A NEW police initiative has been launched in Herts. The scheme, Safer Neighbourhoods, will create a partnership between the police, residents, business and local agencies. Speaking at the launch assistant chief constable Steve Devine said: It s about put

A NEW police initiative has been launched in Herts.

The scheme, Safer Neighbourhoods, will create a partnership between the police, residents, business and local agencies.

Speaking at the launch assistant chief constable Steve Devine said: "It's about putting communities first and putting their needs, issues and priorities at the heart of local police."

He continued: "The ultimate aim is to help people feel safer in a county which already has low crime rates as well as to reduce crime and disorder in every neighbourhood."

In Royston a team of three police officers - Pc Tony McColl, Pc Tony Malocco and Pc Nick Musto - will work alongside the already established community policing team.

Chief Insp Geoff Camp, who is head of policing in the Royston area, said: "Safer Neighbourhoods is all about listening closely to the community, ensuring that local people have a say in local policing priorities, resolving problems in partnership with key stakeholders and reducing the fear of crime.

"The launch of Safer Neighbourhoods will help us build on existing structures to make an already safe place even safer," he said.

Ian Laidlaw-Dickson, chairman of the Herts Police Authority, said that in the past 12 months there had been 4,000 fewer crimes in the county.

"People still see crime rates as being higher than they really are. That's something we are determined to tackle.

"The public have said they want more officers on the street and that is exactly what we have delivered," he said.

He continued that the county now had more police officers and police community support officers than at any time in its history.

"The Safer Neighbourhoods teams will provide that important local contact and reassurance that people say they want," said Mr Laidlaw-Dickson.

Safer Neighbourhoods will see communities working to set their own local priorities which will then be tackled by the police.

Police will be working in partnership with other relevant agencies such as environmental health, youth offending team and the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

There is expected to be a dialogue which will see the setting of new priorities on a regular basis which is hoped to see a continuous cycle of improvements.

The key to the whole scheme is seen that a community will be deciding on the issues which the police will tackle in their neighbourhood.

Herts police have adopted the Safer Neighbourhoods approach a year ahead of the Government's deadline for all constabularies to adopt neighbourhood policing.

The scheme has been built on earlier work which was already being carried out in the county where local team were dealing with non-serious crime.

Mr Devine said: "Safer Neighbourhoods today has three core requirement at its centre: the consistent presence of dedicated teams, the intelligence-led identification of community concerns and joint action and problem-solving with our partners."

He added: "One of the ways we are achieving this is by putting more officers into neighbourhood roles and giving them training relevant to dealing with community based issues."

YOUR POLICE CONTACTS

ROYSTON

Pc Julie-Ann Cundell

01438 757924

PCSO Michelle Trussell

01438 757966

PCSO Penny Tomsett

01438 757966

PCSO Sarah Lamb

01438 757966

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOODS TEAM

Pc Tony McColl

01438 757796

Pc Tony Malocco

01438 757796

Pc Nick Musto

01438 757924