North Down District Policing Partnership has launched its annual report for 2007-2008. The document contains information on the functions and activities during the previous financial year and there are many success included in the report.
Speaking on the report, Chair of the DPP, Councillor and MLA Alex Easton stated ‘The annual report for 2007-2008 is a clear example of the contribution that the DPP are making to North Down.
- During the year North Down DPP held 12 meetings – 4 of which were monitoring meetings, 2 public discussion forums and 6 private meetings. Approximately 225 members of the public attended and there were a total of 127 questions addressed by the Area Commander. 11 questions were received in writing, 29 asked by Members of the public and 87 asked by DPP Members.
- The Members of North Down DPP held sub group and working group meetings on 20 occasions and ensured that at least one DPP Member attended every Community Safety Partnership and Holywood Community Policing Forum meeting.
- The Members of North Down DPP attended awareness raising seminars and training on 5 occasions. Training was provided on capacity building, policing with the community, local policing plan process and presentation skills.
- The Members of North Down DPP undertook consultation meetings on 40 occasions and met with over 730 members of the community. North Down DPP also developed, adopted and implemented a consultation strategy.
- The DPP undertook significant public consultation to gain the views of the public on crime and policing – the Area Commander in the Local Policing Plan has included 4 of the 6 priorities identified by the DPP for 2007-2008. The DPP met with over 730 members of the community to obtain their views on crime & policing.
- The Members of North Down DPP have been involved with a range of partnerships during the year and have continued to meet with community groups in the Borough, including North Down Community Safety Partnership and Holywood Community Policing Forum. DPP Members also attended Northern Ireland Policing Board Meetings, Neighbourhood Policing Meetings and visited the RUC Garden of Remembrance.
- North Down DPP continues to actively gain co-operation of the public in preventing crime and were involved with over 11 initiatives in partnership with local statutory and voluntary agencies from across North Down.
- The DPP have undertaken a proactive advertising campaign including leaflet distribution to every household in the Borough, a Christmas Crime Prevention Campaign and information leaflets regarding Holywood PSNI station. The DPP also produced consultation cards allowing local people to shape local policing in late 2007.
- North Down DPP produced a 1-year operation plan in 2007-2008.
Councillor Easton continued ‘I believe this is a clear example of local people to shape local policing and I would encourage everyone to get involved with the DPP, through attending a meeting, providing views on crime and policing or by visiting the DPP website which can be found at www.districtpolicing.com/Northdown. Copies of the report are available free of charge from the DPP office on 02891278054 or email dpp@northdown.gov.uk’.
New Chairman for new DPP
North Down District Policing Partnership has announced its new Chairman who will take over on 1st April 2008, Councillor Alex Easton.
Speaking on the appointment Councillor Easton said, ‘ I am delighted to be appointed as Chairman of North Down DPP, this is the first time I have held the position of Chair on the DPP and I plan to make this a very active year’. During my term I intend to ensure the DPP consults with as many members of the community as possible. This is an opportunity for local people to shape local policing and we want to hear from everyone in North Down about crime and policing. I would like as many residents as possible to have their say and see the benefits the DPP can bring to their community. Already we have scheduled meetings in locations, which the DPP have not before visited. In particular, Redburn and Loughview, Bloomfield, Skipperstone, Ballymagee and Kilcooley. We want to talk to people who have not engaged with the DPP before and let them have their say in how their area is policed. Details about these meetings are available from the DPP office or on the web. I would encourage everyone to come a long to these meetings. The next monitoring meeting will be held on Wednesday 28th May in Bloomfield Primary School. This will provide an opportunity to ask questions of the PSNI and watch the DPP monitor police performance on behalf of the community.
I take up my position on 1st April and I assure everyone this is no April fool joke. I intend to make sure the DPP moves forward and engages with the entire community. April will see the reconstitution of the DPP and we may see some new faces. The Northern Ireland Policing Board makes appointments and we look forward to having a partnership which represents all the residents. When the membership is announced we want to hit the ground running with a plan about what exactly we want to achieve during the year and how we are going to go about this. The DPP has a statutory responsibility to gain the co-operation of the public with the police in preventing crime and we aim to work in partnership with as many communities as possible to make North Down safer for everyone. Already we have plans around consultation with minority groups, a safety event for persons with a disability and recognition certificates for local police officers that have gone over and above the call of duty.
Councillor Easton continued:
‘I would like to formally thank Councillor Tony Hill, who has lead the DPP for the previous 12 months. Tony and I have worked closely throughout the year and I must commend his hard work and commitment. The DPP recently undertook a survey with 1 in every 10 households in North Down and I am sure the awareness and confidence in the DPP has increased as a result of the hard work of the DPP, lead by Tony Hill.
I also look forward to working with a new Vice Chair from the Independent Members, although they will not be appointed until early April. I would like to thank former Vice Chair, Mrs Lorna Anderson. Lorna has held the position of Vice Chair for 3 years, after being returned to the post by her colleagues. This is an example of her dedication and Lorna has been a credit to the DPP’.
Speaking on the announcement, former Chairman, Councillor Tony Hill stated:
‘I would like to congratulate Alex on his appointment. It is well deserved and I have every confidence that he will continue to move the DPP forward and allow local people to shape local policing.
I would also like to thank all the DPP Members who have supported me during my term as Chairman, and for their work throughout the year. As Councillor Easton has outlined, the DPP will be reconstituted in April 2008. We are not yet aware of those Independent Members who will be appointed to the DPP but I would like to put on record my congratulations to those who are returned and wish them every success during their term in office.
During my year as Chairman, it has been a busy time. We have held 7 meetings in public, which included 3 public discussion forums. The first of these was held in Kilcooley and we were delighted to be joined by the Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde. I firmly believe that the DPP has made a difference to policing. All of the DPP meetings were well attended and some attracted over 55 members of the public. I believe that we are the best-supported DPP in Northern Ireland and I would thank the community. In terms of working with the community, we have been involved in Cruise Control and Bike Safe, both aimed at promoting safe driving practice. We have consulted with over 40 organisations and 600 people face to face to find out the issues that they would like to see resolved in their communities. Some particularly memorable consultation meetings were with the North Down Over 50’s Forum, the Visually Impaired Bowlers and Bangor Deaf Club. We also held a safety event for persons with learning disabilities and over 120 members of Bangor Gateway Club joined us to learn about how to keep yourself and your property safe – it was a great night! The DPP took all this information about concerns on crime and policing and presented this to the police when agreeing priorities. As a result I believe the North Down Policing Plan for 2008-09 will be the plan that is closest to the wishes of the community since the DPP was formed. Local people have shaped local policing during my term as Chairman and I believe this can only grow from strength to strength. I would also like to put on record my thanks to the Area Commander for North Down, Chief Inspector McCoy. Throughout the year, he has provided open and transparent answers to a large number of queries. The issues discussed have not always been easy and there have been tensions between the Police and DPP, however the professional manner in which Chief Inspector McCoy and his officers have dealt with issues is a credit to the PSNI in North Down.
Personal Safety Advice for Older Persons - Click here for a copy
North Down DPP in conjunction with North Down District Command Unit and North Down Community Safety Partnership has launched a personal safety advice booklet for older members of the community. The multi-agency booklet was designed in conjunction with North Down Age Concern and is comprised of information from voluntary and statutory organisations. It contains crime prevention advice and information from PSNI, Home Accident Prevention, the NI Fire and Rescue Service, North Down Borough Council and Victim Support. Information is also provided on domestic violence and neighbourhood watch. The booklet was launched at an event organised by the North Down Over 50’s Forum in October 2006. It has also been circulated to over 3000 members of the community throughout North Down.
Chairman of North Down DPP, Alderman Leslie Cree stated ‘North Down DPP is delighted to be supporting this initiative with the PSNI and Community Safety Partnership to make everyone aware of the measures they can take to protect themselves and their property. We also welcome the input of Age Concern. Whilst crime does happen in North Down like anywhere else, past and current statistics show that older people, in particular, are less likely to be victims of crime. In fact, recorded crime figures have indicated for some time that crime in the Borough is significantly lower than the average for the whole of Northern Ireland. However, in recognising that crime does happen in the Borough it is important for everyone to be kept informed of how best to reduce the risk of becoming a victim and to know whom to contact for advice and support’.
North Down DPP welcomes Special Olympic Flame of Hope.
North Down District Policing Partnership has supported the North Down Special Olympic Athletes. On Wednesday 21st June 2006 at 3.30 pm the Special Olympic Flame of Hope will pass through Holywood Town Centre from the Priory to the Police Station. The event will be attended by local school children from the area, the local community and North Down DPP.
In May 2006 North Down DPP commissioned a large banner app 14 foot long, which was mounted on the front of Holywood Police station on the main street. This advertised the arrival of the Flame of Hope and wished all the Special Olympic athletes good luck.
North Down DPP was particularly keen to support the Torch Run in 2006. In 2003 the Special Olympic Torch first landed in Bangor to a fantastic welcome from the local community, on route to Dublin for the Special Olympic World Summer Games. A number of DPP Members acted as volunteers at this time. North Down DPP has also developed an excellent relationship with persons with a disability throughout North Down and would regularly consult with this section of the community.
For further information on areas of concern for your local DPP, please refer to the recent Press Releases.
Further detailed information as to the areas of business being discussed are contained within the minutes of the meeting
If you have any information which you feel may be of interest please contact the DPP at the address below:
DPP Manager
Town Hall
The Castle
Bangor
BT20 4BT
Tel 02891278054
Fax: 02891 275178
E-Mail: dpp@northdown.gov.uk