Teaming-up with the Police and our other key partners to make our neighbourhoods safer | News

We’re involved in several local partnerships/groups made up of key partners like:

• our tenants and other local residents,
• the Police,
• the Fire Service,
• Adult’s/Children’s Services,
• Bolton Council,
• Bolton CVS,
• elected members and councillors,
• and others…

...to make sure we’ve a birds-eye view of the issues affecting our communities and the things we can all do to help.

Here are some of the ways we’re teaming-up with our local partners and why:

Police and Communities Together (PACT) sessions:

These police-led sessions are held in places like community centres and schools across all of Bolton’s local wards and members of the public are encouraged to attend them.

We (namely our Tenancy Enforcement Managers) attend most of these sessions as our properties are spread across nearly all of Bolton’s 20 ward boundaries, and they’re an opportunity for us to collaborate with our tenants/local residents alongside the Police, Bolton Council, elected members and others to discuss the issues that matter most to the public.

We'll (Bolton at Home) tend to get involved with questions relating to preventing crime, anti-social behaviour, and other general issues on our estates- but tenants/residents at these meetings are also able to raise concerns on traffic, parking, planning issues, local incidents, and more with other relevant partners (like Bolton Council).

It’s easy to see why PACT meetings are so valued as they’re a great way for you to raise local issues with the Police and partners like us face-to-face. For the latest news and updates from the Police, as well as to see where and when the next PACT meetings and other events will be taking place in your area, tap here and choose your area: www.gmp.police.uk/area/your-area/greater-manchester/bolton.

Prevention Hub:

These monthly meetings were established across Greater Manchester in 2022 and are a Police-led opportunity for our colleagues to band together on anti-social behaviour/crime-related issues- especially those that’d benefit from a multi-agency response.

The BE Safe Partnership:

We’re also part of this strategic partnership of key stakeholders including Bolton Council, Bolton CVS, the Police, Fire and Rescue Service, probation, mental health services, community groups, elected members/councillors, and others.

We’ll come together each quarter to develop strategic action plans and agree on funding priorities for dealing with anti-social behaviour and crime across Bolton. And we’ll map out the key anti-social behaviour/crime trends that residents have told us about so we’ve a clear picture of which specific resources are needed to counter them.

Recent issues we’ve reviewed include drugs, youth crime, hate crime, knife crime, and organised crime.

Hate Crime Group:

While tackling hate crime is a priority across much of our partnership working, this group is where we’ll work with key stakeholders like the Police, Bolton Council, and local community groups to develop and implement action plans that’re dedicated to tackling hate crime head-on in Bolton.

Community Safety & Wellbeing Group:

Made up of heads of anti-social behaviour teams from housing providers across Greater Manchester, this group was established to promote and share good practice/learning and respond to anti-social behaviour-related legislation changes.

We’ll come together every two months and often use our combined group ‘voice’ to lobby government decision-makers to ensure the best for our communities.

RESOLVE:

Last, but certainly not least- we’re a member of RESOLVE (www.resolveuk.org.uk), a nationwide organisation that represents housing providers like us (as well as local authorities, mediation services, Police forces, and others) and provides specialist anti-social behaviour support/expertise to make sure our colleagues remain on the cutting-edge when it comes to training, qualifications, new/changes to legislation, and more.

The organisation also responds to and/or lobbies government on members’ behalf- championing the role of landlords (like us), local authorities, and others in tackling anti-social behaviour.

And they’ve played a crucial role in supporting the introduction of the Anti-Social Behaviour Apprentice among member organisations across the country. Josh is our Anti-Social Behaviour Apprentice and has become a valued member of our Neighbourhood Safety and Enforcement Team since starting a year ago.

We’ve an ongoing working relationship with the Police and partners:

We’ll (namely colleagues in our Neighbourhood Safety and Enforcement Team) always work in tandem with the Police and other partners as and when necessary- not just during planned meetings like those mentioned above.

This way of working often involves snap meetings where we’ll talk through ongoing cases involving our tenants and/or their homes and develop joint action plans/responses.

We’re here to help if you’re experiencing issues:

Our Neighbourhood Safety and Enforcement Team can help with anti-social behaviour and hate crime.

We’re committed to resolving all cases of antisocial behaviour that involve our customers, ensuring that:

• all incidents are sensitively investigated,
• appropriate action is taken against offenders,
• and that victims are supported…

…often utilising some of the partnership working we’ve touched on above. To see the ways we can help and contact details, visit: www.boltonathome.org.uk/tackling-asb.

We also have a Safeguarding Team that can help if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse. For more information and contact details, visit: www.boltonathome.org.uk/domestic-abuse.