Home Secretary praises Tyneside communities

Nov 14 2009 by Amy Hunt, The Journal

HOME secretary Alan Johnson has praised the work of Tyneside communities as a “model” for tackling crime.

Residents in West Denton have worked with councillors and police to take matters into their own hands and crackdown on disorder in the area.

The home secretary met residents aged from 14 to 80 to find out how they had managed to slash crime rates in the area.

Perception of anti-social behaviour as a problem is just 18% in West Denton, compared to other areas where it is much higher, and crime rates fell by 4% between 2007 and 2009.

Partners including Northumbria Police, the city council, the probation service and local councillors say targeting individual trouble makers as well as crime hot spots, carrying out disorder patrols and providing activities for young people in the area has been key to their success.

The West Denton Safe Neighbourhoods Action and Problem Solving (SNAPS) group was awarded “exemplar status” earlier this year by the National Police Improvement Agency.

Mr Johnson said: “You can sit in Westminster and receive lots of briefing documents about local policing and what we want to do to tackle anti-social behaviour, but there’s nothing like coming out and seeing it for yourself.

“This is my opportunity to find out what you have been doing and what more people think we should be doing.

“The statistics here are remarkable and it seems in the North East you not only talk the talk about working together in partnership, but you walk the walk as well.

“This is transformational stuff. What they have been doing here is the model we would like to see everywhere.”

Last month the home secretary announced extra support for victims through a network of victim and witness champions in 85 areas of the country, including South Tyneside and Sunderland.

This was partly in response to the tragic case of Fiona Pilkington, who killed herself and her disabled daughter by setting fire to her car after months of persecution by local yobs.

Mr Johnson said: “The Fiona Pilkington case was particularly tragic. What the coroner said was that the police have got powers, why didn’t they use them. That was a very strong message which has reverberated around the country.

“Fiona Pilkington was vulnerable, she was left without support for too long. It was an exception, but one we have to learn from. In Denton they have had this system for many years so they have already ahead of the game in giving victims support and information.”

Coun Anita Lower, chair of the Safe Newcastle Community Safety Partnership, said: “The nice thing is residents aren’t afraid to have their say, they feel confident enough to challenge things that are said, even by the police.

“It’s a real partnership – it’s very obvious the police are listening to residents and taking their responsibilities very seriously.

“I think having this strategy lets them know that things can be done, whether it’s stopping drinking on the streets or disorder by young people. And it’s not a one-way process anymore – the police get back to residents and tell them what’s going on, which builds confidence.”