Neighbourhood SIRCS
Talk about vigilantism has been all over the news this week, the positives and the negatives.
What is abundantly clear however is that there is a willingness of people to come out and protect their community in the face of threat. The problem, of course, is that people often have an agenda. Whereas one member of the community may want to peacefully protest or protect, another could have an entirely different reason to be patrolling their streets.
That said, people should not be discouraged from wanting to play a part in making their communities safer. To do so is a positive thing. Reducing crime and the fear of crime in your own community to make it a safer place should be applauded and welcomed by police and community groups. The trick is to make sure it is properly channelled so that it is carried out in a positive way.
Schemes like Neighbourhood-SIRCS in Broadland are a fine example.
The aim of the initiative is twofold: one strand of the scheme engages the community in resolving issues, allowing them to take responsibility for their streets and public spaces, encouraging neighbourly conduct, and providing a simple way of communicating with other individuals and agencies who have an interest in improving the quality of life for people in their area.Additionally the scheme supports agencies and organisations by providing an enhanced process of information sharing to those working to protect the vulnerable, improve social conditions or otherwise enhance the lives of young and disadvantaged residents.Gary Pettengell, Empowering Communities
Now is the time to harness the good work we are seeing in many communities around the UK. People have a part to play in looking after the neighbourhoods in which they live and work and it is clear that they are happy to do so.
There is a real opportunity now like never before to encourage real community engagement between authorities, the police and the public.
