New system to tell police what we want them to do
Wednesday, 1st September 2010.
New opportunities for direct public contact with Haverhill police and other agencies are to be set up from next week.
Haverhill Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), which is led by police but involves other agencies including local councils and housing providers, is to begin holding quarterly public meetings for the public to raise any issues they would like sorted out.
Suffolk police's SNTs have been holding monthly public meetings in the afternoons, but a new system is now being brought in across the county, so that meetings can be held in the evenings, when the public may be more able to attend.
Because evening meetings are more difficult for agncy representatives to attend, there will be monthly problem-solving meetings held in Bury St Edmunds and not open to the public, where the issues raised at the quarterly public meetings can receive attention.
This means SNTs will still choose their monthly priorities as at present, and based on public requests.
If issues come up between the quarterly meetings, police should be informed and then these can be fed into the monthly problem-solving meetings at which new priorities will be set.
Sgt Sarah Bartley of Haverhill SNT , said: "If there is a pressing issue we can still deal with it straightaway so people should let us know.
"This is a new process and we are keen to make it work. Daytime meetings proved difficult for people to get to.
"It is true that recent meetings have all been about anti-social behaviour, and if that is what people are concerned about that's fine, but there are all sorts of different agencies involved with the SNT and issues do not have to be just police-related."
The first meeting will be on Tuesday evening, September 7, from 7pm-9pm at the Leisure Centre.
Haverhill Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), which is led by police but involves other agencies including local councils and housing providers, is to begin holding quarterly public meetings for the public to raise any issues they would like sorted out.
Suffolk police's SNTs have been holding monthly public meetings in the afternoons, but a new system is now being brought in across the county, so that meetings can be held in the evenings, when the public may be more able to attend.
Because evening meetings are more difficult for agncy representatives to attend, there will be monthly problem-solving meetings held in Bury St Edmunds and not open to the public, where the issues raised at the quarterly public meetings can receive attention.
This means SNTs will still choose their monthly priorities as at present, and based on public requests.
If issues come up between the quarterly meetings, police should be informed and then these can be fed into the monthly problem-solving meetings at which new priorities will be set.
Sgt Sarah Bartley of Haverhill SNT , said: "If there is a pressing issue we can still deal with it straightaway so people should let us know.
"This is a new process and we are keen to make it work. Daytime meetings proved difficult for people to get to.
"It is true that recent meetings have all been about anti-social behaviour, and if that is what people are concerned about that's fine, but there are all sorts of different agencies involved with the SNT and issues do not have to be just police-related."
The first meeting will be on Tuesday evening, September 7, from 7pm-9pm at the Leisure Centre.
Comment on this story
[board listing] [login] [register]
You must be logged in to post messages. (login now)