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Crime fighting partners cement closer
relationship
CLOSE co-operation between partners
responsible for keeping Wirral communities safe is being cemented further with
the establishment of a Safer Wirral Hub.
The hub, based at the Solar Campus in Leasowe, is the 1st phase of a new
multi-agency service which will deliver an effective, joined up community safety
service for the people of Wirral.
Led by Merseyside Police, a number of Wirral Council teams, Merseyside Fire and
Rescue Service and other key partner agencies; including the voluntary sector;
have already delivered a 38% reduction in Anti Social behaviour across Wirral.
Cllr George Davies, Wirral Council's Cabinet lead for Community Safety, said:-
"Success in building safer neighbourhoods is beyond the ability of the
Police or the Council alone and requires this stronger partnership approach
within and across all partner agencies and communities. We know that there
was already good joined up working across partners to improve community safety.
This development will build on this further due to the integration of Council
staff and staff from other organisations into policing operations and a new way
of directing their work. I believe this is a hugely important step. It will help
make Wirral safer, it will help tackle the issues our residents tell us are a
problem and even in times of cuts to funding it is an imaginative and radical
plan to deliver a better service to our residents."
At the Hub, in the Solar Campus, Wallasey, operations are directed through daily
briefings across all key agencies. Intelligence and data is gathered for use in
planning responses and operations.
In addition, joined up services will also operate within local Police stations
across the Wirral tied into weekly briefings involving:- Police Officers, PCSOs,
the Anti Social Behaviour Team, Community Patrol Officers and the Fire Service.
The agreement to establish the Safer Wirral Hub and closer partnership working
under the leadership of Merseyside Police was signed earlier this year and the
teams have already been engaged into integrated work that has produced promising
early results, including a 38% reduction in Anti Social behaviour across Wirral.
Police and emergency services time and resources have been saved by Officers in
the Hub working with frequent callers to direct resources better and tackle
underlying issues which will prevent unnecessary calls to the emergency
services. It is estimated that the Safer Wirral Hub could save emergency
services around ₤50,000 per year through this way of working.
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner, Jane Kennedy, added:- "It's
clear that this move to further increase collaboration and combine community
safety services on the Wirral is already bringing benefits to people living in
the area and is enabling our services to work more effectively and efficiently.
In this era of austerity, no organisation can afford to work in isolation and
this is a great example of how public and third sector agencies can work
together to share knowledge, expertise and resources to make our communities
safer."
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