The Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Caseworker for Penzance is continuing to provide a visual presence and support for residents and businesses to tackle anti-social behaviour in Penzance as the town re-opens after the peak of Covid-19.
In February 2019, Penzance Council agreed to jointly fund, with Cornwall Council, a dedicated ASB Caseworker to work within the parish for a period of 12 months, starting in June 2019.
The post was designed to tie in with the ongoing work of Safer Penzance to tackle the impacts of crime, alcohol and anti-social behaviour in Penzance and the wider community.
Dorian Thomas was appointed to the role and has proved to be highly successful, with much support from the local community.
When Cornwall Council could no longer guarantee its continued funding in November 2019, Penzance Council agreed to increase their funding for the post until the end of May 2021 to ensure the positive work continued.
Penzance Council are now meeting almost 80% of the costs for the post’s salary to continue to protect public spaces and make residents of the parish feel safer. The additional funding is being sourced from Penzance Council’s Devolution Fund.
The ASB Caseworker works in collaboration with other agencies such as the police to tackle a range of anti-social behaviour concerns by both adults and young people by identifying the catalyst of behaviours.
The role of the ASB Caseworker is two-fold:
Carrying out regular patrols in the area
The ASB Caseworker offers a visible presence, providing reassurance and practical advice to residents and businesses as well as providing support to the most vulnerable individuals in our community.
Gathering evidence and building cases
After a report of anti-social behaviour has been made, the ASB Caseworker will gather evidence, take statements, and provide advice. He also has a body camera to help collect contextual evidence and has a radio to request police backup if an incident needs immediate action.
As Covid-19 restrictions continue to be eased, Dorian’s focus remains on anti-social behaviour to help everyone to feel safe whilst going about their daily business around the parish.
“Our ASB Caseworker, Dorian Thomas, is a key player in keeping our public spaces safe for everybody to enjoy” said Councillor Dick Cliffe, Penzance Council’s representative on the Safer Penzance partnership.
“He is continuing his regular patrols during these difficult times and members of the public and businesses should feel free to raise any community safety concerns with him.”
Councillor Nicole Broadhurst said “having a dedicated presence in the town has been of huge benefit to Penzance. We have been able to offer a continuity of support and Dorian has built up great relationships with the people he helps on a day to day basis.
Another positive is the ‘wrap around’ nature of the role. We don’t just deal with the ‘problem’. We are able to look with a little more depth and thought and offer longer term solutions.
This, as well as having a visible presence in the town is what makes it work so well.
I am so pleased that we were able to come up with this solution and that we have a genuine bit of partnership working with Cornwall Council.”
In order for the ASB Caseworker to gather evidence and follow up on anti-social behaviour, residents and businesses across the parish are encouraged to report any incidents to the police by calling 101 (non-emergency) or by email: [email protected] for serious incidents call 999. If you have information about a crime you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
By working together as a community with the ASB Caseworker and the police, we can make a real difference to build a safer parish for everyone.
On Saturday 18 July, the Police and Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez, visited Penzance and met with the ASB Caseworker, Penzance Town Mayor, local Police and the Street Marshals.
This was to support the ongoing focus on anti-social behaviour in the town following a recent investment by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall where Penzance recently benefited from a 20k funding grant to improve community safety in the Town over the summer months. This has provided two SIA-qualified Street Marshals who will be out in the daytime patrolling key areas in the Town over the coming weeks. Their focus will be to engage with the public to support social distancing, as well as provide a pair of extra eyes and ears in the Town to help kerb ASB.
If you see someone sleeping rough you can contact Streetlink via www.streetlink.org.uk or 0300 500 0914 (or 999 if they need urgent medical assistance). Individuals sleeping rough can contact the Cornwall Housing Options Team on 0300 1234 161 or drop into an Information Service (formerly called One Stop Shop).
For concerns about rubbish such as glass and needles on the street, call Cornwall Council Refuse and Recycling on 0300 1234 141 or email [email protected]
