Toolkits will help deal with disorder

The county's four Community Safety Partnerships have got together with councils and Wiltshire Constabulary to create a comprehensive manual for front-line workers.

Independent consultants Crime Concern drew up the toolkit on behalf of the four partnerships with the help of Government funding.

It is aimed at social workers, education welfare officers, housing officers, police, youth development workers and other community workers and suggests how best to handle issues ranging from graffiti to threatening behaviour and who should be contacted.

The kit adopts the three-pronged approach of prevention, enforcement, and reintegration to deal with anti-social behaviour.

Crime Concern consultants gave a presentation at County Hall, Trowbridge last Monday outlining how the toolkit might be used, with community safety officers giving examples of successful projects where it was implemented. Pippa McVeigh, community safety officer for west Wiltshire, highlighted a project in Codford, near Warminster. Here residents and former vandals had united to build a shelter in the village.

Wiltshire County Council community safety manger Lynn Gaskin said: "The toolkit uses a problem- solving approach to help people deal effectively with anti-social behaviour.

"It provides them with advice on who to contact and also on the steps that can be taken to deal with this type of problem, such as anti-social behaviour orders and acceptable behaviour contracts."

Judy Seager, Wiltshire County Council cabinet member for adult and community services, said: "It is important to address the concerns people in Wiltshire have about crime and disorder.

"One way we are doing this is by providing support and advice to front-line staff on how best to deal with the problem of anti-social behaviour.

"I welcome the launch of these toolkits."

Training days have been organised in May and June to brief people on how the toolkits will work.