www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk
June 13, 2008 MERCURY M 11Rest assured 8211 Herts
is a safe place to liveA MULTI-agency campaign to
reassure people in Hertfordshire
that the county is a safe place to
live was launched on Monday.Safer Herts, which was unveiled
by members ofthe emergency serv-
ices alongside councillors, will
include adverts on the back of98
buses, newspaper adverts, posters
and articles in local magazines.
ChiefConstable Frank Whiteley
said: 8220It8217s all about making sure
people know the facts.
8220There are now record numbers
oflocal police officers and Police
Community Support Officers
(PCSOs) working with local com-
munities to tackle anti-social
behaviour and crime and making
them even safer places to live.
8220But all too often people8217s percep-
tion oflocal crime and disorder
does not reflect reality because it is
often influenced by local and
national media and even storylines
in TV soaps.8221
The campaign aims to dispel the
myth that young people hanging
around in groups are 8216up to some-
thing8217.
Cllr Richard Smith, executive
member for community safety at
the county council and vice-chair-
man ofHertfordshire Police
Authority, said: 8220Young people are
often unfairly branded as young
vandals and blamed for crime and
disorder. There are more than
170,000 school-age children in the
county and the vast and over-
whelming majority ofthem are
well-behaved citizens who never get
into, or cause, any trouble.
8220In fact, young people are more
likely to be victims ofcrime than
offenders.8221
A survey will be carried out dur-
ing June and July to see ifthe cam-
paign has been successful.
It will be carried out by pollsters
ORS (Opinion Research Services)
and will provide results for the per-
ception targets in the county8217s local
area agreement.
Ifsuccessful, communities
across the county could be in line
for Government reward grant
money.By WIL LONGBOTTOM
CHIEF REPORTERlongbottomw@hertsessexnews.co.uk SAFETYDRIVE:Hertfordshire Constabulary Chief Constable Frank Whiteley,
right, with councillors and members of the emergency services at the
launch of Safer Herts on Monday 8211 with one of the campaign messages displayed on the back of a bus(s)LIVEmusic will be featured
on two stages at the
Bramfield Festival 2008
tomorrow.
The charity-run event,
now in its third year, is offer-
ing nearly 10 hours ofmusic,
stalls and refreshments to
festival goers.
Event co-ordinator Stella
Robinson said: 8220This is the
best line-up Hertford has
seen since The Who per-
formed in the Corn
Exchange years ago.
8220That8217s what we are about,
bringing interesting acts
from across the UK, making
them accessible to this dis-
trict at little cost compared
to what it would usually be.8221
Among the set list is Holly
Rose, who has been featured
on Radio 1 and 2, performed
recently at the Royal Albert
Hall and completed a resi-
dency at the Water Rats in
London.
Sarah Blackwood, lead
singer of1990s band
Dubstart, will be doing an
acoustic session on the
indoor stage.
And Chris TT, who was
featured in the Sunday
Times
culture section last
month, will be on the main
stage.
The festival will also fea-
ture a guest appearance
from Russ Williams, from
Virgin Radio.qTickets for the event are 16310
for adults, 1637 for concessions
and 1633 for children. There are
also family tickets for two
adults and up to three chil-
dren at 16322. Visit
www.bramfest.com
for
more details.Festival acts 8216best
since The Who8217STARACT:Singer Holly Rose
performed recently at the
Royal Albert Hall (s)Partnership
brings more
PCSOs to
town streetsA HERTFORD-based housing
association is investing 163100,000
matched funding for two new
Police Community Support
Officers.
The deal is a three-year
partnership between Riversmead
Housing Association, East Herts
Council and Hertfordshire
Constabulary and is aimed at
making residents feel safer and
improving communities in East
Herts.
Two new Police Community
Support Officers (PCSOs) now
provide a dedicated presence in
the King George Road area of
Ware and Sele Farm in Hertford,
where Riversmead has more than
2,500 homes.
There are now 17 PCSOs patrolling
areas ofHertford and Ware.
East Herts councillor Malcolm
Alexander, executive member for
community safety and protection,
said: 8220This exciting partnership
between Riversmead Housing
Association and Herts
Constabulary will result in many
benefits for our local communities,
truly improving the quality oflife
for residents in the district.
8220I welcome the chance to make a
positive difference to the lives of
people in East Herts.8221
Andy Watson, chairman of
Riversmead, said: 8220Our
partnership with the district
council and Herts police will help
to strengthen links within the
community.
8220The PCSOs will be working
closely with Riversmead8217s patch
officers and other partners.
8220They will make a positive
difference to our residents8217 lives
and their environment.8221As your Leading Local Manufacturers of Fitted Furniture, established for 24 yearsWE OFFER AFREE ADVICE, DESIGN AND PLANNING SERVICEPlease telephone for further details or call into our showroom. We look forward to meeting you.
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