A new column reveals why Wigan Borough Community Safety Partnership plays a pivotal role in residents’ lives
By Julie Middlehurst, assistant director infrastructure and regulatory services and chair of Wigan Borough Community Safety Partnership
Welcome to the first in our columns from the Wigan Borough Community Safety Partnership.
Some of you may know what the partnership is all about – but not everyone does, so to those of you who may be scratching your heads, let me bring you up to speed.
Firstly, community safety is a vital part of building strong and resilient communities, to help our towns and neighbourhoods to flourish through our Progress with Unity strategy here at Wigan Council.
From the moment our residents walk out of their door, leave work or head on a night out, the Wigan Borough Community Safety Partnership is working hard behind the scenes.
How?
Well, it is there when you see a knife disposal bin in the town centres or at the recycling centre.
It is there when you see a safety marshal guiding a person to our dedicated taxi ranks or Safe Haven after a night out.
It is there when you see a community safety officer addressing anti-social behaviour and disturbances on the streets.
It is there when you see our Be Well teams teaching young people the importance of water safety.
It is there when you see the Purple Flag signs in Wigan town centre, standing proudly to show the area is a safe and vibrant night-time destination.
It is there when you see messages of support for domestic abuse victims as part of our Love Is Not Abuse campaign across the borough.
The partnership exists, working together with emergency services, the NHS and other key organisations, to keep you safe - whether that’s preventing serious crime, tackling anti-social behaviour, supporting victims of crime or domestic abuse survivors, and funding voluntary and community groups to give something back to our residents.
I am proud that the Wigan borough has such a partnership that not only keeps communities safe, but ultimately changes and saves lives.
We all have a part to play in keeping our communities safe, which is why the Wigan Borough Community Safety Partnership is so important.
By bringing together organisations from across the borough, we can share knowledge, resources and expertise to tackle complex community safety issues more effectively.
No single agency can address these challenges alone, but by working together we can better support residents, prevent harm and create safer, stronger communities for everyone.
We will be sharing key community safety updates in our upcoming columns, and you can also find out more about the partnership on the dedicated Facebook page at Wigan Borough Community Safety Partnership.