All about SNAP

I’m about two months in to my time as Inspector for the City Centre Safer Neighbourhood Team and thoroughly enjoying every moment of it.

We seem to making genuine progress with our partners in cracking down on crime in the City and promoting positive work in relation to the Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel (SNAP) priorities selected by the public about the matters that matter most to them.

In relation to crime, we’ve developed stronger relationships with retailers – especially stores like Primark, who have joined us in a campaign to get tough on thefts from shops.

They’ve become members of the banning scheme which encompasses many stores and the two shopping centres in the city. It means that anyone caught shoplifting in their shop will now be banned from most retail premises and centres in the City Centre.

This will have a massive impact on their lives and their families, acting as a strong deterrent. Their details and photos will be taken and they will be added to a shared national database of members of this scheme which is proving hugely successful across our region.

We are also developing the roll out of a shared radio / communications system for licensed premises within the city centre, so that the management and their staff can share information about incidents and trouble makers, so prevent entry of these people to all licensed premises who are members of this scheme.

This is going live very soon for a trial period and I believe that the benefits will be realised quickly by Managers of Licensed premises and door staff.

In relation to the SNAP priorities, we have developed some excellent work in partnership with panel members regarding “Chuggers” (Charity Collectors) who were raised as a real issue in the city.

We have met with the PFRA – the regulatory body in relation to these groups, and have now completed a proposal to allow a limited number of collectors at selected locations in the city at any one time. We’ve also proposed a code of conduct for them in Norwich.

We hope to have this formally approved before the public Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel (SNAP) meeting on 10 May 2010.

Also we are planning a ‘Paint Out’ and ‘Clear-up’ for areas affected by Graffiti and / or litter in the City, for the afternoon of 24 May 2010 – we’ll be joined and supported by pupils of the Notre Dame School, Tesco and other City Centre businesses and representatives. If you are keen to join in then please contact me at SNTCityCentre@norfolk.pnn.police.uk.

Lastly Julian Foster (Chair of the SNAP Panel and of the Central Norwich Citizen’s Forum) and I went along to Future Radio for an interview on 2 April in relation to SNAP and to ensure that people are aware of the work we do as a partnership and to talk about community Safety and Policing in Norwich City Centre.

We also encourage people to attend the next SNAP meeting at 7pm on 10 May 2010 at the Friends Meeting Hall in Norwich.

I will update you all again next month, and let you know how we are getting on and about any new initiatives.