Life at the beginning
Over the first three years there were a number of Action Groups formed to assist the community safety strategy and to report directly to the Community Safety Forum with community issues.
The Offence Resolution Programme (which is now part of the mainstream youth offending service) was one of the first initiatives ever funded by the Forum. This project was funded over a two year period and was a joint initiative involving Lothian and Borders Police and Scottish Borders Council Social Work Department.
The Strategy 2001-2004 "Taking action for safer communities" was launched in 1999. This strategy focused on three broad themes: a safer place to live, work and visit. Below is a sample of the range of actions, which were envisaged over the period 2001-04:
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develop a fast-track procedure for community groups to raise issues which were prevalent in their communities, and together with relevant agencies to help develop localised solutions
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the development of a range of innovative actions to increase community safety by highlighting the dangers of drug and alcohol, promoting home safety, and working alongside Youth Justice services to enhance and encourage individuals to lead a quality life
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introduce an intelligence based geographical information system (GIS) to meet the needs of the community involving all key partners
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safeguard low business crime rates, including effective use of CCTV
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adopt a sound partnership approach towards achieving success
A new strategy for the next 3 years is currently being developed and should be available in the coming months.
Unified Solutions.