Partnership work at its best has seen life on a Rhyl street transformed for the better.
Over the past 12 months, police, local housing provider Clwyd Alyn Housing Association and Denbighshire County Council have been working together to make Princes Street a safer and happier place to live. So much so that police call outs to the area have dropped, local residents have a drop in centre on their doorstep which is flourishing and will soon have a small pedestrian area of their own to enjoy which will be planted out with shrubbery.
A concerted effort to bring change started when local officer PC Les Jones and District Inspector Jason Devonport met up to develop an initiative with the Neighbourhood Policing Team.
“Princes Street needed the most focus in the West end of Rhyl,” said PC Les Jones, who has been working in Rhyl for the past four and a half years of his 17 year career. “Despite the fact that it’s only 150 meters long, we would be called there around 35 times a month- along with the other emergency services, for all types of incidents from low level crimes, to fires and allegations of serious assaults.”
He added: “Now, apart from patrolling the area, we are hardly called there. Work is still on-going however there has been a real sea of change.”
Many of the local residents also played a part. One of two key meetings set up following initial police discussions was with the residents. It saw more than 30 people turn up at an initial meeting to tell officers what concerned them the most and what action and change they wanted to see implemented.
The second key meeting was set up with Clwyd Alyn Housing Association, who own a number of properties on Princes Street, and Denbighshire County Council, with the focus on joint working.
From then on in, work commenced. From a policing point of view, regular patrols continued and specific operations were also set up to drive down crime. Funding from the Proceeds of Crime (POCA) also made it possible for a second CCTV camera to be installed on the street. Other initiatives gave locals the opportunity to get involved such as the ‘clean up days’. The High Sheriff provided funding for skips and the days saw police, local residents and staff from partnership agencies all muck in to help brighten the area.
Inspector Jason Devonport said: “We used a variety of options available to us to help drive down crime and restore pride into the community. One of the tactics was a section 60 stop search which we used after having three separate knife related offences in a week. Before these incidents, we hadn’t needed to use these powers for quite some time, so it was essential that this kind of crime was stopped in its infancy. Thankfully as a result of all the positive work that has been undertaken we haven’t had the need to use it since.”
“Now, Princes Street is relatively crime free,” added Insp Devonport. “We have seen over a 50% drop in calls to the street and our partners have played a significant part in this major turnaround. Without them and the assistance of many residents, we would not be in the position that we are today.”
Carol Hooper, Senior Housing Officer with Clwyd Alyn said: “There’s a growing sense of pride and commitment on the part of the residents and we’re happy to support the initiatives that have helped transform the area.
“We have received grant funding from both Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Government to improve properties on the street and we are currently working to create more family homes in the area,” Carol added.
Improvements include renovations to the front facades of properties, external wall insulation, solar panels and security doors on some of the properties along with improved external lighting.
Graham Boase, Denbighshire’s Head of Planning and Public Protection Services, said: “The partnership working between the Council and police is stronger than ever and it makes sense to work together as we have a common aim – to protect the public of Denbighshire. Officers of the Council, including the CCTV facility and the police are working together to tackle a wide range of issues and the nature of our partnership working is very wide-ranging. By working together, we can and are making a real difference to the lives of individuals and our communities.”
Post time: Jul-19-2017