Policing and safer neighbourhoods

Influencing community safety priorities at area committee meetings
 
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We are working with Cambridgeshire Constabulary to enable residents to influence the community safety priorities in their neighbourhood.

The public can attend their local area committee meetings, where the police and representatives from the council will provide an update of current crime and disorder issues and an update on work to tackle these issues.

Proposed neighbourhood priorities are also presented to the committee for consideration and to aid discussion.

Neighbourhood profiles

There are four neighbourhood profiles, each covering specific city wards:

Following the presentation on the evening, everyone at the committee has the chance to ask questions and suggest issues that they would like to see tackled in the neighbourhood area.

The committee then recommends about three priorities for the police and partners to tackle.

These priorities are then adopted at a multi agency neighbourhood action group where lead officers are assigned and action plans produced for tackling the issues.

Previous neighbourhood profiles

North area profiles

East area profiles

South area profiles

West/Central area profiles

Dispersal orders

The police have powers to designate an area for dispersal where evidence exists of persistent antisocial behaviour caused by groups.

This is in agreement with local councils and in accordance with section 30 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003.

Once an area has been designated, police officers and community support officers may disperse groups where their presence or behaviour has resulted, or is likely to result, in a member of the public being intimidated, alarmed, distressed or harassed.

Once dispersed, an individual can be excluded from returning to the area for up to 24 hours. Refusal to follow an officer's directions to disperse is an offence that can lead to arrest.

A Section 30 Dispersal Order for a designated area lasts for up to six months, after which time it can be renewed. For the purpose of the legislation, a group is described as two or more persons.

See the Dispersal Order guidance [PDF] for further information.

Cambridge Dispersal Orders: from the Grafton Centre, across to Christ’s Pieces and then Parker’s Piece

The police have reviewed the section 30 dispersal order covering the Grafton Centre, Christ's Pieces and Parker's Piece areas and have decided that anti-social behaviour here has improved and is no longer sufficiently "significant and persistent" to justify the continuation of the order.

Accordingly the order will end at 23:59 on 2 July 2010.

For more information, download the:

Cambridge Dispersal Orders: Cambridge historic city centre

The police and the council have given consideration to creating a second dispersal zone in the city centre but the decision in this case is that there is not enough evidence to justify the order.

For further information you can read:

Home Office pack to help secure your property

To help you keep your home safe, the Home Office have put together a useful pack of information about securing your property.

You can order your home pack by calling 0800 456 1213 and quoting 'burglary pack' - you will also receive a discount voucher for home security supplies at a major DIY retailer.

You can also download many documents from the pack.

At this site, you can also find out how secure your property is by trying the handy, three-minute online scorecard, as well as reading useful information about bogus callers/distraction burglary, home security measures and where to get help if your home is burgled.

Remember - burglary is a crime of opportunity – don't give burglars a chance.

35% of all burglaries are crimes of opportunity, where the burglar lets themselves in through unlocked doors or windows.

You are 10 times more likely to be burgled if you don't have basic security – even something as simple as putting strong locks on your doors and windows will keep your home much safer.

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