main content Safer Bromley Partnership Chairman tackles funding shortfall

Within days of taking up his new position as chairman of Bromley’s crime reduction partnership, Cllr Colin Bloom voiced serious alarm about the massive cuts from the Home Office in the budget available to further reduce crime and antisocial behaviour in the borough.

In a personal letter to Home Secretary Dr John Reid, the executive member for public protection and safety, said: “I was appalled to learn that there had been no indication of funding allocations from the Home Office for 2007/2008 and plans to slash funding by 15 per cent simply serve to compound an already woefully inadequate situation.

“The Safer Bromley Partnership has a good record of working to reduce crime within the borough and we are proud of our achievements in reducing crime by nine per cent. Moreover, we are proud of our commitment to problem solving approaches and engagement with the local community in order to reduce crime and make Bromley a safer place for all.”

Cllr Bloom learned of the proposed cuts from a representative from Government Office for London at a strategic meeting of senior officials from key partners including the council, local police, and fire service, the primary care trust, local courts and housing associations.

In his letter, Cllr Bloom points out: “Your representative was unable to tell us what the Home Office wanted the Safer Bromley Partnership to stop doing now that these massive cuts were being proposed. Moreover, your representative was unable to tell us what succour we could give to Bromley’s residents by telling them where the Home Office was reallocating these funds previously provided to make Bromley a safer place.”

Work by the partnership includes initiatives such as tackling domestic violence, funding neighbourhood watch, minimising race and hate crime, tackling drug-related offending and activities to rid the borough of antisocial behaviour and yobbishness.

Cllr Bloom has invited Dr Reid to visit Bromley: “I should be very grateful if you could either visit Bromley and see the work we are doing, or allow me to visit you so that I can demonstrate the merits of our case,” he said.


ENDS


Notes to editors:

• The Safer Bromley Partnership is committed to continuously improving safety in Bromley. We want a borough where people can live, work, play and learn safely. Our members include Bromley Council, Bromley Police, Health, Probation, Fire and London Ambulance Services, the Metropolitan Police Authority and Broomleigh Housing Association.

• The Safer Bromley Partnership has worked consistently to establish a joint approach to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in the borough. Over the past two years it has established the ‘Safe and Sound’ initiative drawing together a range of actions to help tackle some of the concerns raised by local people and businesses including rowdiness, groups of people hanging around, rubbish in the streets and graffiti.

Ongoing activities to help counter these concerns are test purchasing in pubs and clubs to curb under-age drinkers, police sniffer dogs on patrol at railway stations, and random drugs checks. Street Pastors involves local churches working with the council and police to provide trained people to walk the streets at night, talking to and helping anyone potentially at risk. Taxi marshals help people get home safely. Other areas of activity have concerned violence in the home, where the borough has established a champion against domestic violence to raise awareness of the help that is at hand.

In addition, members of the partnership offer a range of safety advice and information on how to get help and where to report crime and antisocial behaviour. 


For media enquiries, please contact Susie Clark, Communications Officer, on 020 8461 7911 or email susie.clark@bromley.gov.uk

Further information is available from the Safer Bromley Partnership on 020 8461 7915 or email community.safety@bromley.gov.uk