2008 Past Events

Operation Christmas Presence

It's going to be a very Merry Christmas!

Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership supports 'Operation Christmas Presence'

West Mercia Constabulary are again running their Operation Christmas Presence campaign, for the Christmas and New Year period.

Operation Christmas Presence, now in its fourth year, aims to make the festive period safer by seeking to reduce the level of alcohol related crime across Herefordshire.

Although Herefordshire is a safe place to live and work, with extra people out celebrating, incidents of alcohol related crime can increase around the holiday season, which is why West Mercia Constabulary is working with communities to make sure people can enjoy a fun but safe night out during the festive period.

Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership has supported this campaign, by supplying the Police with Spikey's to hand out to festive revellers, in order to reduce the risk of drink spiking. Although the risk of having your drink spiked is low, using a Spikey in your bottle reduces the risk even further.

For more information on Operation Christmas Presence, please visit:

www.westmercia.police.uk/news/campaigns-and-initiatives/operation-christmas-presence.html

iPod Competition Winner

And The Lucky Winner Is......

14 year old Dominic Hudd from Hereford is the lucky winner of our 2008 iPod Shuffle competition. The competition was run during our recent alcohol and community safety awareness events in High Town, Hereford, where the entrants had to correctly answer four alcohol related questions, by locating the information in and around our stand.

Dominic who attended the event with two friends, was randomly picked from all the correct answers on Friday 5th December and received his new iPod Shuffle the following week.

We would like to thank all those who visited our stand and participated in our competition, and hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Bottletop

Bottletop!

Herefordshire's Young People Launch Groundbreaking Alcohol Awareness Website

Bottletop is an innovative alcohol awareness website developed for young people by young people in Herefordshire.

The project was designed in Hereford by 16 - 18 year old volunteer students from the three further education colleges. The young people took part in facilitated workshops in which they explored their views about alcohol use and misuse, which acted as a springboard for developing the content of a completely innovative website.

The project started out as a blank canvas, allowing the students to create something which was meaningful to them and their peers, and not just another 'corporate' website, promoting alcohol awareness. All of the content is from the students themselves, and contains their words, their ideas and their messages. The site may not be to everyone's taste, but at least Bottletop is a true expression of the students voice and will appeal to a younger generation.

One of the volunteer students said, "It was really exciting to be doing something for other young people. I think we're probably the best to know how to put the information across as we are the same age."

The project is a partnership between educational theatre charity The Play House, local sustainable development charity The Bulmer Foundation, local web design company Infinity Unlimited, Herefordshire Primary Care Trust, Hereford Sixth Form College, Herefordshire College of Technology and Hereford College of Arts. It was funded by various organisations including an investment from The Arts & Business Investment Programme, which is funded by Arts Council England, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and The Scottish Executive. The County's alcohol and young peoples' services also assisted in the development of Bottletop.

The hope is that the site will continue to develop over the years, with new groups of young people continuing the positive work started by their peers.

The end result of so much hard work, is: www.bottletop.info.

Late Night Shopping Events

Late Night Shopping Events

Wednesday 26th November 2008 & Wednesday 3rd December 2008 - High Town, Hereford

It's a fact that Herefordshire is one of the safest counties in England, and to help keep it that way, HCSDP is inviting local people to attend their annual events in High Town, where they can meet the team and find out more on alcohol and drug awareness and community safety.

The team will also be joined at the second event by West Mercia Constabulary, who will be offering advice and support to safely see you through the festive period. They will be giving away free energy saving light bulbs, as part of their 'Lighting Up' campaign and safety bells, which you attach to your purse or bag, to deter thieves from stealing your belongings.

The events will be held in High Town from 4pm - 8pm, so please come along and join us.

We look forward to meeting you in High Town!

The BIG Drink Debate

The Big Drink Debate

Is Herefordshire drinking itself to death?

The West Midlands Big Drink Debate

Do you enjoy a drink? Ninety percent of adults in the West Midlands do and for many of us it simply means a glass of wine with a meal or a pint with some friends in the pub.  However, for many others it means regularly drinking above the recommended daily limits, and this can and often does lead to problems.  Excessive drinking can not only have a negative impact on your health, but can also affect the safety and well being of individuals and communities.

Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership and The Primary Care Trust held a Big Drink Debate in High Town, Hereford on Wednesday 12th November from 10am - 4pm.

Adrian Turton, Acting Partnership Manager, said: "We want to hear from as many people as possible living or working in Herefordshire, regardless of age, gender and background, as to what we as a community can do to reduce the harmful impact that excessive drinking has on our society."

Dr Akeem Ali, Director of Public Health, added: "The main aim of this event is to publicise the available online survey, whilst raising awareness of how excessive drinking impacts negatively upon our society. For instance, the West Midlands have the third highest alcohol related death rate in the country, with nearly 2,700 deaths in 2005."

Safer Herefordshire Event

Safer Herefordshire Event

Tuesday 11th November 2008 - High Town, Hereford

It's a fact that Herefordshire is one of the safest counties in England, and to help keep it that way, HCSDP is inviting local people to attend a special event in High Town, where they can meet different agencies and find out more on safety issues.

The Safer Herefordshire event is being run in conjunction with Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and West Mercia Constabulary from 10am - 6pm and we would like to meet as many people as possible, who may need information, advice and support on a wide range of community issues.

Superintendent Kevin Purcell, of the Herefordshire Division of West Mercia Constabulary, said: "We know that people would rather get this kind of information face to face, so we've arranged this informal session so that members of the public can seek assistance and guidance, and also to voice any comments or concerns they may have. This is an exciting pilot scheme, which if successful will be held throughout the county in 2009".

The key messages of the event will be alcohol guidance, home security, fire safety and community safety, although the agencies are on hand to answer all questions posed. We will also be joined on the day by other local agencies, including Trading Standards.

Please come along and join us and we look forward to meeting you in High Town.

'No Trick or Treat' Campaign

'No Trick or Treat' Campaign

The Police & HCSDP Wish Everyone A Safe Halloween

West Mercia Constabulary is once again working towards making sure everyone has a safe Halloween and The Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs partnership, is proud to help support them.

Police are encouraging residents to display a specially designed 'No Trick or Treat' sign in their window or door if they do not wish to be disturbed by nuisance visitors on 31st October.

Although Herefordshire is a safe place to live, many communities feel concerned about anti-social behaviour at this time of year and elderly or vulnerable residents may feel intimidated by trick or treaters at their door. Trick or treaters are asked to show respect and move on if they see one of the posters.

The Constabulary would like to remind residents to be aware of the following safety messages:

• You have the right to say no to trick or treaters
• Always use your door chain when opening the door
• Do not let anyone in your house unless you are happy with their identity
• Do not deal with doorstep sales people unless you are sure that they are genuine
• Always ask for identification from official callers
• If you need goods or services, buy only from reputable suppliers or by recommendation

The specially designed 'No Trick or Treat' posters, which carry advice for householders on the back, are being distributed by Local Policing Teams within communities and are also available from police station front counters.

The police are working with schools and local councils to ensure this year's events pass off as peacefully as possible. The force wants everyone to have a safe Halloween, but asks parents to please remind children to respect other peoples' wishes.