Warwickshire PCC monthly update: March 2019

Monthly update from Warwickshire's Police and Crime Commissioner

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The latest news from the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner

March 2019

It has been a busy period since I last updated you by this newsletter but the past few weeks have seen a number of significant announcements and activities which you can read more about below.

Road Safety Fund logo

The first of which is the launch of a new £500,000 road safety fund, which I hope will make a major contribution to making our county highways and byways much safer places for all users. In 2018 there were 35 people killed and 320 people seriously injured on roads in Warwickshire. I am determined to reduce these numbers and put the county back to a state where these figures are on a downward trend.

I know that road safety is a concern for everyone and I want to make sure that it is clear that it is a major priority here in Warwickshire. The police, fire and rescue services, local authorities and community safety partnerships already play a key role in road safety but I want to encourage even more to be done and to find innovative projects that can make a real difference.

That's why I am launching fund with considerable financial backing to promote new schemes that help to change driver, rider and pedestrian behaviour to reduce risk-taking, protect vulnerable road users, and provide enhanced road safety awareness. Multi-agency and collaborative projects will also be welcomed.

Backing for the scheme comes from funds from driver safety and speeding awareness courses, meaning that those who break the law will be helping to directly fund schemes to alleviate anti-social and dangerous driving.

This new money will be in addition to the work that is already ongoing to tackle anti-social and dangerous driving and I am keen to encourage the public, road safety organisations and voluntary groups to come forward with their suggestions for how it can be spent.

Successful bids will need to be innovative and go over and above what is already being provided by the police, fire and rescue and local authorities.

Find out more at our Road Safety Workshop

To help launch the fund and give prospective bidders an understanding of the grants available, network with other road safety organisations and help me build more detailed knowledge of the kinds of schemes which could be of benefit in Warwickshire, I am organising a special Road Safety Workshop. It will take place on Friday 12 April at Warwickshire Police’s Leek Wootton headquarters from 9am to 12pm.

All interested parties are invited to attend, though pre-registration is vital as space is limited. To register your interest in attending, please email WarwickshireEvents@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk or for more information contact Chris Lewis on 01926 412322.

It is anticipated that the Road Safety Fund will open for grant bids in May.

Philip Seccombe TD
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner

On patrol on the M40 with Operation Tramline

Joining the officers from Warwickshire Police as part of Operation Tramline

Continuing the road safety focus, last Friday I joined officers from Warwickshire Police nad Highways England who were taking part in Operation Tramline, a joint national operation aimed at changing driver behaviour on the strategic road network.

The operation involved officers using a plain white lorry along the M40, allowing them an enhanced view of drivers on the motorway, especially those in similar heavy goods vehicles . Over the four days of the initiative, 124 offences were detected (with one arrest). Of these, 49 were seatbelt offences for either lack of use or incorrect use.

A national seatbelt campaign has been in place from 11-24 March to ensure motorists are using their seatbelts and child restraints correctly and to crack down on offenders who continue to break the law. Seatbelt use is such a significant contributory factor with regards to road collisions and the resulting injuries.

In the UK it is a legal requirement for drivers and passengers to wear a seatbelt, unless they have an exemption and it is the driver's legal responsibility to ensure that any passenger under 14 years old is using the appropriate child restraint or an adult seatbelt. Over the past 2 years in Warwickshire 9 people have been killed and 19 seriously injured in collisions where a seatbelt has not been worn.

I got the chance to ride along with the officers during the operation and it was alarming to see drivers of heavy goods vehicles texting, using social media on their phones and even watching films! The consequences of this inattention on the road have very sadly been demonstrated in recent years in a series of fatal collisions around the country, so it is vital that enforcement activity such as this goes hand-in-hand with education to rid our roads of the dangerous drivers who bear no thought for the consequences of their actions.

For more on the operation, visit: www.warwickshire.police.uk/article/58580/Making-Warwickshire-Roads-Safer-During-National-Seatbelt-Week

Improved support services for victims of crime

Victims of crime in Warwickshire will have access to improved help and support thanks to an enhanced service which I have commissioned and funded.

From April 1, a new contract with Victim Support goes live across Warwickshire, with staff from the independent charity being co-located with Warwickshire Police’s Integrated Victim Management Units at Leamington Justice Centre and Bedworth Police Station, working alongside police officers and police staff to provide free victim care, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The development of the new support services for victims follows an extensive consultation with more than 500 local residents affected by crime and key partner agencies. The research highlighted that local victims want services to be joined up with the police but to retain independence.

Under the new contract, Victim Support will deliver:

Victim-focused services to include assessment of practical support needs of victims;
Single points of contact for victims to access updates on progress into their reported crime;
Advice on security and other crime prevention advice to help avoid re-victimisation;
Referral and signposting to other appropriate agencies and services;
Emotional support services to help victims to cope and recover from the effects of crime;
Restorative justice services, which bring victims and those responsible for the crime into communication, enabling everyone affected by a particular incident to play a part in repairing the harm and finding a positive way forward.

If you’ve been affected by crime, you can contact Victim Support in Warwickshire on 02476 351003. Lines are open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.

If you need support outside of our open hours, call Victim Support for free on 08 08 16 89 111 or request support via www.victimsupport.org.uk. You do not have to have reported a crime to police to access support services.

Alternatively, you can use the online live chat facility on the Victim Support website at any time (available 24/7).

Long Itchington is first southern 'Supported Village'

Saturday saw Long Itchington become the first 'Supported Village' in south Warwickshire, with a special community event on Saturday to allow villagers to get their property security marked and get additional crime prevention advice.

By gaining ‘Supported Village’ status, villagers are demonstrating that their community is not a soft touch for rural crime, with households and community buildings being offered advice on how to protect themselves against crime and working with local officers to mark their property.

The scheme has been rolled out as part of the Rural Crime Initiative, which I fund, and has seen the police Safer Neighbourhood Team work with Stratford on Avon District Council through Rural Crime Advisor Bob Church and the Parish Council to help Long Itchington gain its new status. It follows an increasing number of communities in the north of the county which have already become supported villages.

At Saturday's event outside the Bizzy Tots nursery residents were able to find out more about a number of security marking products, including:

The event also provided an opportunity for villagers to join a Neighbourhood Watch scheme and sign up for crime prevention alerts through the Warwickshire Police Community Messaging System.

Awareness Week puts CSE on the agenda

Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day took place on Monday 18 March but here in Warwickshire the issue is so important, we took the opportunity to extend that to a week of activity to help raise the profile and understanding among the public of this horrific crime.

Warwickshire Police, Barnardo’s and Warwickshire County Council form the multi-agency team in Warwickshire leading the county response and are behind the ‘Something’s Not Right’ campaign.

During 2018, the team supported more than 100 children and young people affected by CSE in Warwickshire and conducted 27 prosecutions to combat the threats posed by perpetrators. As a result, more than 100 years of imprisonment, and numerous comparative restrictive orders and sex offender registration orders have been secured.

There has been an increase in reported cases of CSE in the county, which is believed to be partly attributed to increased awareness of the issue and identification of cases.

A key feature of the team’s work is to place a strong emphasis on training and raising awareness in the community. Over the past year they have provided targeted training in hotels, pubs, clubs and bars, fast food venues, as well as to taxi drivers, health organisations and schools.

I have made tackling CSE a key feature in my Police and Crime Plan and have been working for the past year to secure further enhanced services for victims, by directly commissioning support services on multi-year basis. I'm delighted to reveal Barnardo's has been successful in a joint bid with RoSA to win the contract and so the good work that has gone on to date by the CSE team will be able to continue apace and in expanded form from April 1.

Anyone with concerns about a child, location or situation should call police on 101 and you can visit www.warwickshirecse.co.uk for more information on how to recognise the signs of exploitation, spot when something’s not right and where to get help.

If you are – or know anyone who is – being sexually exploited, please call us on 101 (always call 999 in an emergency).

If you’re worried about the way someone is treating you, or someone else. If Something’s Not Right, call or text the Say Something helpline on 116 000. It’s anonymous and free.

Diary dates

Here are some of the key events in my diary for the next few weeks:

Apr 1: Tysoe Parish Council
Apr 3: Summit on Effective Management of Unauthorised Encampments in Warwickshire
Apr 4: Association of Police and Crime Commissioners AGM, London
Apr 8: Stretton-on-Dunsmore Parish Council
Apr 11: Regional rural crime meeting, Stoneleigh Park
Apr 11: Rugby Borough Council Overview and Scrutiny Meeting
Apr 12: Regional policing meeting, Birmingham
Apr 26: Blue Light Collaboration Board, Warwick

In addition, I have a weekly meeting with the Chief Constable to hold the force to account and discuss any arising issues. You can find details of these meetings here.

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