Working together to reduce crime

Anti-social behaviour and youth offending will be targeted

Flintshire County Council has launched a three-year strategy to reduce the levels of crime and disorder in the county.

The six priority areas highlighted are: youth offending, drugs and alcohol, road safety, domestic abuse, anti-social behaviour and volume crime.

Flintshire County Council will work with the police and other agencies

As a part of this new project, set for 2002-05, the local authority will be working with the police and other partner agencies to reduce crime.

Deputy Leader of Flintshire County Council, Eddie Hall, said: "Partner agencies in Flintshire are already working together to tackle crime and disorder in the county.

"Our new strategy gives this partnership a new impetus and builds on the successes and lessons already learnt so that we can improve safety over the next three years."

The strategy is a result of the Crime and Disorder Act that requires councils, the police and other agencies to audit crime in the area every three years.

Public opinion

They are also required to ask the public for their views. The results then are used to map out the strategy and decide the priorities for the following year.

The council's chief executive, Philip McGreevy, said: "Public consultation through our Citizens' Panel has formed a significant part of the audit process, and this has ensured that the strategic priorities we have identified reflect the concerns of the wider community."

Flintshire crime figures are in fact lower than the average level for north Wales, and for England and Wales.

Low level of crime

The county's level of violent crime is much lower than in the rest of the country.

Flintshire has only 6.3 incidents of violent crime per 1000 population compared with 9.5 for north Wales and 13.3 for England and Wales.

But anti-social behaviour, burglary and drugs are still a problem in the area and these were the main concerns identified by the Citizens' Panel.

Another key point identified in the audit was that the majority of victims and offenders were aged between 18 and 34.