Give your views on crime prevention in St Albans District

Residents, businesses and community groups are urged to give their views on how to further improve crime prevention in St Albans District.

This public consultation will shape a detailed plan for making the area a safer place to live and work.

In particular, views are sought on domestic abuse, the protection of vulnerable people, burglary, robbery, antisocial behaviour and drug dealing.

The consultation, which runs until Monday 1 March, is intended to help the St Albans Community Safety Partnership (CSP) complete its strategy for the coming year.

Anyone wanting to take part should fill in an online questionnaire at  https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CSPstrategy2021. The proposed strategy can be found here.

The CSP is an umbrella group of agencies that work together to reduce crime in the District. 

Members include St Albans City and District Council, Hertfordshire Constabulary, the Police and Crime Commissioner, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and various voluntary organisations. 

The mission statement this year is “Working for a Safer St Albans” and our priorities are directed to achieving this.

CSP consults annually with residents and local groups to identify its strategic aims and priorities. The six proposed priorities for 2021-22 are to:

• Work together to prevent violent crime including knife crime, gangs, drug dealing, robbery and criminal exploitation by tackling the causes and minimising the consequences.
• Focus on people who are the victims of burglary, motor vehicle crime, cybercrime, scams and rogue trading.
• Liaise with landowners, businesses and the community to act against fly tipping, anti-social behavior, rural crime and road safety concerns.
• Support victims of domestic abuse, tackling perpetrators, raising awareness and educating people around healthy relationships and personal safety.
• Provide help and support for those who need it by addressing alcohol and drug misuse, homelessness and street drinking issues while challenging hate crime.
• Promote physical and mental wellbeing for all by assisting vulnerable people, both at home and in the community.

Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Inclusion and Protection, said:

We are fortunate to live in a largely peaceful, law-abiding District which has relatively low crime levels.

We are not complacent, though, and we want to ensure that we are proactive and responsive to the needs of the people who live and work here.

To be this, we need to hear their views on how and where we can make improvements and what our priorities should be. By completing the questionnaire, residents can help shape community safety plans for the District for the year ahead.

St Albans District Chief Inspector Mike Todd said:

As well as working with the council and other local partners, it is really important that we involve the public that we serve.

We cannot be on every street 24 hours a day and therefore we need to know the problems you are facing that are affecting your quality of life.  By giving us your feedback, you can help influence your neighbourhood priorities and the areas we, as a partnership, will focus on.

A paper form of the survey with a pre-paid reply envelope are available from Carol Almond, Community Protection Support Officer,  on 01727 819538 or carol.almond@stalbans.gov.uk.

For more information about the Council’s community safety work, please see:https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/community-and-living/community-safety/.

Councillor contact:
Councillor Jacqui Taylor,
Portfolio Holder for Housing,
Inclusion and Protection
Email: cllr.j.taylor@stalbans.gov.uk
Tel: 07971 906343.

Contact for the media: 
John McJannet,
Principal Communications Officer
Tel: 01727 819533
Email: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk