Date: 05/10/2009
Derbyshire police are continuing their pledge to work with partners across the county to make people feel safer in their community.
Operation Relentless - Safe and Confident is a six-week initiative during which officers will work with more than 100 organisations, such as councils and the fire service, to target anti-social behaviour in all its forms.
The operation runs between Monday 28 September and Sunday 8 November, tying in with the traditional historical increases in anti-social behaviour around half term, Halloween and Bonfire Night.
As part of the initiative, people will be asked what they feel are priorities in their area, such as nuisance youths, drug dealing, fly tipping, speeding or graffiti.
Local Safer Neighbourhood police officers will work with bodies across the county to tackle these problems.
The operation aims to improve communities, make people feel safer and increase confidence in the police service and partner agencies.
To date, more than 1,500 events have been planned county-wide, including community clean-ups, crime prevention events, under-age drinking patrols, burglary reduction campaigns, sports sessions for youngsters and fire safety checks.
Assistant Chief Constable Peter Goodman said: "Safer Neighbourhood officers work with partners every day to tackle the issues that affect residents' quality of life but this operation encourages people to take ownership of the problems in their area and work with us to find a lasting solution.
"Every neighbourhood, whether it's a city, town or small village will have its own key problems that touch everyone. We want to hear about these problems and tackle them.
"We are pleased to have such an excellent relationship with so many organisations in the county. It is this relationship that allows us to plan a large, far-reaching operation like this.
"The support from other organisations has been outstanding and we hope that one of the legacies of this operation is that our partnership working continues to grow and thrive."
Said Andrew Bingham, Executive Councillor for Social and Community Development at High Peak Borough Council: "Crime and antisocial behaviour are relatively low in High Peak. However, there's no room for complacency. Community safety partners recognise that they can't be everywhere at once, which is why we work closely with our neighbourhoods to identify and tackle problems"