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.

Neighbourhood-SIRCS

The Rural-SIRCS scheme is being introduced into the Attleborough/Thetford area by Norfolk police to enable residents and businesses living and operating in rural areas to take a stand against criminals. It is the first time a SIRCS scheme has been developed for use by members of the public and we hope that counties, districts and boroughs across the land will follow Norfolk’s lead in providing an effective means for the public to take part in the fight against crime and in making their communities a safer place to live and work.

The password protected crime management system gives users the ability to upload and share images and information about suspicious activity, crime and environmental incidents such as fly tipping. All images and data contributes to the national SIRCS system which is used by the police to disrupt offenders and reduce local and cross border crime.

For a small one off registration and annual membership fee of just over £2 per month you can become a member and upload your own information – click here

SIRCS now offers a host of new benefits including:

- new mapping functionality to plot actual location of where crimes occur
- Stolen Property Gallery – upload your own and view others stolen items
- ASB Image Gallery
- upgraded functionality that attracts police usage

SIRCS offers a unique opportunity for police officers and specialist police departments to increase and improve intelligence and crime data on a local and national level. The upgraded systems and processes will help us to grow the SIRCS family and work more closely with police forces and organisations across the UK.