Thursday 15:49
A new Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership car is set to hit the road to drive home key 'anti-crime' messages to help reduce crime and the fear of crime in the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The new car, launched today by the Berwick Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership, will be used to promote the work of the partnerships and raise awareness of local crime issues and initiatives. The car will be used routinely by the various partners within the CDRP, especially when attending public events and school visits.
Each month the car will feature different anti-crime messages emblazoned across the vehicle while driving round the region to help get crime and disorder messages across to the public. In December and January the key message being driven home is:
"DRUGS ARE ILLEGAL. TALKING ABOUT THEM ISN'T. SO TALK TO FRANK"
Gerald Connor, of the Berwick Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership, said the new car would be another tool to be used in promoting the work of the partnership as they strive to tackle issues relating to local crime and disorder:
"This car is going to be of immense benefit as it will help us directly communicate our 'anti-crime' work to the community at large. The messages on the car will be educational, so for example, with young people we can highlight the dangers of drugs and alcohol so we can get the message across.
"The message each month will also be tied in to a competition to be run on our new Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership web site which will be launched early next year. School children in the region will be able to go online and tell us the running message, and where and when they saw it. The monthly lucky winner will get a prize on £20 gift vouchers." The car, an environmentally friendly Vauxhall Astra capable of running on LPG, was paid for by the Home Office and the Energy Saving Trust and has not involved any expense to local residents. Local Vauxhall Dealers, Blackburn & Price, supplied the car, and Fantasy Prints carried out the Vehicle Livery .
In addition to the key messages the car will also feature the colourful logos of all the organisations that make up the Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership to highlight local services are working together to help improve the quality of life in their area.
Other initiatives that will feature on the roaming public message service include youth alcohol use and misuse, domestic violence, criminal damage, and youth disorder.
PICTURES OF THE CAR ARE AVAILABLE BY RETURN EMAIL AT: val.morgan@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Notes to editor 1. The car is a Vauxhall Astra 5 door saloon, 16V, 1.6 Dual Fuel running on LPG and unleaded petrol. 2. The Berwick Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership is made up of core members: Berwick Borough Council, Northumberland County Council, Northumbria Police, Northumbria Police Authority; and non-core members, Berwick Youth Project, Sure Start, Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service, Northumbria Probation Service, Berwick-upon-Tweed Chamber of Trade, Berwick Citizens Advice Bureau, Northumberland Domestic Violence Forum, Northumberland Care Trust, Victim Support, University of Northumbria at Newcastle, and the Berwick Advertiser. 3. The Strategic Aims of the Berwick CDRP are to target problems associated with * anti-social behaviour, * youth disorder, * drug related crime (including alcohol), * rural crime, * criminal damage (including arson), * violent crime (including domestic violence), and the * fear of crime.
All media enquiries to Val Morgan (GNN Scotland) Tel: 0131 244 9062/60 Email: val.morgan@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE BERWICK/ALNWICK CRIME & DISORDER REDUCTION PARTNERSHIPS BY THE GOVERNMENT NEWS NETWORK SCOTLAND. http://www.gnn.gov.uk
