How can we make Hartlepool safer? Have your say on plans to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour

An online survey has been launched for residents to express their views on the draft community safety plan for 2020/21, after it was backed by the Safer Hartlepool Partnership at its latest meeting.

The plan highlights the key priorities and objectives for the coming year and has been drawn up with help from the Hartlepool Community Safety Team, made up of representatives from the council, police, fire authority and other agencies.

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’.

Meanwhile the three key priorities for the partnership in 2020/21 are to focus on tackling drugs and alcohol related issues, antisocial behaviour and domestic violence.

The online survey asks residents for their opinions on these objectives and priorities, while also giving them the chance to make any further comments and suggestions for the plan.

The online survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Community-safety-plan20-21 and is open until November 1 for residents to complete.

The plan was drawn up with the help of residents, the voluntary and community sector and other partners, after an initial online survey took place earlier this year asking people to share their community safety priorities.

Council chiefs then took what was said and used it, along with analysis of crime and anti-social behaviour statistics, to develop the draft community safety plan 2020-2021.

Cllr Shane Moore, speaking at the latest Safer Hartlepool Partnership meeting, thanked all the partners who were involved in pulling the recommendations together.

He said: “The partnership work was really helpful and being able to have frank conversations and thrash it all out really helped in pulling together a really positive and honest document for us to be able to move forward.”

Ordinarily the community safety plan would cover a period of three years, however, due to the ‘extraordinary circumstances’ caused by Covid-19, the draft community safety plan this time will cover just one year.

Further and additional work will then be undertaken before the production of a three year plan covering the period 2021-2024.

Council chiefs also noted due to the Covid-19 outbreak the annual Face the Public event, which is usually held at the end of March, had to be cancelled.

This meant they were not able to have face-to-face discussions about the new community safety plan.

They added this means it is ‘really important’ people express their views on the new plan by completing the survey.

Comments made during the consultation will be incorporated to draw up a final plan which will go before the Safer Hartlepool Partnership in November and then, subject to approval, Full Council in December.

People can visit https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/downloads/file/6360/draft_community_safety_plan_2020-21 to view the full draft community safety plan.

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