Community & Development
About the Community
Communities are made form a diverse range of people. Each person has a story of their journey here. We believe improvement is achieved when a community is together and through partnership with other organisations.
Our Community initiative has a number of campaigns. Each idea is based upon a theory of engage, react and achieve. To engage with the residents or businesses about their concerns or ideas, react by working in partnership with the local community and organisations and to achieve by delivering an outcome, acceptable for all and one that benefits the area.
StreetSafe
The growth of crime is a priority issue for the community and we aim to work with the police to tackle the problem. This will require working in partnership with residents and businesses, through our StreetSafe campaign.
We will work with council and other partners to agree a joint strategy to make our area safer. We will campaign for improved lighting in doorways, public places and secluded areas. Encourage the council to make use of available technologies in areas of concern. Through StreetSafe, we will help to identify those ‘High Risk’ areas where action is urgently needed.
Through this initiative our primary aim is to encourage people to report incidents. The reassurance that all information provided is important and all details are giving in complete confidence. The knowledge that, although reports may not be responded to immediately, all information is important to build a picture. A collation of facts to build intelligence, to be used proactively at a later date - vital to protecting a community.
To help build a rapport between the relevant agencies, residents and businesses, we will hold events promoting the channels that can be used to report your concerns. We will use all communication techniques available to put the message across to the wider community. We aspire to develop facilities where cyber bullying can be reported and vulnerable groups can share other concerns feeling comfortable and secure.
Hate crime continues to grow as an extremely concerning issue. We aspire to develop a point where such vile and cowardly acts can be reported.
We will support all outreach programmes that operate to combat modern slavery. Providing assistance to schemes managed by relevant agencies to rehabilitate and offer
The Core
Community Focal Point
Community Focal Points are, in essence, unofficial ‘Town Halls’.
They are aimed at being a centre for the whole community. A pivotal point, where all of society can come together and help each other.
This ‘axis of care’ will be a safe environment for people to share the challenges they face and seek advice and assistance.
We want it to be an area to celebrate the good side of humanity from creativity to entrepreneurship. A promotional venue for local residents, organisation, agencies and businesses to discuss their aims, projects and inventions through our Spotlight sessions and simply inspire.
A place where schools and colleges can highlight their own achievements or adult groups whose members are living through challenges can feel secure, their wellbeing at the heart of our concerns – The Core.
We hope to attract our local MP and many councillors, to operate a number of surgeries at the venue. We will aim to encourage those organisations, which provide valuable assistance to our residents seeking advice, to be present on occasions.
The Southend Community Police Team will also be present on occasions, to listen to people’s concerns and reassure.
We would also like to create a centre for the reporting of Hate Crime. We would support any volunteer who wished to be trained in the process and have the support of Southend Police for looking into this.
The Core would be open to all organisations within Southchurch and Southend. To be used for conferences, meetings and exhibitions.
It can be used by societies for talks or courses about their interests and hobbies. We particular encourage Young Adult Groups
CCTV
Working in partnership with Southend City Council , local councillors and other local agencies the CCTV network is now installed and ready to be activated.
This will improve safety around the high footfall and strategic locations. The cameras will act as a deterrent for opportunistic crime, also provide timeline for incidents and provide identity and information.
Connected Vision
We will campaign for better lighting and security. Request the installation of CCTV within areas of public transport, recreational, points of high footfall and other locations of concern.
In addition we will support the introduction of a separate register, to list the location of private CCTV on homes and businesses. This register would be a voluntary declaration from residents and business owners for their details to be included on the ‘Network’.
To simplify Connected Vision, the initiative will be split into level 1 and level 2.
Level 1 is a campaign to increase locations on the current CCTV network. Focussing on public transport hubs, leisure facilities and other areas of intensive footfall . Increasing the safety of all.
Level 2 is a centrally located database, accessed only by police. Providing the possibility of more time effective searches or investigation of incidents. The database will quickly locate private, public and business premises with CCTV, signed to the scheme, in specific arears.
The system isn’t live, just an information database
Protecting & Developing.
We work hard to try our best to protect & improve the community we live in.
We have delivered on many of our campaigns but more needs to be done. We believe that the changes made will improve our safety and reduce anti social behaviour. The CCTV network being a prime example.
We continue to work in partnership with the relevant agencies to address the issues faced by residents surrounding prostitution and drug related challenges in areas of our community
We are represented on Southend Against Modern Slavery group, aiming to stop the exploitation of the vulnerable.
We are proud to support SIDES, Supporting Inclusion Diversity & Equality in Southend.
We are represented on the Independent Advisory Board which works in partnership with Southend Community Police Teams to identify the priorities in our area and to report concerns of our fellow residents.
We will take a lead in the campaign against Violence against Women and Girls and also work in partnership with other local groups to provide adequate youth provisions fit for purpose in the area.
We continue to work with others regarding the issues of homelessness and provision of sufficient food to those residents in need.
Positive Postcards
We were proud to play our part during the lockdown. We rediverted food to charities that could be used by those vulnerable and in need. We bought microwaves for those who were unable to use communal kitchens in rental property due to Covid. We helped deliver food to those shielding who were unable to get to the shops.
We played our part in helping people through adversity. Our thoughts are with those we lost during the pandemic and their families and friends.
As we came out of the lockdowns we decided to take photo’s of local business, clubs and groups as they began the slow journey back towards normality, a journey we are still on.
Positive Postcards is a 5 minute video that you can watch via our social media sites.
