. Beat officers agreed to patrol the anti-social behaviour troublespots more frequently, and to explore the possibility of having an answering machine service to make officers more accessible.
The people who attended were also given the mobile numbers of community officers, and it was suggested that these numbers could also be published in local newsletters.
Attendees agreed that this group will meet monthly and aim to increase its reach and membership. Crèche and transport facilities will be provided for future meetings.
Stakeholder briefing in Wooler
The stakeholder briefing session in Wooler, Northumbria, held in September, was a success; turnout was good and Adrian Cantle-Jones, the Northumbria postholder, made many connections with local organisations. Work is continuing to make contact with parish councils and schools and to distribute the first Wooler Beat newsletter (pdf, 410kb; opens in new window).
Adrian will report to the Wooler community safety forum on Friday 12 November 2004, with an action planning event to follow in December.
