Tag Archives: safety

Halloween: Are you in ……Or are you out?

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136-halloween-posterThe police and councils around Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland are asking this question hoping to reduce the number of calls they receive on Halloween by encouraging people to trick and treat only where they are welcome.

The joint campaign is being launched to reduce the number of complaints about Halloween related anti-social behaviour. Double sided posters are being distributed with two messages:
Residents who want trick treaters can display the message: ‘Trick or Treaters Welcome Here’

Those who don’t, can display the other side that says: ’No Thanks Trick or Treaters’

Last year the police received 134 non-urgent calls about anti-social behaviour on 31 October. On average the force receives 68 calls a day about anti-social behaviour. This is however a big reduction when compared to 2008 when they dealt with 247 calls in one night.

Chief Inspector Sian Walls, at Leicestershire Police, said;

“We always see an increase in calls relating to anti-social behaviour on Halloween and we want to encourage trick or treaters to respect people’s wishes and not to knock on doors where they are not welcome.

“It is also important to remember that there will be many young people knocking on doors in the spirit of Halloween and, if done in the right manner, that isn’t anti-social behaviour it can be fun.

“We want to encourage residents to be tolerant of young people who are trick or treating but we wish to support residents who do experience genuine problems. We’d encourage parents to accompany young children and take time to talk to their older children about responsible trick or treating and to find out what their plans are for Halloween and where they are going to be.”

Extra officers will be on patrol at night on Halloween, including special constables and Leicestershire Youth Offending Service’s IMPACT team. Many people will also be conducting joint patrols with volunteers, colleagues from community safety partnerships and street pastors.”

Cllr Maggie Wright, portfolio holder for Community Services at Blaby District Council, said:

“These posters are great because they display a clear message to young people. We’ve done a lot of work to tell young people what to look for.

“We need to ensure that vulnerable people in our communities feel safe and are reassured that agencies are working to ensure that people will not be knocking at their doors if they do not want them to.”

You can pick up your poster from police stations or you can download them from the police website or local council websites. They are also being put in libraries, council offices and community centres for collection.

For more information on the campaign, and to see the posters, visit: http://www.leics.gov.uk/Halloween

Anyone who wants to report anti-social behaviour in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland can call Leicestershire Police on 101* or Crimestoppers, which is free** and anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

* Calls to 101 cost 15p for the entire call from both mobile phones and land lines
** Please note some mobile phone service providers may charge for this call.

Have a safe Halloween and Bonfire Night…

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Call 101 with all police non-emergency issues, including anti-social behaviour in the week of Halloween and Bonfire Night festivities

Halloween and Bonfire night are fast approaching and the Community Safety Partnership is committed to ensuring that everyone stays safe during this period.

The majority of young people celebrate Halloween in good spirit when ‘trick or treating’ and respect other residents if they do not want to participate.

Last year we saw low levels of anti-social behaviour across Blaby district during this period and the Community Safety Partnership will be working just as hard this year to ensure this remains low.

There will be high visibility police patrols at key times and zero tolerance towards any people found to be involved in anti-social behaviour.

A range of diversionary and education activities are already underway for young people in partnership with schools, Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service and youth services.

For more information about where the BB19 Youth Bus will be visit www.facebook.com/BB19youthbus.

We will also be working with local shops to prevent the sale of flour and eggs to under 18s in the run up to and on Halloween night. A new poster is available this year to give residents the Halloween of their choice – either welcoming trick or treaters or opting out of festivities altogether.

Posters

This year, the posters have been printed double-sided with the message ‘Trick or Treaters Welcome’ on one side and ‘No Thanks to Trick or Treaters’ on the other side. Just display the poster so it is visible from the boundary of your home. Click on the link to print off your own poster. The poster will also be available at all Blaby District Council offices as well as at police stations and Leicestershire County Council offices.

For further good advice for a safe and secure Halloween and Bonfire Night, you can follow us on Twitter @BlabyDc.

Trick or Treat Printout

If you have any questions about anti-social behaviour and how this is being tackled, please contact the Anti-Social Behaviour Officer at Blaby District Council – Zoe Coulson, on             0116 2727673      .

To report anti-social behaviour on or around Halloween or Bonfire Night, please call the police on 101.

Safer Summer campaign begins in Blaby district

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A campaign has been launched to ensure people have a safe and enjoyable summer.

Blaby Community Safety Partnership is encouraging people to enjoy themselves but also think about looking after their neighbours and being considerate too.

Top-tips for a safer summer include:

•’Drink Safe and Stay Safe’ – don’t let alcohol ruin yours or anyone else’s summer. Find out alcohol facts, including the number of calories and units in a drink, at www.nhs.uk/change4life
•Be tolerant of young people who will also want to enjoy the summer – playing ball games and being with their friends isn’t necessarily anti-social behaviour
•Be considerate – if you’re planning an event or party avoid conflict and inform your neighbours beforehand
•If you’re having a BBQ think safety first – don’t let your summer crash and burn
•Don’t suffer in silence – report anti-social behaviour by calling 101 or by contacting the Council’s community safety team on 0116 272 7673

Councillor David Jennings, portfolio holder for community services at Blaby District Council said: “This summer could be really special with the Olympics just around the corner so we are encouraging people to have fun while staying safe and being mindful of others and that way everyone can have a memorable summer for the right reasons.”

The BB19 youth bus is visiting villages across the district on weekday evenings throughout August offering free sports activities and workshops to young people.

For the youth bus timetable and more information on events and activities visit www.blaby.gov.uk/bb19 or www.facebook.com/bb19youthbus.

As part of the summer campaign people are also being reminded to lock their windows and doors to help prevent burglaries.

If anyone sees anything suspicious they should report it to the police immediately by calling 101.

For more information on staying safe this summer visit www.blaby.gov.uk, email community.safety@blaby.gov.uk or call 0116 272 7725

New Year’s Drink Driving and Personal Safety Advice

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People in communities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland will be finalising their plans ahead of New Year’s Eve, the time for seeing in a hopeful, prosperous and peaceful 2012. 

Chief Inspector Steve Potter is the lead for Operations at Leicestershire Police, he said,

“By taking some simple steps you can ensure that your 2012 gets off to a good start and that your New Year’s Eve night is memorable for all the right reasons.

“The majority of crimes committed by or against people celebrating the occasion are fuelled by the excessive consumption of alcohol. Drink responsibly, stay with trusted friends and always have enough money reserved for a planned ride home with someone who has not been drinking.”
Police are issuing advice to the public to take some simple steps to plan ahead for their big New Year’s Eve night out:
  1. Have none for the road – simply don’t drink if you have to drive;
  2. Leave your car at home and travel with a designated driver;
  3. Book a taxi before you go out and don’t leave it to chance;
  4. Take the bus to your destination to remove the temptation to drive;
  5. Give your car keys to a friend for safe keeping, preferably a designated driver, when you’re out and you’ve decided to drink and therefore not to drive;
  6. Leave your car keys behind the bar – if you know the landlord in you local pub, remove your car key from your key ring and ask to leave it behind the bar.
Once out and about partying with friends and family, Leicestershire Police advises taking the following safety precautions:
  1. Sticking with friends and travelling home in a group;
  2. Checking to make sure your taxi is a licensed cab;
  3. Sitting in the back of the taxi;
  4. Informing the bus driver if you feel uncomfortable with behaviour on a bus
  5. Moderating your alcohol intake (click here for advice). Alcohol increases your chances of being a victim and a perpetrator of crime;
  6. Avoiding drug misuse;
  7. Avoiding drinking and driving – either have a designated driver, or use public transport to get home;
  8.  Only take the cash and valuable you need for the night with you;
  9. Keep your valuables in a zipped pocket. Leave coats and bags in an attended cloakroom if you want to go on to the dance floor.
For more personal safety advice,
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The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Road Safety Partnership are requesting that people keep their eyes and ears open this winter.
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If you see someone who appears to be drunk leave a public house or club and then enter a vehicle to drive away, make a note of the registration plate and the direction of travel and call your local police on 101* or make a make a free and anonymous call to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111**
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*Calls cost 15p for the entire duration of the call from mobile or landline phones

**Some mobile phone providers may charge for this call

Recipe for a safer Christmas in Blaby district

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A recipe for the perfect Christmas has been produced for people living in Blaby district as part of a campaign giving top tips on staying safe over the festive season.

The eight steps include starting with a cosy home, adding some door and window locks, a splash of Smartwater and stirring in a smoke alarm with fresh batteries – with the motto – ‘This isn’t just any Christmas….this is a safer Blaby District Christmas.’

As well as the Christmas recipe the Blaby District Community Safety Partnership has organised information events throughout December and 7,000 postcards will be distributed asking people to ‘have fun, stay safe,’  with key messages on home security, drink driving, domestic abuse and fire safety.

Youngsters from schools across Blaby will be given the cards to take home and police and community safety officers will be handing out crime prevention bags at locations across the district.

The recipe includes a list of useful phone numbers and can be downloaded along with the postcard at www.blaby.gov.uk.

Councillor Ted Webster-Williams, joint chair of the community safety partnership said:

“The festive season is a great time for people to enjoy themselves but occasionally it can provide opportunities for anti-social behaviour, theft, violence and abuse. We need to work with the community to keep crime at a minimum over the holidays and make sure it is a happy time for everyone.”

 

Police and community safety officers will be at the following locations to give community safety advice in the run up to Christmas:

  • Sanisburys, Grove Farm Traingle, December 13, 2pm – 4pm
  • Food court,FossePark, December 15, 5pm-7pm

 

For more information on community safety across Blaby district contact 0116 272 7725, email community.safety@blaby.gov.uk  or visit www.blaby.gov.uk