By SWM Probation, October 26, 2011Over 10 tonnes of waste and litter have been cleared from Sandwell’s streets and green spaces during the first four weeks of the Safer 6 campaign.
Offenders serving community service sentences – known as Community Payback - put in over 500 hours last week alone. Offenders on Community Payback are closely supervised by Staffordshire & West Midlands Probation Trust. In Smethwick last week, they carried out clean-up work in areas including Thimblemill Brook, Reginald Road, Beakes Road, Sherwood Road, Ford Street, the Windmill Youth Centre, Lonsdale Road, Oxford Road and Tiverton Close. They have now carried out over 2,400 hours of unpaid work since the start of the campaign on September 26. This equates to over £14,500 worth of labour had the work been paid for at minimum wage.
Also in week four of Safer 6, which had a special focus on Smethwick, council wardens and police seized alcohol 36 times from nuisance drinkers. Police made 14 drug seizures and wardens issued 14 fines for littering.
British Transport Police and Centro carried out patrols on the Metro tram network between The Hawthorns and Winson Green, giving out advice to commuters about gold thefts.
The council’s property intervention officers checked 293 empty private homes, to make sure they were properly secured.
The fire service visited 15 shops in Smethwick that sell fireworks, to remind retailers of their duties not to sell to children and to promote firework safety to their customers.
A joint operation between Sandwell Police and the Safer Travel Partnership saw five arrests and 20 vehicles seized for a range of offences. They used automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) equipment in the Grove Lane area to check vehicles and patrolled the bus route between Cape Hill and Oldbury.
The police, council neighbourhood manager and Sandwell Homes held a community awareness event at Bearwood Co-op, giving advice to local people.
Sandwell Youth Bus, run by the council’s young people’s services, was out at Londonderry playing fields, West Smethwick Park and Windmill Youth Centre.
Partners are tackling crime and anti-social behaviour across all six towns throughout the six-week Safer 6 campaign, with a special focus for a week on each town. This current week’s (October 24-30) is on Tipton.
Councillor Darren Cooper, Sandwell Council leader, said:
It’s great to see the council, police and all the partners working like this during Safer 6, a time of year when crime and anti-social behaviour can often rise with the darker nights and bonfire and fireworks season. There have been some excellent results, making our communities safer and cleaner.
Chief Inspector Bal Sidhu, from Sandwell Police, said:
Organisations work day in, day out throughout the year to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. We’re putting in extra efforts and providing additional reassurance at this time of year.
Councillor Roger Horton, Smethwick town lead member, said:
The Safer 6 campaign is very visual and is giving reassurance to people. It’s fantastic that each of the six towns is benefiting. We already do a lot of good work with all our partners in Smethwick to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and this has been another top team effort.
More information on Safer 6 campaign at www.sandwell.gov.uk/safer6
Those taking part in this year’s Safer 6 campaign include:
- Sandwell Police
- Sandwell Council
- West Midlands Fire Service
- Staffordshire & West Midlands Probation Trust – Community Payback
- Sandwell Homes
- HM Revenue & Customs
- Centro
- British Transport Police
- Safer Travel Partnership
- Vosa (Vehicle & Operator Services Agency)
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