- Cotswold, Forest of Dean and Tewkesbury Councils have joined specialist anti-social behaviour initiative, Solace
- Stroud District Council is due to officially join later this year
- The multi-agency approach focuses on incidents of high and medium level ASB as well as cases of repeat anti-social behaviour
- The rollout delivers on a promise PCC Chris Nelson made to tackle anti-social behaviour in Gloucestershire
More residents in Gloucestershire can now benefit from a joined-up approach to tackling Anti-social behaviour (ASB) after their councils joined Gloucester and Cheltenham as part of the Solace scheme.
Solace takes a multi-agency approach to solving ASB issues, bringing together a team of dedicated PCSOs, Police Officers and council Case Officers, who work in partnership with communities to highlight and resolve incidents of high and medium level ASB as well as repeat incidents.
The rollout of the scheme has been championed by Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson, as part of his promise to tackle Anti-social behaviour in the county, and funded thanks to money secured by the PCC from the Home Office Safer Streets Fund.
At an event at the Forest of Dean District Council on the 8th March, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Nick Evans, was joined by Sam Higginson and Emma Nice from Solace, when the Council officially signed up to the initiative.
Nick Evans, who also chairs the Safer Gloucestershire board, said, “Every incident of Anti-social behaviour (ASB) has a victim attached, and repeat incidents in particular can have a devastating effect on their quality of life. It is raised time and time again when we meet residents and that’s why tackling ASB is a key priority of our Police and Crime Prevention Plan.”
“The work of Solace is truly ground-breaking and I’m thrilled that more residents across the County will now benefit from this specialist support. Backed up by our new ASB pledge, we’re revolutionising how we tackle this problem in Gloucestershire, delivering on our promises.”
The partnership has been strengthened by the Safer Gloucestershire Anti-social behaviour pledge which puts victims of ASB first, and makes sure that reporting incidents to councils, housing associations and the police is made as easy as possible.
The Safer Gloucestershire Anti-social behaviour pledge commits to putting victims first, making it easier to report incidents and commits to early intervention to prevent issues from escalating, in line with the Commissioner’s public health approach to crime prevention. It commits partners to share intelligence and promote working together to make Gloucestershire safer.
Katie Mellon and Sam Higginson of Solace, said, “Solace’s unique formation of officers, coupled with their extensive experience and knowledge around anti-social behaviour and criminality provides an almost ‘gold dust’ service for areas of Gloucestershire.”
“The measurement of our success in is not just defined by formal enforcement measures but is represented in our swift intervention and resolution, sometimes without the requirement for legal remedies. We’re extremely excited to explore how we can expand Solace’s positive work further in the future.”
Forest of Dean, Cotswold and Tewkesbury Councils have joined the councils in Gloucester and Cheltenham by joining Solace, whilst Stroud District Council are looking to join officially later this year.
