Crime chiefs focused on safety for women and girls
Tracy Brabin has published her first Police and Crime Plan since she was elected West Yorkshire Mayor. Emma Ryan takes a look at the priorities
THE MAYOR of West Yorkshire has published her first Police and Crime Plan which she has heralded as a “once in a generation opportunity” to tailor policing to the county’s communities.
Tracy Brabin has outlined four main priorities in blueprint plan to support victims and witnesses and improve outcomes of crime, as well as keeping people safe and building resilience, safer places and communities and responding to complex needs.
A raft of measures, recommendations and actions, to be implemented by either her office or West Yorkshire Police, include giving more money to grassroots organisations to make an impact on crime and community safety, ensuring excluded individuals are helped back into employment and training, speeding up the preparation of courts files and introducing therapy dogs to help victims giving evidence in court.
In addition, an over-riding theme of the three-year strategy is the safety of women and girls.
As the first elected female Metro Mayor, Ms Brabin said the issue of their safety is at the heart of what she is doing in the role, especially following the abduction and murder of Sarah
Everard, who grew up in York, and murders of Sabina Nessa, Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry.
Ms Brabin said: “After undertaking one of the biggest consultation exercises our county has ever seen, I know that it has the support of our communities and reflects what they want.
“Devolution has given us control of the reins, which means we can now deliver for the people of West Yorkshire in a way, which we have never done before.
“I see this as a once in a generation opportunity to focus our efforts on the issues which matter most to our communities.”
The consultation ran from September to November and public responses made up the priorities. Ninety-six per cent of respondents said keeping people safe was important with tackling Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse highest on that agenda.
Rape and sexual offences were a priority for 68.6 per cent of respondents, while 95 per cent agreed safer spaces and communities was an issue and 93.2 per cent said supporting victims and witnesses and increasing trust in the criminal justice system is a priority.
Other pledges are for prisons and business forums to look at employment for prison leavers and bespoke misogyny training within the workplace.
Alison Lowe, the Deputy Mayor for Policing, said: “It consolidates what we heard from people, communities and partners far and wide and outlines our clear determination to tackling the issues which exist. Its success centres on working together and collaborations wider than just between the police, local authorities and the criminal justice system.”
While the involvement of a wide range of organisations is considered essential, the report notes that an extra 252 frontline police and staff will be in place in West Yorkshire by next month compared to last May when Ms Brabin was elected to the post.
West Yorkshire Police’s Chief Constable said he welcomed Mayor Tracy Brabin’s policing plan.
John Robins added: “This Police and Crime Plan is rightly challenging, but achievable.
“Safety for women and girls is rightly at the centre. We continue to invest significant resources in understanding issues that specifically concern women and girls.
“We were pleased to recently be announced as a national ‘exemplar force’ for the way we combat violence against women and girls, but there is more to be done. We look forward to working closely with the Mayor.”
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As the first female elected Mayor, the issue of their safety is at the heart. This is a once in a generation opportunity to focus our efforts on the issues that matter most to our communities