Chiefs set out priorities for tackling crime in Hartlepool over the next 12 months

The Safer Hartlepool Partnership draft community safety plan has been drawn up for 2020-21, highlighting key priorities and objectives going forward.

The proposed strategic objective for the year, according to the plan, is ‘to make Hartlepool a safe, prosperous and enjoyable place to live, work and visit’.

The plan has been drawn with help from the Hartlepool Community Safety Team, made up of representatives from the council, police, fire authority and more.

The three key priorities for the partnership in 2020/21 are to tackle drugs and alcohol related issues, anti-social behaviour and domestic violence.

The draft plan will go before the Safer Hartlepool Partnership, and if approved, an eight-week consultation will begin to look at what steps to take.

This will include an online survey, targeted emails to a range of public, private, community and voluntary sector representatives, and presentations to council committees.

The previous community safety plan had been drawn up to cover a three year period, however it is proposed to come up with a one year plan for this year before undertaking additional work to come up with a 2021-24 plan.

A meeting was originally scheduled for March to look at the priorities going forward, but had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The draft plan also reflects on work carried out over the past year by the Hartlepool Community Safety Team.

This included providing home and personal crime prevention advice, target hardening and emotional support to more than 500 victims of crime and anti-social behaviour.

The team also secured 18 premise closure orders for residential properties concerned in the supply of illegal drugs and coordinated multi-agency “days of action” to target anti-social behaviour and environmental issues in hotspot locations.

A foreword for the plan from council leader and chair of the Safer Hartlepool Partnership (SHP) Cllr Shane Moore, said they will continue to look to tackle priority issues despite the ongoing challenges they face.

He said: “The SHP has faced new challenges in recent years including, most recently, the onset of Covid-19 which has had a huge impact on all aspects of life in the town.

“There has been a significant change in issues that are presented to partners to address, whilst also tackling substantial resource pressures.

“Important matters such as organised crime, serious violence, antisocial behaviour, substance misuse and responding to those members of our communities with specific vulnerabilities understandably take priority.

“The SHP will continue to look at new and innovative ways of working collaboratively to reduce crime and disorder, substance misuse and re-offending, and most importantly, improving the quality of life for the people who live and work in and visit Hartlepool.”

The plan will be discussed at the Safer Hartlepool Partnership meeting on Friday, September 4, streamed live via YouTube from 10am.

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