What is SoSafe?

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 made it a legal requirement for community safety partnerships to be formed, bringing public sector organisations together to tackle community safety issues.

SoSafe's remit is to continue to make Stevenage a safe place in which to live and work, and to ensure that local people feel safe, day and night.

What does the SoSafe partnership do?

The partnership’s aim is to build safer, stronger and more confident communities, which the partnership achieves by decreasing crime and improving community safety. SoSafe’s work is in addition to all of the partnership agencies’ day to day functions.

SoSafe develop a local community safety strategy every three years, which identifies the partnership’s overarching priorities.

Key priorities

1. Divert young people from becoming involved in crime and ASB
2. Provide safe reporting and support to domestic abuse survivors and victims of modern slavery
3. Promote reporting of Hate Crime and inequality in the community
4. Tackle the harms caused by drugs and alcohol
5. Work with partners to encourage reporting of crime and address perception of crime

Who belongs to the partnership?

The partner agencies, all working together to keep Stevenage safe and prevent crime as SoSafe include:

• Stevenage Borough Council
• Hertfordshire Constabulary
• Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service
• East & North Herts NHS Trust
• Hertfordshire County Council
• BeNCH Community Rehabilitation Company
• Hertfordshire Trading Standards

The partnership also works closely with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire and other countywide groups to ensure that countywide priorities are delivered in Stevenage.

How often does the partnership meet?

SoSafe partners remain in regular contact with each other, meeting regularly to discuss action for emerging issues, key hot spots or trends in crime and antisocial behaviour. The partnership has a number of fixed groups that meet at regular intervals, as well as multi-agency meetings that are set up to discuss specific issues.

Responsible authorities are under a statutory duty to ensure community safety work is in place within the partnership. The Responsible Authorities Group (RAG) group meet every three months to review the strategic action plan, evaluate progress against identified priorities, ensure legislation is adhered to and that at least the minimum information sharing requirements are complied with and facilitate information sharing between partners.

The Joint Action Group (JAG) is the operational, multi-agency branch of the SoSafe partnership. JAG is responsible for delivering the annual Community Safety Action Plan. They meet every four weeks to update on action points, identify any emerging problems and develop resolutions and initiatives aimed at reducing levels of crime and antisocial behaviour. The group also review and monitor community safety funding grants and ensure money is spent appropriately to deliver the priorities and issues identified.

How can you get involved?

Members of the public can raise concerns at meetings in their local areas held by us, the police or local Councillors. The police also conduct regular ‘street meets’ to listen to your views.