Quarterly Communications update: October 2008 – March 2009
Introduction
The Safer Havant Partnership Communications update is a
quarterly document detailing all major communications, publicity
and community engagement events that have taken place or are being
planned by the partnership. This document will inform both partner
agencies and residents of all communications that are being planned
or have taken place and will inform the work of the Safer Havant
Partnership Communications Group. This is the first quarterly
update and so will detail communications since October 2008.
Update on communications
Safer Havant website launched
The Safer Havant Partnership website www.saferhavant.co.uk was
launched on the 11th of November 2008. The new interactive website
offers help and advice on a variety of relevant topics including
anti-social behaviour, reporting a crime and getting involved in
making the local area a safer place. Features include an online
monthly poll and information about upcoming community events. The
website is updated at least weekly with up-to-date articles and
information on community safety issues. As of the 22nd of March the
website has had 8000 page views and 1225 unique visitors. We are
very proud of this excellent result!
Safer Havant Partnership presentations
The Community Safety Team gave a presentation to over 130
Neighbourhood Watch coordinators at the Havant Neighbourhood Watch
Annual General Meeting in order to share information on the work of
the Safer Havant Partnership and promote the website
www.saferhavant.co.uk Around 500 community safety information packs
were handed out for Neighbourhood Watch coordinators to distribute
in their areas. In the two days following the event the website
received 186 unique visitors, demonstrating that those present were
keen to learn more about the work of the partnership.
The Community Safety Team also gave a series of four briefings
for Havant Borough Council staff. Over 100 staff members attended
these events in order to learn more about the work of the Safer
Havant Partnership and to find out how they could play a part in
making the local area safer. Havant Borough Council staff were also
targeted with posters, displays in communal areas and messages on
internal websites.
Finally, the Community Safety Team has also given presentations
on the Safer Havant Partnerships to a number of Community Boards
across the Borough. Their aim is to visit each Community Board
twice a year.
Promoting the partnership
A range of branded Safer Havant Partnership promotional
materials have been purchased to be distributed to residents at
community engagement events. Display boards and banners have been
designed and produced to make the logo and website details more
visible and further promote the partnership.
The Safer Havant Partnership has sponsored a number of
flowerbeds across the Havant Borough for 2009/2010. The flowerbeds
that the Partnership is sponsoring are located on Havant Road in
Emsworth, Station Road in Hayling Island outside the entrance to
Hayling Park and on Market Parade in Havant on the approach to the
train station. Signs showing the Safer Havant Partnership logo and
website address will be put in place in the upcoming weeks.
The partnership has also bought advertising space on the Hayling
Island Community website www.hayling.co.uk, an extremely popular
site which had over 30000 visitors in 2008. Many links have also
been made from other websites and time spent improving the websites
search ranking in order to ensure that the website is as easily
accessible as possible.
In the news
The Safer Havant Partnership has promoted their work through a
whole range of local media. Articles promoting the work of the
Safer Havant Partnership and the launch of the new website appeared
in local newspapers including The News, the Hayling Islander and
Park Life magazine. The winter edition of Havant Borough Council’s
magazine Serving You featured a centre page spread on the Safer
Havant Partnership, including articles from a number of partner
agencies.
The partnership was promoted internally within partner agencies
with articles in the Havant Borough Council and Court Service
newsletters.
Leigh Park Community engagement events
The Safer Havant Partnership is currently coordinating a series
of community safety packs delivery mornings in the Leigh Park area
to households that have been identified by the Mosaic system as
being vulnerable. Information and advice on arson, vehicle crime,
anti-social behaviour, health and disabilities was all included in
the packs and the first event was a great success with around 800
community safety information packs delivered to some of the most
vulnerable roads in the area. Three more events are planned
throughout April 2009.
The Safer Havant Partnership also came together on two occasions
to put together these community safety information packs. Over 25
members of partner agencies attended these events and put together
around 5000 information packs. 4000 packs were given to
Neighbourhood Watch coordinators on these occasions who kindly
distributed them to residents in the Neighbourhood Watch
scheme.
Citizen’s panel results
Havant Borough Council conducts a quarterly Citizen’s Panel
survey, which seeks the views of residents on a number of relevant
topics. The most recent Citizen’s Panel focused on community safety
and a number of the questions were related to communications. The
partnership was particularly pleased that only a year after its
launch, 23% of residents had heard of the Safer Havant Partnership.
However, only 34% of residents felt that they were very well
informed or fairly well informed about community safety issues,
indicating the importance of building upon current communications
to target those who do not feel as well informed. Further analysis
of these initial results will soon be undertaken.
Future plans
Communications Strategy and sub-group
The first meeting of the Safer Havant Partnership Communications
Group is set for the 30th of March 2009. This group will plan,
coordinate and monitor all internal and external communications and
publicity from the Safer Havant Partnership and ensure that the
priorities and targets of the Communications Action Plan are met on
time and to a high standard.
The Safer Havant Partnership Communication Strategy will be
published on the 30th of March 2009 to coincide with the first
meeting of the Communications Group. This strategy will assess
current communications, highlight best communication channels and
make recommendations for the 2009/2010 Communications Action
Plan.
Website updates
The Safer Havant Partnership website www.saferhavant.co.uk is
currently being updated with a new events calendar detailing all
upcoming local and national events and campaigns related to
Community Safety. We will also be adding an online feedback form
which will allow visitors to let us know what they would like to
see on the website.
Further publicity for the Partnership
The Safer Havant Partnership has purchased the centre page
spread of the next three editions of Park Life community magazine
in order to promote the work of the Partnership and focus on
targeting vulnerable group in the Leigh Park area. The partnership
will also be contributing to the next edition of Havant Borough
Council’s Serving You magazine, the Fire Service internal
newsletter and any other local media channels that become
available.
12th of August ASDA Leigh Park event
The Safer Havant Partnership is currently planning their major
event of the year, a large community engagement event based at ASDA
in Leigh Park.
Key Community Safety communications dates for your diary
National Tackling Drugs week 8th – 14th of June
National Neighbourhood Watch week 15th – 21st of June
Leigh Park crime reduction and community
engagement week 6th – 12th July
Play Day event 5th of August
Safer Havant Partnership ASDA Leigh Park event 12th August
Not in My Neighbourhood week 2nd – 8th November
Anti-Bullying week 23rd – 29th of November
Report produced by Katherine Vasey, Community Safety Projects
Officer, 23rd March 2009.