Community safety (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

What is the Community Safety Partnership?

• The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires that every local authority has a Community Safety Partnership.
• Our partnership is called 'Safer South Tyneside' and the vision we are working towards delivering is that:
• "South Tyneside will be a place where people feel safe because crime and ASB is the exception rather than the rule. It is also a place where everyone can feel involved and included in a way that suits them, where people understand and respect each other, and communities are actively engaged in decisions that affect them." (South Tyneside Council: Community Safety Partnership)
• Whilst South Tyneside continues to be a safe place to live, work, visit and study, a statement supported by the Safer Communities Survey which identified that 98% of residents surveyed feel very or fairly safe living in the community, it still remains that crime and the fear of crime are key factors that affect people's quality of life and sense of well-being.
• There is a direct link to health through such things as violent crimes, including domestic  violence and sexual offences and less directly via the psychological trauma of experiencing crimes such as burglary or vandalism.
• Less  than 3% of the population of South Tyneside are at risk of being victims of crime but just the fear of crime can have a devastating effect on quality of life and providing public reassurance is a major aspect of addressing this fear.
• In addition to actual crime, the effects of long-term and continuous cases of experiencing anti-social behaviour, such as neighbour disputes, can have a devastating impact on the individual and wider community.
• Offending behaviour of both the criminal and anti-social kind is damaging for not only offenders and their victims but also their families and the wider community.  It is closely associated with substance misuse, mental health, financial management, accommodation and employment.