Community Safety and Well-Being Planning (CSWBP) Bruce-Grey is recruiting participants for an action table focusing on crime prevention.
The action table will bring together interested members of the public with representatives from local police services, municipalities, businesses, educational organizations, and other community agencies. The focus will be on crime prevention through social development by identifying opportunities for increased awareness, education, and engagement with the public concerning the risk and protective factors related to crime.
According to a news release from the group, the action table will work toward public education that addresses misconceptions around crime and social disorder.
CSWBP promotes an evidence-based, research-driven approach to reducing crime by focusing on factors that impact safety and well-being before crime occurs. As a collaborative venture, the CSWBP Advisory Committee is comprised of representatives from lower-tier municipalities, the counties of Bruce and Grey, police services and police service boards, boards of education, and education, health and social services agencies and community partners. CSWBP provides a model for cross-section collaboration and coordination that focuses on crime prevention by investing in social development, prevention and risk intervention in order to reduce the need for acute incident responses.
In Phase 2 of CSWBP, action tables are being identified to address five priority areas - including crime prevention - that have been determined to be of greatest concern. Action tables focus primarily on social development and prevention as we work together to create and sustain safer communities throughout Grey-Bruce. Action tables will respond to issues that fall within the purview of each priority area by implementing an action plan that will identify and track measurable indicators, progress, and outcomes. Issues addressed through action tables will require a broad, system-level response and will bring together community partners and individuals who are interested in collaborative responses to actionable, evidence-informed issues impacting safety and well-being.
In the community engagement survey that informed the initial phase of CSWBP, crime prevention was identified as an area of priority, ranking third overall, and in the top three areas of importance by 44 per cent of survey respondents (Bruce County 42 per cent, Grey County 46 per cent). When asked which areas were of particular concern in this category, break and enter, drug trafficking and theft were the top concerns, followed by intimate partner or domestic violence and human trafficking. Members of the crime prevention action table will address these and other aspects of crime prevention through research, education and public outreach, and will work towards collaborative strategies that focus on improving safety and perceptions of safety in our communities.
Anybody interested in contributing their enthusiasm, skills, and knowledge to promote a broader understanding of crime prevention that supports Bruce-Grey communities as safe and welcoming communities, please contact Sarah Pelton at [email protected] to learn more and request an application form.
For more information about CSWBP Bruce-Grey, please visit the website.
