A NEW body has been created to enhance public safety in Gloucestershire.

‘Safer Gloucestershire’ will call on the expertise and leadership of senior managers from a range of agencies across the county.

Its job will be to anticipate potentially dangerous or harmful situations and plan solutions should they arise.

The new body will work closely with the police and crime commissioner, local authorities and other partnerships such as the Health and Well Being Board and Youth Justice Partnership Board.

Gloucestershire’s chief fire officer Stewart Edgar, who chairs the new board said: "Gloucestershire is already a safe place to live and work. Our task is to make the county even safer.

"The public can be reassured that a recent review of community safety in the county highlighted many examples of some of the very effective work already being done in this area.

"But it also identified that the lack of a countywide approach was hampering the co-ordination of vital interventions and support to local agencies in reducing crime and disorder as well as leading to some duplication of effort.

"It’s not so much what we do but the way that we do it.

"The Safer Gloucestershire Board will address this, especially in areas such as domestic abuse, drugs and alcohol misuse, child sexual exploitation and the threat of terrorism.

"It will benefit from closer co-operation so that the 'sum of the whole will be greater than the individual parts'."

The partnership has several key aims, these include:

  • Reducing demand for public services through early intervention and a preventative approach
  • Using an evidence-based decision-making approach to determine priorities and problem solve
  • Being more proactive and responding quickly to new threats
  • Proactively managing community relations and tension in partnership with the local community and networks
  • Ensuring services are centred on people and communities – and reducing duplication
  • Working with people and communities – building on their strengths and encourage self-help

“We need to be creative about how we use our resources, focus on reducing demand, and encourage a preventative approach leading to self-help – whilst still keeping our eyes on our core business," said Mr Edgar.

“Only through joint effort and a new relationship with the people of Gloucestershire will we be able to keep the county safe and help it thrive."