Safer Langley

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Transcript

[music]

[Sergeant Vicky Shears, Thames Valley Police:] So it's a multi- agency project where the police, council, lots of agencies including places like the college.

[Belinda South, Slough Borough Council:] Getting a lot of partners together. So from the local authority, the police, health and the community.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears] All working together to try and make Langley a better and safer place to live.

[Belinda South:] To try and improve life for the residents there and reduce the crime.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears] And bring it back to the Langley that it used to be.

[music]

[Why is Safer Langley important]

[Sergeant Vicky Shears] It's really important in Langley. Langley's had quite a lot of violent incidents that happened over the years.

[Belinda South:] There have been 2 quite high profile murders within the Langley area of young people due to knife crime.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] The public, quite rightly, expect more in Langley. They feel passionately about the area.

[PC Daniel Wallace, Thames Valley Police:] It's quite good working quite closely with members of the public, to different, you know, communities, to build back trust again.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] And they want it to be the safe place that they remember it to be.

[Belinda South:] When I think of people not feeling safe in their community, I think that's really sad.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] If the public are telling me that they're not feeling safe, then we need to do something about that.

[Belinda South:] That's it's really key that we do show the community that you know, we're here, we're supporting them.

[PC Daniel Wallace:] The closer we work together, the better impact it will have in the future.

[Belinda South:] And kind of give them there, that confidence back, to, just to live lives to the full really.

[Clear Stage]

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] We are joint leading the project with the council.  We've just finished the clear stage, which is where we intensively try and clear the area of criminal activity that's happening. So we've had lots of activity in Langley 'cause there's lots of  arrests that have been made. We've obtained several injunctions against people that are persistently involved in antisocial behaviour. And we've closed down cannabis factories.

[Belinda South:] I've been along to a few events such amnesty event back in the summer.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] We've had litter picking events. So Slough Anti Litter Society have been involved. We've set up the neighbourhood action group, so the community are getting involved.

[Belinda South:] I looked at one of the areas on the other side of Langley that we probably weren't getting families accessing our services. And we set up a new play and learn drop in for families.

[Hold Phase]

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] We then move into the "hold" phase. So we try and hold on to the area to stop that vacuum that we've created being filled by other criminals.

[PC Daniel Wallace:] We are out there, you know, being visible, just speaking to people, to make everyone feel comfortable.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] We've had another CCTV camera installed in Langley Memorial Park 'cause a survey told us that a lot of people don't feel safe in that park.

[Belinda South:] They can access play and learn opportunities, they can meet with my outreach worker and, you know, just to kind of, reduce the isolation for the families in that area.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] Just set up a neighbourhood action group so the public can take it back into their own hands and start doing things to make their area safer again.

[Belinda South:] I think the community know what they need and what they want. And working alongside them ensures that what we're delivering is going to meet their needs, be accessible to them and something that they're going to come along to.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] I have had members of the public come up to me, telling me that they feel that Langley is a much safer place. I think personally myself being out on the streets, it is much better.

[Belinda South:] We've found that families are coming to our session in Longwood Towers. And then now they're actually coming across to access services within the children's centre, which I don't think they would have done if we hadn't built those  relationships with them first.

[PC Daniel Wallace:] That's significantly brought down shopliftings in certain shops.

[Belinda South:] I've seen more people out and about in the parks and things when I'm walking through and Langley feels like a nicer place to be in.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] It just, it feels nicer when you're out and about.

[Belinda South:] Definitely been a change, it's definitely been a success in Langley.

[Build Stage]

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] And then we go on to the "build stage", which is where the community basically take the area back and rebuild it to the community that they want it to be.

[Belinda South:] We've got a Mum who's now started volunteering with us, so she's kind of expanding, you know, her skills and knowledge and helping us out as well within the centre.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] The neighbourhood team will be bigger going forward and there'll be dedicated officers that you will see on the streets patrolling in Langley.

[Belinda South:] We hope that the session within Longwood Towers will keep running. We are looking to kind of hand it over to the community now, so that we can look at other areas in Langley to set up new groups.

[Sergeant Vicky Shears:] I hope the community can take Langley back and make it into the village that they once knew and loved. [music fades out]