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Crime fighting partners sign up for closer
relationship
CLOSE co-operation between partners responsible for
keeping Wirral communities safe is being cemented further with the opening of
new Safer Wirral hubs based directly in local Police Stations.
Community Patrol and the Anti Social Behaviour Team are the 1st Council
services to relocate to police stations to work alongside Neighbourhood Police
Officers and PCSOs, to tackle crime and disorder within the community.
Though partnership working has been a feature of the fight against anti social
behaviour for the last 15 to 20 years, this is the 1st time Wirral Council and
Merseyside Police have signed a formal agreement to join forces.
The historic agreement was signed at the opening of the new Bebington Police
Station, which is also one of the locations where a Safer Wirral hub is now
based, by Merseyside Police Chief constable Andy Cooke and Wirral Council's
Chief Executive Eric Robinson.
Cllr George Davies, who is Wirral Council's Cabinet lead for Community Safety,
said:- "Success in building safer neighbourhoods is beyond the ability of
the police or the Council alone and requires this stronger partnership approach
within and across all partner agencies and communities. We know that there was
already good joined up working across partners to improve community safety. This
development will build on this further due to the integration of Council staff
into Policing teams and a new way of directing their work; the Police will now
have clear operational control for all community safety resources, so that they
can respond more quickly and more appropriately to areas of need. We will
continue to seek opportunities to collaborate even further, involving other
potential partners such as those working in the Fire and Health Services, to
ensure that we maximise the potential of all available resources towards our
goal of making Wirral a safer place." |
