TV presenter Jonathan Hill has joined residents from the Vale of Glamorgan to officially open the new Safer Vale headquarters in Barry.
The new base, at Barry Fire Station on Port Road West, brings together in the same building many of the agencies working on a range of community safety issues in the Vale.
It has already resulted in improved efficiency in dealing with public safety issues from anti-social behaviour to abandoned vehicles and broken street lighting. Calls through to the Safer Vale Helpline (01446-450200) can also now be more easily passed onto the relevant people.
Partnership chairman Cllr Paul Church said: “Community safety is not just about tackling crime but also includes many other aspects that would not be the responsibility of the police or one agency alone.
“It makes a lot of sense from everyone involved in Safer Vale to be under one roof. It makes communication easier and more efficient which means we can respond to issues more quickly as they arise. Now we spend less time on email or trying to track people down on the telephone, and more time discussing how we plan to tackle the issues face to face.”
Local resident Peter Arthur, who is chairman of Vale Neighbourhood Watch and in regular contact with Safer Vale, said: “Having everyone together makes it much easier for us to find the relevant people to help with problems when they arise. It will help other people in communities raise their problems and see a swift and effective response.”
• Safer Vale is the community safety partnership for the Vale of Glamorgan area. The partners are South Wales Police, Vale of Glamorgan Council, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board, Welsh Assembly Government, Home Office, South Wales Probation Service and Vale Council for Voluntary Services.
• Safer Vale’s mission is to reduce the fear of crime by implementing a range of local and regional crime and disorder reduction projects. More details can be found at www.safervale.co.uk
• The public can contact Safer Vale by calling the helpline on 01446-450200 or by writing to Safer Vale, Barry Fire Station, Port Road West, Barry, CF63 3AZ.
