Welcome | Helen Newlove

Welcome to my blog

After six months of intense travel around the country meeting many people and reading the information on my blog, my report 'Our vision for active and safe communities' is now available. I hope I've been that voice of the ordinary citizen and I look forward to seeing government and agencies' responses to the recommendations in my report.

I will continue to campaign and work in this field, in the House of Lords and elsewhere.

Read my latest report

Posted on July 29, 2011 11:50

I promised that my report ’Our vision for safe and active communities’ would be a springboard for further action, supporting those inspirational people who, having seen their neighbourhoods deteriorate, have decided to do something themselves rather than sit back and let someone else ‘fix it’.
This week I’ve published an update to the report, highlighting where my energies are focused and also how the Government is progressing in meeting the recommendations it raised. You can read it here.
In April I joined the Department for Communities and Local Government. It is the home of localism - returning power and choice to local people - and barrier busting - removing unnecessary red tape that prevents people from participating in their local communities and is a great fit with my work in championing community activism.
Working with ministers across Government, community groups and activists, I’ve pinpointed three priorities to help people ‘get things moving’ in their communities. These are: easy to access online information, ensuring that no one will be more than two clicks away from practical help; a new drive for public sector volunteering and; the tackling of binge and underage drinking.
I’m convinced that more can be done to help communities to get on top of problems tied to drugs and alcohol and I am grateful that the private sector is also rallying round. The 800,000 pounds pledged for the extension of Community Alcohol Partnerships, where local retailers, trading standards and the police come together to tackle the problem of underage drinking and associated anti-social behaviour will help drive down crime and disorder associated with alcohol abuse and make life safer and more pleasant for everyone.
From meeting committed people up and down the country, I know there is more Government can do to unlock the system and bust the barriers that get in the way of successful community activism.
I am delighted that two sources of Government funding will support this work. The Choices Fund and the Innovation Fund from the Home Office are there to supply 14million pounds of ‘fuel’ to set this country alight with innovative, inspirational local projects and activities to bring fun and friendship and in turn safety and security to our neighbourhoods everywhere.
You can find more information on the Choices Fund here and the Innovation Fund here.
I encourage grassroots activists everywhere to apply!
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Good hearing from all of you

Posted on April 14, 2011 15:43

Keep those good news stories coming. So many of you with good ideas and effective track records.

Thanks for all the comments.

Helen
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Read my report and be inspired!

Posted on March 29, 2011 13:58

After six months, I have seen the excellent work activists and local people are doing. I have heard about what motivates them, what works and what has been getting in their way. Today I’ve published my report ‘Our vision for safe and active communities’ which sets out my findings and also some challenges - for activists, local agencies and Government. You can read it here.

The one thing that is universal is that everyone I’ve met wants their neighbourhoods to be safe and enjoyable places to live. But over time, we have developed an ‘us and them’ culture where the public are those directly suffering from the effects of crime and anti-social behaviour but are distanced when it comes to making decisions about how to deal with the problems.

Activists: need to wherever possible, take that extra step. Move from complaining about the state of your neighbourhood or how much agencies don’t do and do something about it yourself!

Agencies: need to not assume that they always know best. Work together to get the basics right, and give the community confidence that you are on their side. Then step out of the way and unleash the amazing assets that exist in your community. Remember the voluntary and community sector also have a huge and important part to play here.

Government: needs to turn itself inside out and put all resources - information, people, money and skills - at the disposal of communities and not senior bureaucrats. Champion our work and say thank you!

Please read my report. There are plenty of stories in there to inspire you - to make you think ‘if my neighbours and others are doing it, why can’t I?’, and to arm you with examples of how communities can empower themselves to go back to services and say ‘why can’t we?’

Thank you to all those activists and local people who took part in my learning process over the last six months - and to all those who are going to get involved in the future!

We wrote these recommendations together. We’ve lit the touch paper now let’s see the fire take hold!
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How to work together? Guest bloggers answer!

Posted on March 28, 2011 10:18

Q: How can the police (or other agencies - ed) support citizens to get involved in stopping bad behaviour?

Have you heard about Neighbourhood Agreements? They are agreements between services and the community to look at the roles and responsibilities both have. They would be an ideal way of giving residents the opportunity to highlight what they see as acceptable behaviour and get other members of the community to start considering how we all have a role to play. This can be as simple as not dropping litter, reporting crime and cleaning up after pets. It’s a start.

Maxine Moar is a community engagement specialist working in the Home Office

There are lots of things members of the public can do. First of all report anti-social behaviour to the police. The police analyse all reports and this creates a picture of what is going on so we know where to focus our activity.

The public also get to know what is causing the anti social behaviour, which can help us to work out the best way to solve the problem for good, and not just move it to another area.

The community can also take action. I remember last year a shop was selling alcohol to young people or adults who are drunk. It doesn’t need much imagination as to the resulting behaviour. The community spread the word and locals boycotted the shop. This soon made the shop keeper change his ways… problem solved.

Stuart Donald is the ACPO lead for Neighbourhood Policing and Assistant Chief Constable for Humberside Police

Local magistrates through the Magistrates in the Community programme are more than willing to come to local community groups and explain the working of the magistrate’s courts. Citizens then could ask questions of the magistracy about particular local issues and how they are being dealt with at court. This may then help in giving local citizens the confidence to get involved and act as witnesses in any prosecution. To get access to this programme contact the local courthouse.

John Fassenfelt is the Deputy Chairman of the Magistrates’ Association

Local agencies, including Victim Support, come together on groups called Community Safety Partnerships. They provide a forum for joint action on solving problems and provide a focus for the community to work together. You can find out more about them here http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/partnerships/

Javed Khan is the Chief Executive of Victim Support

I think that one element of it is the ability to get really quick, really personal advice from police officers that you know and trust to help you decide what to do. The ability to connect to your neighbourhood policing team by SMS or social media adds a big dimension to your ability to quickly call on on wider experience and support to help you.

Catherine Howe is the Chief Executive of Public-I, which advises on how to use new technology to engage citizens

One of the most important roles that citizens can play is acting as ‘the eyes and ears’ of the police. Research shows that the police may not always know about all the issues that are troubling a neighbourhood. So actually making sure that local Neighbourhood Policing officers know about what is happening, when and where is an important first step.

Martin Innes is an academic at the University of Cardiff
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What to do about anti-social neighbours?

Posted on March 21, 2011 14:15

Q:The house next door to mine was causing trouble and served with a closure notice and then a possession order and they were still allowed back to reside. I’ve had injunctions out on them but they threaten me. What should I do?

A closure notice and then closure order will only close the premises down for three months which can be extended to six if the problems continue or are likely to do so. It sounds as if the various authorities are aware of this address but if the problems are continuing, make sure you contact them again and inform them of the current situation so further action can be taken.

John Fassenfelt is the Deputy Chairman of the Magistrates’ Association

If you are being threatened in any way the most obvious thing to do is to call the police - you should not have to tolerate this kind of behaviour. However, we know that some people in your situation are afraid to involve the police in case it makes things worse. If you contact your local Victim Support office they can talk to you about the pros and cons of involving the police and help you make the right choice for you.

Javed Khan is the Chief Executive of Victim Support

If an Injunction Order has been breached, the court can issue a ’Warrant of Arrest’ for the person who has broken the Injunction Order. You’ll need to go back to court to apply for a warrant which is sent to police who can then arrest that person.

However if it has got to the stage of you being threatened it is time for a confidential discussion with your neighbourhood policing team. They are the best people to assess your safety, help you decide if your neighbours are committing a crime, and agree if the police need to do something. Please don’t allow this to continue, you have the right not to be subject to crime and anti social behaviour and if the police or council don’t know about it they can’t take action.

Stuart Donald is the ACPO lead for Neighbourhood Policing and Assistant Chief Constable for Humberside Police
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Should victims have a greater say in justice ?

Posted on March 10, 2011 08:40

Q: Community justice sounds like a great idea - local justice for victims in the community. How can it (or something like it - ed) be replicated elsewhere?

Over to you guest bloggers...

This is really important and will become more so in the future. I believe the authorities know that this will only work if local people are involved in the process. Most areas participate in local community reparation projects and as long as they are relevant to the local community needs, visible and appropriate, local people will support them. It’s about informing people about what’s happening within the local criminal justice system. If you do, local people become more confident in the system and more vocal when it fails them.

Paul Dunn is a Police Sergeant in the Met and advises them on anti-social behaviour
Victim Support’s been involved in a number of locally funded restorative justice projects working with prisons, the local police and probation service. Their success was based on us all working closely together, sharing best practice and ensuring that victims had a real voice in the projects. This kind of work can have real benefits for both victims and offenders. However, it’s not for everyone - some victims don’t want to take part - so we have to make sure people have choices without forcing them into it.

Javed Khan is the Chief Executive of Victim Support

It comes down to the principle that the most important people to look after are the victims of crime, and I think there’s a really positive benefit if we can support victims and re-habilitate offenders to make it less likely they will do the same again. I think this links into the Big Society idea - and maybe we could use involvement in local community projects as a way of helping offenders and communities.

James Lowman is the Chief Executive of the Association of Convenience Stores
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Guest bloggers - your third question answered

Posted on February 24, 2011 14:01

Q: The building that houses our youth provision is about to be sold and the young peoplewill have no-where to go and hang out. Ideas please! What can I and the committee who are concerned about this do?

Have you had a chat with your local school? It may be worth having a conversation with one of the school governors about using a room or the outside areas of the school. Also check out the churches in the area, they can often be very supportive of youth groups .You may need to reassure them about your group as some people can be a bit wary of young people so maybe take a couple of your group along to the meetings.

Maxine Moar is a community engagement specialist working in the Home Office

There may be other community groups or projects who you can team up with. You may be able to share their space or they may be running a project that encourages young people to get involved in a specific activity. And why not involve your young people themselves in trying to find a solution? They may have ideas or access to resources that you hadn’t thought of. It could also be a positive and learning experience for some of them to get involved in finding a solution together.

Javed Khan is the Chief Executive of Victim Support

Firstly - meet them. You want this to be a shared problem. Once again, online is a really good way of meeting people who may have really different schedules, interests and skills so find out where they are already going online and see if you can talk to them there. You know that younger people spend a lot of time online - so it’s a good place to start talking to them.

Catherine Howe is the Chief Executive of Public-I, which advises on how to use new technology to engage citizens

If the premises are definitely going, find out what other provisions are in the wider area - do local sports organisations provide activities and resources? Try the local football, rugby teams who now provide a whole range of opportunities. Consider involving local businesses and ask them what they whether they can help, do they have funding available for community projects? Many do, especially the larger companies. Get your local councillor involved and are there any other groups and organisations that might be able to help.

Paul Dunn is a Police Sergeant in the Met and advises them on anti-social behaviour

The first piece of advice to you would be to talk to the young people - what do they want in terms of local facilities? I would also advise you to talk to local businesses including retailers. I know of a situation very similar to this where the local shop helped set up and co-ordinate a boxing club that became a really positive part of community life for young people. The exact solution depends on the community and the young people, so you should start by asking them.

James Lowman is the Chief Executive of the Association of Convenience Stores

It’s fantastic that you and members of your community want to do something about this so don’t despair, there are steps that you can take. Giving young people something to do really does stop them drifting into crime.

First of all contact the local authority to find out the reason for closure and if there is a possibility of you taking over the running of the community centre. Your committee could set up a social enterprise and if you had enough willing volunteers you may be able to take over the running of the centre. Alternatively you could set up your own youth centre. The voluntary sector group in your area will be able to offer you advice and assistance.

Stuart Donald is the ACPO lead for Neighbourhood Policing and Assistant Chief Constable for Humberside Police
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ASBOs? Have your say....

Posted on February 22, 2011 09:18

I’m not sure if you’ve seen in the press, but the Government is currently running a public consultation on proposed changes to powers to tackle anti-social behaviour. Essentially they are proposing reducing the number of powers to make them easier to understand and use, as well as introducing a ‘community trigger’ which would mean that if the police or local authority are not taking action to tackle an ASB problem, the community can take the issue up with their bosses (the Community Safety Partnership)

You can have a look at the consultation document at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/asb-consultation and either respond online or by emailing to asb-consultation@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Why not use the opportunity to have your say?

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Guest bloggers week 2

Posted on February 17, 2011 14:49

Q. I’m a private tenant in a place where absentee landlords have filled out properties with problem tenants. I know that the council can do a lot to support council tenants but who can help me and what can I do?

You are not alone. Contact your local council or your local community police officer. Its important that anti-social behaviour is tackled early on. In some areas we work with the police and local council on specific projects to help victims of anti-social behaviour. If you have been a victim of crime visit www.victimsupport.org.uk/contact for details of your local office or phone our Supportline on 0845 30 30 900.

Javed Khan is the Chief Executive of Victim Support

Unfortunately many private landlords lack the resources or willpower to tackle nuisance tenants. Although they might terminate the tenancy, new tenants might be just as badly behaved. Kath must not suffer in silence, there are a number of people she can talk to:her neighbours to see if they share her concerns, her neighbourhood police team or her local councilor who could let her know if there is a Landlords Accreditation Scheme in place. If so then the local authority can exert some pressure without necessarily taking formal legal action. If not there are also some legal options available to the agencies.

Peter Jackson is the Managing Director of the Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group

You won’t be the only person feeling like this and no matter how much support the council can give you there is no substitute for knowing your neighbours. Meeting people face to face can seem a bit daunting but a bit of research online or setting up a blog or Facebook group can give you a way of connecting to the people who share your concerns.

Catherine Howe is the Chief Executive of Public-I, which advises on how to use new technology to engage citizens

You should firstly report the problems to your landlord or representative if you can identify them. If the landlord refuses to deal with the problem or if little or no progress is being made then you should contact the council’s Private Sector Housing Team. If the problem is related to crime then a confidential discussion with your local neighbourhood policing team will help us take action. You can find more details at www.police.uk. If you don’t want to go to the police then ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Stuart Donald is the ACPO lead for Neighbourhood Policing and Assistant Chief Constable for Humberside Police

Firstly the problems need to be highlighted; you may find other local people have also reported the same issues. Make sure you’re clear and concise about what the issues are and report the problems to your local anti-social behaviour co-ordinator (who is usually based in the council team) and of course your neighbourhood policing team. Find out what powers the council have and get a named person to look into it for you and report back. A number of councils have specialised teams that oversees the management of private landlord properties in the area and their details should be on the website.

Paul Dunn is a Police Sergeant in the Met and advises them on anti-social behaviour
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Guest bloggers respond to your comments

Posted on February 10, 2011 15:23

Lots of people have been commenting with problems they've encountered or questions about how to get something done in their area. To help answer these, a number of guest bloggers with a wide range of expertise have agreed to try and provide answers. Each week, a new question or comment will be answered by our guests. If you have a similar problem or have a suggestion yourself, please comment below.

Q. I have found that people get involved when there is a problem but unless it concerns them or once it goes away they are not interested in taking part. I am finding it hard trying to get anyone new to get actively involved in the community. What can I do?

Don't give up! You're doing the right thing. Think about what their concerns might be that are not linked to crime. They might be more interested in youth activities or ways of trying to improve the neighbourhood environment but work in both areas can have a very positive impact on antisocial behaviour. And don't be afraid to shout about your successes - tell local media so that people see the results of what you're doing and feel inspired to take part.

Javed Khan is the Chief Executive of Victim Support

This is not an uncommon situation. The first thing is to respect the fact that some people only want ‘light-touch' engagement with their neighbours. However, it is important that people are talking to each other so that when problems do occur they can be easily made aware and mobilized to deal with the issue. So one thing to do is make sure that informal communication networks include everybody in the area, even if this just involves exchanging pleasantries now and again. Secondly, what groups are already active in and around your community (Church / school / allotment society?) - supporting these groups may be a useful investment for when troubles occur.

Martin Innes is an academic at the University of Cardiff

People get involved for all kinds of reasons.You have to expect that they will come to your community with a specific problem to start with - the trick is to find out as much as possible about them while they are engaged so that you can find the next thing they are interested in.Social media is really good at doing the work to keep people interested in what you are doing in between the issues that are going to get them active. The most important thing is to ask questions and draw them into the conversation as a starting point.

Catherine Howe is the Chief Executive of Public-I, which advises on how to use new technology to engage citizens

I think the key to getting people involved in their community is good information. If people don't know what is happening and what action people are taking on their street I suspect some will see their community as the footpath between the front door and their car! The new crime maps www.police.uk provide street information on crime and antisocial behaviour which is very useful. We also need to look at how we use the web to tell people what has been done and the difference this has made. Please don't give up, I sense energy in communities to do more and I know this is the right thing to do.

Stuart Donald is the ACPO lead for Neighbourhood Policing and Assistant Chief Constable for Humberside Police

Don't forget local businesses, Margaret. They have a commercial interest in helping tackle crime and improve a local area, so why not start by talking to your local shops and seeing if they could get involved. In dealing with any local people and businesses, it's important to talk about benefits and outcomes rather than processes. People start to glaze over when we talk to them about a particular partnership or initiative, but they get excited when we manage to explain the practical benefits of working together, like cutting vandalism or building a new public space.

James Lowman is the Chief Executive of the Association of Convenience Stores

Think opportunities not problems! Community participation should be interesting, fun, challenging and satisfying. Those taking part should get something out of it not only for their communities but themselves as individuals, whether it is making new friends that have a common interest or using their skills and knowledge to problem solve local issues. Consider what would get people through the door and keep them there. It may involve training opportunities, visits or running local events.

Paul Dunn is a Police Sergeant in the Met and advises them on anti-social behaviour

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