News

Read the latest news about the Safer Hastings Partnership, our recent achievements and new initiatives here…

Baroness encourages other towns to copy Hastings to reduce crime

Baroness Scotland last week congratulated the Safer Hastings Partnership on its “dynamic” work to reduce the fear of crime.

Speaking at the Opening Ceremony to the Partnership’s exhibition at the House of Commons, which took place this week (4th-7th December), Baroness Patricia Scotland, Criminal Justice Minister, said, “I’ve looked at the things being done in Hastings and they are really exciting. I hope what Hastings is doing will be able to be emulated by others. Congratulations Hastings.”

Around 60 representatives of community safety partnerships across the county, the Metropolitan Police, local authorities and other agencies gathered to see a preview of the House of Commons exhibition, which showcased the Safer Hastings Partnership’s crime reduction and public reassurance initiatives.

Former actress and now MP Glenda Jackson CBE praised the Partnership’s “wonderful” work to make people feel safer in Hastings & St Leonards, while Baroness Scotland was particularly impressed with SHP-TV, the Partnership’s award-winning 11-screen community TV network.

The Baroness added, “I think Hastings has really got a good way to improve and reduce crime and I intend to make sure that what you are doing in Hastings is heard by other people across the country, because I think they could do well to copy some of this.”

Enjoy community TV with your Big Mac & fries

Local McDonalds customers can now enjoy a dose of community TV while they wait for their Big Mac and fries. One of the Safer Hastings Partnership’s community TV screens was today (6th December 2006) installed at the McDonalds in Hastings town centre.

It is one of 11 screens across Hastings & St Leonards showing locally filmed initiatives, such as Bar Watch, the Warden Service and the SHP’s Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, as well as crime reduction news, advice and information, national news, sport and weather and, when appropriate, emergency messages.

The community TV network, known as SHP-TV, launched in October 2004, becoming the flagship community TV network for the south of England, and a model of Home Office best practice for communications.

It won the Government Office for the South East’s Best New Media Activity Award in October 2005, was commended by GOSE for its overall communications activity, and came second in the prestigious National Good Communication Awards 2006.

Natalie Williams, Communications Manager with the SHP, said, “We are delighted to have an SHP-TV screen in McDonalds, which attracts thousands of customers each week. This new venue is the next step in strengthening what is already a successful initiative. We hope that as people queue for their food, they will find the films interesting and informative. We are grateful to the McDonalds franchise holder for giving us permission to install the screen, and also to CCN Ltd, the company behind our award-winning TV network.”

McDonalds franchise holder Dave Padmore added, “As a member of the local Business Crime Prevention Group, I am happy to support the Safer Hastings Partnership and to help people to feel safer in Hastings & St Leonards.”

Other SHP-TV screens are located at Hastings Station, the Conquest Hospital, Tesco, Hastings College and Priory Meadow Shopping Centre.

RESPECT - GIVE respect GET respect

THE HOME Office has once again officially recognised the Safer Hastings Partnership’s Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Unit’s energetic approach to tackling the issues that effect local residents’ quality of life. Hastings has this week become one of the Home Office’s 40 new Respect Action Areas, in recognition of its efforts and significant headway towards tackling anti-social behaviour. Two years ago, the Home Office’s ASB Unit officially recognised our robust approach at the first anniversary of the Government’s Together campaign, when Hastings became one of 50 Together Action Areas across England & Wales.

Now, the Home Office’s Respect Task Force has once again chosen Hastings to receive the high-profile status of Respect Action Areas in reflection of its continued work to combat issues such as street drinking, graffiti, aggressive begging, fly-tipping, noise nuisance, litter, abandoned vehicles and any issue that has a negative impact on residents’ quality of life.

The Respect drive is a Government strategy to tackle bad behaviour and nurture good with the aim of creating a modern culture of ‘respect’. It is about nurturing and, where needed, enforcing a modern culture of respect, which the majority of people want.

It’s also about showing tolerance, acceptance and common decency to people around us: our family, friends and peers; people who are older or younger than us; people from different walks of life or who follow different cultures or religions. And it is about being considerate of the consequences of our behaviour for others.

Where the Together Action Area status enabled us not only to tackle nuisance neighbours and troublesome youth, but to also look at environmental crimes and do something positive about them, becoming a Respect zone means we can now expand to focus on problem families and poor parenting.

Key measures of the Respect drive include a new approach to tackling problem families through intensive family intervention programmes, initiatives to address poor parenting, strengthening communities through more responsive public services (with local services encouraged to hold regular ‘face the people’ sessions), improving behaviour and attendance in schools, and the funding of constructive activities for young people, such as youth intervention projects and sports programmes.

Additional investment will be available to fund parenting programmes and the Safer Hastings Partnership’s ASB Unit has been given £50,000 to employ an expert in parenting.

Mike Fagan, community safety manager with the Safer Hastings Partnership, said, “We are delighted to have been chosen as one of the Government’s Respect Action Zones. The additional funding that comes with this will enable us to commission an Intensive Family Support Project, appoint a local parenting expert and to run an extensive programme of parenting training.

“This will help tackle the root cause of anti-social behaviour in Hastings & St Leonards and could have long-term benefits.” It is essential for areas becoming Respect zones to have housing providers who are also very proactive in dealing with any anti-social behaviour caused by their tenants.

Mike added, “An example of how pioneering our partners are is our main housing provider, 1066 Housing Association, having already met all the conditions for and signed up to the Respect Housing Standard, which was a key factor in us achieving this sought-after award.”

Nurturing a modern culture of ‘Respect’

Applying for an ASBO

ANTI-SOCIAL behaviour is anything from annoying other people to serious violence and other criminal activities. It includes behaviour that upsets others in the community and affects their quality of life.

It can include noise, verbal abuse, use and abuse of drugs and solvents, drunkenness, harassment, throwing missiles such as stones, climbing into or onto property, banging doors and windows, litter, inappropriate use of motor vehicles, groups of youths appearing intimidating and threatening, aggressive begging, street drinking, and more.

Before an ASBO is applied for, there are several steps undertaken by the Safer Hastings Partnership’s ASB Unit and its partners.

One step is youth nuisance letters, which are sent home to the parent/guardian of a youth after they have been stopped and spoken to by a Sussex Police officer or the local Council. These letters are to inform the parent/guardian of what the youth has been doing, and where, when and why they were stopped.

If the anti-social behaviour continues, Sussex Police, Hastings Borough Council or a Housing Association, such as 1066, can suggest that an Acceptable Behaviour Agreement (ABA) is made between the person and the relevant agency. An ABA can be given to anyone above the age of 10.

Within any ABA, there is a list of things the person agrees not to do. At this point, other agencies, such as Connexions, the Youth Development Service or Social Services can become involved. An ABA is a voluntary agreement, but if the agreement is broken, partners may consider applying for an ASBO, depending on the severity of the behaviour.

Before the Police or Council can apply to the court for an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO), evidence and information has to be gathered. This can be done over a six month period and must be exact and precise, including times and dates of incidents, identities of people involved and any dialogue used.

ASB can be reported to various agencies in many ways. Locally, these agencies are Sussex Police, Hastings Borough Council, Housing Associations such as 1066 or the Safer Hastings Partnership’s Anti-Social Behaviour Unit.

If enough evidence is gathered against the antisocial person, they are informed that an application has been made for an ASBO against them, and they are given a date to attend the Magistrates Court, where the evidence will be heard.

The court then decides whether or not the ASBO is necessary given the nature of the behaviour. If the court decides an ASBO is appropriate, it will be granted for a minimum of two years.

Within the ASBO are strict rules which must be adhered to. If the rules are broken, this then becomes a criminal matter and a two-year prison sentence could be given, or up to five years if the person is over 18).

If a person’s behaviour is serious enough, the ABA can be bypassed and evidence is gathered for an ASBO.