WELCOME to Safe and Sound, the first monthly community safety column from the North Worcestershire Community Safety Partnership.

The partnership has been established to provide a co-ordinated approach to tackling crime in the districts of Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest.

It brings together and replaces the original community safety partnerships in Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest, which had been in place since 1998 as a result of the Crime and Disorder Act.

The merger will make it easier to deliver projects across the whole of the area, avoiding duplication and making the best use of our available resources.

  • Did you know that it was National Stalking Awareness Day on April 18, 2013? National Stalking Day exists to raise awareness of the crime of stalking. Every year there is a different theme and because of the recent stalking law changes, this year’s focus is “Know the Law, Use the Law”.

Stalking is a serious crime that affects millions of people in the UK every year. One in five women and one in ten men will be stalked at some point in their lives and 40 per cent of victims are stalked by an ex-partner and in many cases the partner would have been abusive during the relationship. Ex partner stalking cases carry the highest risk of becoming physically violent. The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 was changed under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 to include stalking on November 25 last year.

There are now offences of both harassment and stalking in British law. The law in England and Wales provides a list of behaviours viewed as stalking and violence does not need to be threatened before it becomes a criminal offence.

Under the new stalking law, behaviour that causes serious distress is viewed the same as behaviour that involves fear of violence. For more information about the stalking law, please visit stalkinghelpline.org/faq/ about-the-law.

If you are affected by stalking, or would like more information, please call the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300, email advice@stalkinghelpline.org or visit www.stalkinghelpline.org

  • After a very long, cold winter, finally the weather seems to be improving and driving with the car windows open will seem like a novelty!

However, we would like to remind residents to make sure that all windows are closed, including the sunroof and the car is locked before you leave it. It’s easy to forget when car windows have been closed for such a long time.

We have mentioned before that a lot of incidents occur when valuables such as handbags, sat navs and laptops have been left on show in the car, so please always remember to remove all property from your car, even if it will only be left unattended for a few minutes.

A vehicle break-in can be very costly to the motorist, not to mention the inconvenience caused.

For more information about the North Worcestershire Community Safety Partnership, please visit www.nwcsp.org

SUE HANLEY, Chairman, North Worcestershire Community Safety Partnership