Focus will be put on fear of crime (From Penarth Times)

Focus will be put on fear of crime

PENARTH residents are more afraid of crime than the act of crime itself, according to the Vale of Glamorgan councillor responsible for Housing and Community Safety.

Elected member John Thomas is chairman of the community safety partnership and, as part of our series of interviews with leading councillors following May's unique State of the Vale debate, he told us we have nothing to fear except fear itself.

Cllr Thomas said he was not surprised to find the results of the most recent Crime and Disorder Audit revealed it is the thought of becoming a victim that sparks the most anxiety.

He told us: "There are many areas that we have to tackle in our role of community safety. But the main one is fear of crime.

"As such we have to concentrate on ridding the area of the signs of crime, such as graffiti. "We have a street care initiative and this involves teams of council workers reaching areas that have been targeted by graffiti and cleaning it off rapidly.

"Although it may sound like it's just a little bit of spray paint on a wall, it tends to be more serious than that, containing racist or violent messages.

"Taking away signs of crime helps residents feel more confident about their area. This is a project I am very excited about, because it works.

"Whether our staff spot the graffiti, or whether it's reported by the public, we act quickly." According to the audit the top three crimes residents worry about are auto crime, dwelling burglary and drugs and alcohol-related incidents.

In a bid to tackle these problems, the Vale of Glamorgan Council set up task and finish groups. Cllr Thomas added: "These groups set themselves a task of tackling an area of crime.

"As the name suggests, the groups are not designed to run indefinitely, but aim to resolve the situation.

"Obviously, in some areas, the task will take some considerable time, but results are shown when the task team is disbanded because it is no longer needed."