Community

SoSafe appreciates and in fact thrives on community support to make Stevenage safer for us all. 

• The partnership regularly conducts research to gauge public opinion on various issues about how safe people feel and what concerns them about their neighbourhoods.
• This feedback is taken seriously as it helps SoSafe set  targets for the future. It also ensures that the actions of the partnership reach every street in Stevenage.
• Members of the public are also encouraged to attend Community Safety Partnership forums. These gatherings are attended by representatives of local agencies who discuss progress of safety initiatives. They are publicised in the Chronicle and on Stevenage Borough Council's website.

At a local level, each of Stevenage's six neighbourhoods has its own forum which meets four times a year. Local councillors and residents discuss neighbourhood issues - including safety needs - and sources of funding at these meetings.

• You are welcome to attend your neighbourhood forum, meet neighbours, local councillors, community development officers and guest speakers who talk about area improvements and initiatives.
• Please click here to see neighbourhood forum (previously area committee) agendas
• For more information about Stevenage's six neighbourhoods, please see Soneighbourly

Stevenage Police and Police Community Support Officers:

• Are the most visible face of SoSafe. Every area of Stevenage now has a dedicated Ward Constable and Police Community Support Officers to provide visible patrols, both during the day and after dark.
• Your Neighbourhood Policing Team aims to engage with local residents and establish what community safety issues matter the most to them.
• The teams hold "Street Meets", for example at local shopping centres, to enable members of the community to have an informal chat about safety concerns. Please see Street Meets information below for more details.
• Click here for more information about your Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Neighbourhood Action Teams:

• Work with Stevenage's six neighbourhood forums (area committees) to implement community improvement initiatives.
• Teams of officers are assigned to each area, covering services such as environment, police and children and families.
• This builds on the strong sense of neighbourhood in Stevenage, and means that services are working together at a very local level. This approach also aids the involvement of the community in identifying issues and suggesting solutions which the council commits to act upon.
• For information about who is on your Neighbourhood Action Team please click on the above link to Soneighbourly and peruse the "In Your Neighbourhood" section.

Street Meets

Street Meets are another good way for the public's views to be heard. As the name suggests, they are informal gatherings held at “street level”  in each of Stevenage's six neighbourhoods.

They provide residents with the opportunity to meet Councillors, community development officers, police and youth workers and discuss any issues which concern them. Feedback from these street meets is always appreciated as everyone involved benefits from hearing residents' comments and suggestions.

The aim of these meetings is to:

• Encourage residents to report crime and antisocial behaviour, as early reporting leads to earlier intervention.
• Enable local people to voice concerns directly to those who can help address them.
• Promote participation in Neighbourhood Watch.
• Highlight local services to residents such as sports activities for young people.

Neighbourhood Watch

With a whopping 300 Neighbourhood Watch groups in this city, it's no wonder that local residents have become the eyes and ears of Steveange, providing feedback about community safety problems.

• Neighbourhood Watch coordinators meet regularly and report local issues back to either the neighbourhood forums (area committees) or directly to SoSafe partners.

Face-to-face/Street Smart

Stevenage Borough Council provides a high level of “face-to-face“ service at its friendly customer service centre in Danestrete:

• Residents can either visit Danestrete or phone the council on: 01438 242242.
• If the problem is one that a partner agency can help with, such as dog fouling, antisocial behaviour or dumped rubbish which could be a fire hazard, then the service desk operator will pass it on straight away to the relevant department or organisation.
• Alternatively you can use the 'Street Smart' texting service to report environmental issues in your area. Street Smart environmental teams deal with everything from abandoned shopping trolleys to full litter bins in a park.
• For full contact details please click on: Street Smart