Residents across Caerphilly county borough are being encouraged to say ‘Not In My Neighbourhood’ next week, as the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership and its partners work to address local concerns identified by the public.
The national Home Office campaign aims to work with and inform residents of action taking place in their local area to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and make their communities even safer.
A vast array of activities will be taking place throughout the week, from agencies that make up the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership, including various departments within Caerphilly County Borough Council, Gwent Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Gwent Probation Service.
This year’s Not In My Neighbourhood Week coincides with both Halloween and Bonfire Night, therefore much of the work being undertaken will focus on disorder and anti-social behaviour prevention and community reassurance.
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s team of Community Safety Wardens will be out in the community, conducting targeted high visibility patrols throughout the county borough, and will also be making visits to residential complexes to provide reassurance over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period.
They will also be working to prevent vehicle crime and thefts from vehicles by observing any items left on view in vehicles parked in public places, and writing to the owners to advise them against doing so.
The Community Safety Wardens will also be working with the council’s Cleansing team to identify unauthorised, dangerous bonfires in the run up to Bonfire Night for removal.
Trading Standards will also be working with Gwent Police officers to advise shop owners to refrain from selling flour, eggs and other similar items to young people to prevent any misuse of these items.
The council’s CCTV operators will also be extremely prolific throughout Not In My Neighbourhood Week, and will be taking the mobile CCTV van out into the community, particularly to areas where anti-social behaviour has been identified as a priority at PACT meetings, to provide reassurance to community members and act as a deterrent to possible anti-social behaviour.
The council’s Youth Service will also play a significant role in the week, and have organised a vast array of diversionary activities for young people across the county borough to take part in, including youth club evenings, coach trips away and much more. It is hoped that this activity will go a long way to preventing anti-social behaviour that is typically associated with this time of year.
Gwent Probation Service will also be involved in the week of activity, by working with offenders on Community Payback orders to remove litter, fly-tipping debris, graffiti and other environmental projects across the Caerphilly county borough.
Offenders will be wearing fluorescent orange jackets while carrying out their tasks to help illustrate that community sentences are not soft options and that they are highly visible.
They would also like to hear from you if residents would like to suggest a community project that could benefit from Community Payback.
“Not In My Neighbourhood Week is a fantastic opportunity for the various agencies that comprise the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership to work with residents of the county borough to identify local concerns and act upon them”, said Cllr Lyn Ackerman, cabinet member for the environment.
“I hope that this forthcoming week will help illustrate to local residents exactly how much positive work is going on to tackle crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour, and by working together we can ensure that the Caerphilly county borough continues to be a very safe place to live and work,” she added.
To submit a suggestion for a community project that could benefit from Community Payback in Caerphilly county borough, please call 01443 864374 or 01633 822007.
Alternatively, you can submit your suggestion online at www.caerphilly.gov.uk/saferccb
