Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend has set up a new board designed to improve community safety and prevent crime across Surrey.
Lisa said she hoped the launch of the Community Safety and Prevention Board would mark a watershed moment in how partner agencies work together in the county.
Lisa chaired the first meeting of the board last week at Surrey Police’s Mount Browne HQ which set out its aims to reduce crime, disorder, serious violence and anti-social behaviour and prevent harm in communities.
The Commissioner was joined at the meeting by Surrey’s Chief Constable Tim De Meyer and key representatives of partner agencies across the county including Surrey Fire and Rescue, the Crown Prosecution Service and Surrey County Council.
The new board has been established to create a dedicated space for partner agencies to focus on community safety issues which were previously considered as part of the county’s Health and Wellbeing Board. It will focus on six priority areas going forward:
- Violence against women and girls and domestic abuse
- Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and community harm
- Serious Violence
- The Prevent Strategy
- Serious organised crime
- Hate crime and community cohesion
Commissioner Lisa Townsend said: “Surrey is already one of the safest places to live in the country but there is always more we can all do to prevent crime and protect our residents.
“That is why I am delighted to have chaired the first meeting of this new board which I hope will be a watershed moment in how we approach community safety in our county.
“There has been some amazing work already happening in Surrey but at a countywide level we need now, more than ever, to collectively come together to prevent harm in our communities.
“Issues such as ASB, violence, fraud, substance misuse, gang involvement and online threats are real risks for society across the UK and we are no different here in Surrey.
“Policing cannot solve this alone. That is why it is so important to get all of our key partners around the table, working together to create safe communities in Surrey where residents are protected and supported.”