Life in Salford 27 • November 2019 28
You said, we're doing
How we're keeping your community safe In the last issue we asked you what you priorities were for community safety. Thanks for all your responses.
Respondents said their priorities were reducing antisocial behaviour, burglaries and car crime and tackling gangs and related violence through more police on the streets. Young people were also concerned about knife crime. Gangs are being targeted by Project Gulf, run by Salford’s Community Safety Partnership. Made up of Salford City Council, Greater Manchester Police and partners, Gulf has worked successfully for 10 years to gather intelligence, disrupt activities and prosecute gang members as well as helping young people stay away from a life of crime. Knife crime and anti-social behaviour are being tackled with a wide range of initiatives from education and activities for young people to using legal powers. These might include acceptable behaviour contracts, tenancy warnings or civil injunctions banning people from certain areas or activities and taking legal action against shops illegally selling alcohol. Just over 71% of people who responded to the survey agreed that people in their local area get on well together and suggested community events as a good way of bringing people together.
We’re prepared – are you? Day or night Salford City Council is ready to respond to any emergency affecting the city. Over a month and a half’s worth of rain fell in just 48 hours this summer saturating the ground and overwhelming the drains. Worsley Brook rose to record levels, threatening to flood nearby homes. Our CCTV cameras provided information while first responders went door to door advising residents to move items upstairs and plan what to take if they had to evacuate. Other council staff prepared to transport and care for anyone evacuated to a rest centre, checked drains in the area, closed roads for safety and sent out messages to warn and inform people. Luckily the rain stopped and the water levels dropped but we advise people to be prepared.
Help us to help you by being prepared: check, insure, plan. You can sign up for advance warnings of bad weather through the Met office at www.metoffice.gov.uk Check if you live in a flood risk area and sign up for flood alerts at www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk or call Floodline 24/7 on 0345 988 1188 to register. Ask your neighbours if they are also registered. Make sure you have buildings and contents insurance to protect your home and goods. Plan what you’d do in any kind of emergency to protect important items and what medication, documents or items you’d take if you had to evacuate. Check out Greater Manchester advice on all kinds of emergencies www.gmemergencyplanning.org.uk
