Southwark project gets bronze award in national crime fighting awards
Published 22 November 2010
A major community safety project in Southwark, which lead to the issuing of one of London's first ever group ASBOs targeted on gang members, has been voted one of the top three in the UK.
Southwark's "Talking the hardest: Taking on Peckham's gang culture" resulted in a drop in recorded crime in the target area and saw confidence among business owners and young people rise.
In the summer it was recognised as the best in London in its category, and was shortlisted for the national Tilley awards, which were held on Monday 8 November.
It was at this prestigious event that Southwark heard that they had come third in the national finals.
Every year the Home Office hold their Tilley Awards, which were set up 12 years ago to recognise innovative crime fighting projects.
Cllr John Friary, cabinet member for community safety at Southwark Council said: "We took this action because of the impact on the community, and without community members taking an active role in tackling gang violence we couldn't have achieved this. So the award is in effect a recognition of the commitment of our communities, and I'd like to thank them and all our partners."
Chief Superintendent Wayne Chance from Southwark Police said: "I am absolutely delighted that Southwark has been recognised and rewarded nationally for the excellent work that was conducted in tackling gang culture in the Peckham area.
"The positive effect of this work is still felt by the businesses and communities in the centre of Peckham, who tell us that the they can go about their business and lives more peacefully and without the ever-present fear of anti-social behaviour and crime that was persistently associated with a small group of youths who were targeted as a result of this work.
"The award also recognised the strength of the partnership between the police and Southwark council in addressing these types of issues."
"Talking the hardest: Taking on Peckham's gang culture" - the project
In December 2009 seven anti social behaviour orders (ASBOs) were successfully obtained by Southwark Council and the police, in a ground breaking approach to tackle groups causing serious nuisance, threats and intimidation to the local community.
It was one of the first in London to be served on a group of young people at the same time. The order stipulates that they each are barred from loitering with two or more people in any public place in Southwark, and from using threatening or offensive language in any location in the borough. The seven were found to have acted in a persistently intimidating, threatening and anti-social manner in the neighbourhood over a considerable period of time.
The serving of the ASBO represented the culmination of over a year's work by the council's anti social behaviour unit.
The Tilleys
The 11 national finalists involve projects that have slashed youth violence and disorder, reduced distraction burglary, tackled antisocial behaviour and saved thousands of pounds by successfully reducing theft in their areas.
The Tilley awards were set up 12 years ago to recognise innovative crime fighting projects where police, local community safety agencies and the public are successfully working together to identify and tackle local crime problems. More than 110 projects entered this year's awards.
