Guildford’s communities will be asked to ‘open their eyes and ears’ to Hate Crime this week as the Safer Guildford Partnership’s Hate Crime Group hosts a one-day event outside Holy Trinity Church on Friday 22nd August from 11.30am – 4pm.

Hate crime is a crime and it can manifest itself in a variety of ways and is often a result of someone’s prejudice towards a victim’s race, gender, religion, disability or sexual orientation.  So if an individual believes s/he is a victim because of s/he is part of a group, the crime would be recorded as a hate crime.

Families in Guildford flocked to the Safer Guildford Partnership summer party which took place at the Lido on Friday 25th July.

More than 150 people from Guildford town centre, Stoke and Stoughton attended the event which has grown in popularity over the last five years.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School has won the Guildford Schools’ Safety Award presented to them by, Councillor Melanie Wilberforce.

Mr Phillips, Headteacher of St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School said: “We are delighted to have won this years’ safety quiz.  The children have learnt a great deal about safety and thoroughly enjoyed participating.”

This was the first quiz event organised by the Safer Guildford Partnership’s Neighbourhood Teams in Guildford.  It used local agencies in a series of talks held in the classroom to teach Year 2 primary school children all about different aspects of personal safety. 

Ash Walsh Infant School has won the Ash Schools’ Safety Award presented to them by Guildford Borough Council’s Cllr David Wright and Cllr Pat Scott. 

Mrs Cawson, Headteacher of Ash Walsh Infant School, said: “We are delighted to have won this years safety quiz.  The children have learnt a great deal about safety and thoroughly enjoyed participating.”

The Safer Guildford Partnership takes to the streets to meet the people and answer questions relating to community safety. 

Residents of Guildford town centre are invited to attend the community safety roadshow meeting taking place at Sandfield Primary School, on Wednesday 16th July at 7.30 pm to take advantage of speaking to key members of the Safer Guildford Partnership.

Our Place Youth Group, a new Youth Group for 7-11 year olds in Stoke Ward was successfully launched on Tuesday 3rd June at Bellfields Youth and Community Centre in Hazel Avenue.

Over 40 children turned up on the opening night, each initially accompanied by a parent or responsible adult to complete the paperwork required for their child’s security during their stay.

Domestic Abuse Outreach Service - Reaches Out 

For the second year running user surveys for the Guildford Domestic Abuse Outreach Service have shown it makes a positive impact on beating domestic abuse.

Victims are often unaware of the support available to them and are afraid to seek help but the Outreach Service is here to help victims of domestic abuse.  Those who used the Service were asked to complete a questionnaire about the help they received and an encouraging 96% of victims rated the service to be good or very good.

Want to talk about alcohol? Join Surrey’s Big Drink Debate and have your say via a short online questionnaire. This is your chance to make your views count – it’s your shout!

Help the Government in fighting crime by telling them your views in this questionnaire.

Police are warning of the dangers of a craze that is currently sweeping Guildford town centre.

A number of areas within the town centre have recently been identified as ideal locations for “parkour”, or free running, a relatively new urban activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body to overcome any obstacles along the way, which can be anything in the surrounding environment — from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls. Parkour can be practiced in both rural and urban areas and embraces the philosophy that urban obstacles are not barriers but a challenge to be overcome by those who take part.

Extra patrols are being carried out over the next few weeks in a bid to prevent burglaries in the Guildford area.

Burglaries in the county have fallen by 16% in the last three years, with Surrey holding the honour of the second lowest burglary rate in the South East, and police are stepping up patrols to maintain this low rate and reduce it further.

The first Guildford Gems employee recognition scheme was a great success, attracting 25 nominations from staff at Guildford Borough Council who all felt their colleagues went the 'extra mile'.  The panel short-listed eight candidates before finally selecting four winners, who were prsented with certificates and £25 Marks and Spencer's vouchers by Chief Executive, David Hill.

One of the lucky winners is Marie Clarke, Safer Guildford Partnership Manager who won the Manager's Award. 

A new initiative to help Guildford based businesses reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in the town centre has just been launched by Guildford Borough Council’s Environmental Health and Licensing Service and the Safer Guildford Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP).

Helen Barnsley, Occupational Health and Safety Officer, Guildford Borough Council, said: “It is well known that Guildford is one of the safest towns in the county and that is why we are keen to work with businesses and colleagues from Surrey Police to help keep it that way.  There are a number of simple, low cost techniques that businesses can adopt to help manage these risks.”

Drivers taking drugs are causing danger on the roads of Guildford as drug related motoring offences are on the increase and causing danger and potential deaths - statistics just out reveal.
 
The latest report details figures for April to September for three consecutive years (2005/6 and 7) show that there was only one arrest for driving under the influence of drugs in 2005 and the same figure for 2006.  But in 2007 the number has quadrupled with four arrests being made during between April and September.*

Joint campaign to encourage young people to go home quietly

The Safer Guildford Partnership and Surrey Police are supporting the University of Surrey’s 2007 SSHH! campaign.

SSHH! stands for Silent Students Happy Homes and t-shirts and posters will be used to promote the campaign message.

As the summer evenings draw out many of us enjoy spending more time outdoors, but the Safer Guildford Partnership is sending out a clear message,

‘Enjoy Your Drink, But Respect Your Public Spaces’.

The Partnership would like to remind people that drinking alcohol in public areas outdoors is only permissible in licensed street bars, cafes and restaurants.

The possibilities of travelling abroad are endless provided you haven’t got a criminal record relating to drugs.

As summer and the end of the academic year is fast approaching, many young people and students alike are making plans to travel through Europe, the far East, and America during the summer holidays or gap year. But remember a drug related criminal record can seriously damage the prospects of entering the country or getting a job.