Safer Northumberland

This is your county and the Safer Northumberland partnership works on your behalf to improve it.

This is your county and the Safer Northumberland partnership works on your behalf to improve it.

Domestic abuse and sexual violence is a hidden harm suffered by many of our families in the county.

Domestic abuse and sexual violence is a hidden harm suffered by many of our families in the county. It is hard to talk about and you may not know how to get the help you need. But remember:

  • This is not your fault
  • You should not live in fear
  • You are not alone – we are here to help

Contact us 

We have services to support you, your family, friends or work colleagues. Please do not suffer in silence. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence please go to the: 

domestic abuse page


Contact the Northumbria Police on:
  • Emergency: 999 (call this number if you are in immediate danger or the offence has just occurred)
  • Non-emergency: 101 (this number will take you to the Northumbria police control room)
  • Visit the Northumbria Police website

Important information on internet history

If an abuser knows how to read your computer’s history or cache file, they may be able to see information you have viewed recently on the internet. To remain safe, clear the history and empty your cache file in your browser settings, and if possible use another computer or phone to access support.

 

Bringing together a wide range of agencies in Northumberland, the partnership provides services to those affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence. 

What we do

The Safer Northumberland Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Partnership tackle domestic abuse and sexual violence across Northumberland.

The current membership is open to statutory and non-statutory agencies whose work helps provide services to victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence, as well as their families and the perpetrators.

The group meets on a quarterly basis, reporting to the Safer Northumberland Partnership and includes representatives from:
  • Local Authority Children and Adult Safeguarding teams
  • Housing Services
  • Health
  • Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)
  • Police
  • Northumbria Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC)
  • National Probation Service (NPS)
  • Northumberland Fire and Rescue service (NFRS)
  • Northumberland Prison Service
  • Sure Start Children Centres
  • Action for Children - Children Centres
  • Barnados Children Centres
  • Representatives from the Voluntary and Community sectors who provide support services

Key issues in Northumberland

Nationally, 40 incidents of domestic abuse occur prior to an incident being formally reported to the police or other agencies. Each year in Northumberland, thousands of incidents of domestic abuse require a police and partnership response, with children present in many cases. Domestic abuse is too often a hidden harm, and we urge victims to come forward and get the help they deserve.

Aims and objectives

The objectives of the Safer Northumberland Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Partnership are to:
  • ensure information and best practice is shared
  • develop and deliver an effective work plan
  • support service providers
  • assist in developing services for victims and families
  • provide guidance and support to the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) and the Specialist Domestic Violence Court (SDVC)
  • consider and implement strategic initiatives

We have services to support you, your family, friends or work colleagues. Please do not suffer in silence. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence please contact us immediately:


Safer Northumberland If you wish to safely make contact with an alternative support agency, please access the Northumberland Domestic Abuse Support site, a list of support services is also shown on the useful links section below.

Or contact the Northumbria Police on:
  • Emergency: 999 (call this number if you are in immediate danger or the offence has just occurred)
  • Non-emergency: 101 (this number will take you to the Northumbria police control room)
  • Visit the Northumbria Police website

Important information on internet history

If an abuser knows how to read your computer’s history or cache file, they may be able to see information you have viewed recently on the internet. To remain safe, clear the history and empty your cache file in your browser settings, and if possible use another computer or phone to access support.
A Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) is a multi-agency review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by a person to whom they were related or with whom they were, or had been, in an intimate personal relationship, or a member of the same household as themselves.

The Safer Northumberland Partnership has a statutory duty to carry out domestic homicide reviews. 

The purpose of a domestic homicide review is to: 
 
  • Establish what lessons can be learned from the domestic homicide and how local professionals and organisations work individually and together to safeguard victims 
  • Identify clearly what those lessons are both within and between agencies, how and within what timescales they will be acted on, and what is to change as a result 
  • Apply these lessons to service responses including changes to policies and procedures as appropriate 
  •  Prevent domestic homicide and improve service responses for all domestic abuse victims and their children through improved intra and inter agency working
We work closely to protect the most vulnerable in our communities from being exploited in any way, in particular for the purpose of sexual entertainment.

Exploitation is abuse, and we will protect and help any victim of this. If you're concerned about sexual exploitation in Northumberland, please get in touch through the agencies below, all calls will be confidential:  

Useful links


 
You should never have to endure behaviour which causes alarm, harassment or distress.

We know antisocial behaviour can have a big impact on your quality of life and we are committed in delivering the firm message that this behaviour will be tackled and not tolerated.

 

Key objectives are linked directly to the police and crime commissioner’s priorities for the Northumbria Police:

  • tackling crime and antisocial behaviour
  • putting victims first
  • protecting vulnerable people
  • building and strengthening partnerships 
  • MASH
  • Children’s services
  • Youth offending service
You should never feel targeted over your race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age or identity. If you feel you have been a victim of hate crime please report it immediately using the resources below:

Hate crimes can be committed against a person or property and the victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted – anyone can be a victim.

 


> priorites homepage

Hate crime has a significant impact on the victim and causes damage to communities. The Hate Crime Strategy is a clear statement of the Safer Northumberland Partnership’s commitment to prevent hate crime where possible, respond positively to those that occur and reduce the under-reporting of hate crime.


Hate crimes are any crimes targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards that person’s:
  • disability
  • race or ethnicity
  • religion or belief
  • sexual orientation
  • transgender identity
  • age
Working as a sub group of the Safer Northumberland Partnership, the group reports to the NCC Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as well as the wider regional groups coordinated by the police and to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC). The current membership includes police, NCC, health, education and voluntary sector agencies. 

 

The Safer Northumberland Partnership is committed to:

  • reducing the harm hate crime causes
  • increasing the confidence of victims
  • working with partners to identify and prosecute those who commit such crimes
To achieve this, the hate crime strategy will support the Safer Northumberland Partnership to:
  • build the trust and confidence of individuals and groups affected by hate crime
  • reduce under-reporting of hate crime
  • reduce the overall incidences of this crime
  • reduce its impact through high-quality victim support
  • bring offenders to justice
  • promote community cohesion
  • provide a service that balances a person’s right to be free from targeted abuse with rights to freedom of expression

 

  • Safer Northumberland Partnership
  • Police and Crime Commissioner
  • Safe Reporting Centres
  • Voluntary Sector

 

The Counter Terrorism Co-ordinating Group is about stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

The Counter Terrorism Co-ordinating Group is about stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. If you are concerned about someone being drawn into terrorism, please get in touch:  


Email: prevent@northumberland.gov.uk
 

 


 

The ‘prevent’ strategy is a key part of Contest, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy. We work with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. This includes:

  • disrupting extremist speakers
  • removing material online
  • intervening to stop people being radicalised

The ‘prevent duty’ adopts a risk based approach, focusing on collaboratively working in the early detection of vulnerable people at risk of radicalisation. This includes identifying the pathways to radicalisation and working together to identify, detect and prevent extremism throughout our communities. Northumberland County Council is required to demonstrate three themes:

  • effective leadership
  • working in partnership
  • having appropriate capabilities

Statutory Duty

The ‘prevent duty’ adopts a risk based approach, focusing on collaboratively working in the early detection of vulnerable people at risk of radicalisation. This includes identifying the pathways to radicalisation and working together to identify, detect and prevent extremism throughout our communities. Northumberland County Council is required to demonstrate three themes:

  • effective leadership
  • working in partnership
  • having appropriate capabilities

Northumberland County Council will establish panels to assess how vulnerable identified people are to being drawn into terrorism. These panels will be chaired by local authorities and must include the local chief of police.


Section 38 of the Act states ‘partners’ must cooperate with the panels.

Partners are mainly the specified bodies; however both sixth-form and further education colleges eligible for state funding are mentioned specifically along with neighbouring local authorities. 

Please use the link below whether you are a member of the public or an organisation if you have a prevent concern:

prevent@northumberland.gov.uk

Aims and objectives

If necessary, partners are required to share information on individuals with the panels. However, not if it means contravening the Data Protection Act or if it would result in disclosure of information obtained through, about or held by the intelligence services. Therefore Northumberland County Council must:
  • ensure support plans are in place for accepted Channel cases
  • consider alternative forms of support, including health and social care in cases where Channel is not appropriate
  • ensure all partners cooperate with the police and the panel as far as appropriate and reasonably practicable
  • Local authorities should ensure publicly-owned premises are not used to broadcast extremist views.
  • School frontline staff should understand their prevent duty, be able to recognise vulnerability to radicalisation and know where to seek help.
  • Universities should have policies and procedures in place for the management of events on campus and the use of all university premises, applying to all staff, students and visitors.
  • Police should support individuals vulnerable to radicalisation through the Channel programme if appropriate and supporting partner organisations to deliver ‘prevent’ work.
  • Prisons should offer support to individuals vulnerable to radicalisation, and move them away from an individual of concern. Those who are at risk of radicalising others should face removal of privileges and segregation from others.

 


> priorites homepage
  • Safer Northumberland Partnership
  • police and crime commissioner
  • safe reporting centres
  • voluntary sectors

 

The Northumberland Road Safety Co-ordination Group is committed to making the roads of Northumberland safer for all road users.

 We are a multi agency partnership that works together to address risk on our roads and reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured.  We do this through a variety of methods including education, enforcement, engineering and effective emergency response to incidents.’

David Laux, Head of Technical Services, Chair of the Northumberland Road Safety Co-ordination Group

The Northumberland Road Safety Co-ordination Group reports as a working sub-group of the Safer Northumberland Partnership to the council’s Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee.


The current membership includes Health, Police, Fire and Rescue, NCC Road Safety/Transport, Sure Start and Northumbria Safer Road Initiative (NSRI) representatives and meets on a quarterly basis.  

The council, with its partners, uses the police ‘Stats 19’ database as a key source of data on accidents and whether the collisions caused fatalities, serious injuries or slight injury casualties.  We analyse this data to highlight accident trends or particular accident locations, providing an evidence-based way of targeting interventions.  We use this data to identify the key issues which our aims and objectives are based on.

email:  Safernorthumberland@northumberland.gov.uk

Our principle aim of the road safety strategy 2014 – 2020 is:

  • To reduce accidents and casualties throughout Northumberland, with a focus on vulnerable road users
In order to achieve this aim, we have identified these objectives:
  • to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Northumberland’s roads
  • to reduce the number of children killed or seriously injured on Northumberland’s roads, particularly in disadvantaged areas
  • to reduce the number of motorcycle casualties
  • to reduce the number of young drivers involved in accidents 

 

For futher information email: safernorthumberland@northumberland.gov.uk
We work in partnership with a range of statutory and voluntary agencies to understand and prevent the causes of repeat offending.

Early identification of offending behaviour supports development of longer term solutions to enable reintegration into communities through education, employment and housing provision. 

For more information email: safernorthumberland@northumberland.gov.uk

 

We aim to reduce reoffending by:

  • targeting and challenging criminal behaviour
  • improving opportunities available to those committing crime and those at risk of criminal activity to enhance social inclusion
  • overseeing national and local strategic developments
  • using evidence based and intelligence led practices
  • ensuring mechanisms are in place to keep the community informed
  • consider the needs of the most vulnerable or marginalised people in our communities
  • use management (IOM) initiatives, including:
    • the prolific and priority offender scheme (PPO)
    • drug rehabilitation requirements (DRRs)
    • alcohol treatment requirements (ATRs)
    • transitional arrangements between young people’s services and adult services
    • deter young offender cohort (DYO)
    • restorative justice approaches (RJ)
  • National Probation Service (NPS) North East
  • Northumbria Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC)
  • Northumbria Police
  • Northumberland County Council strategic community safety
  • Northumberland County Council adult safeguarding
  • Northumberland County Council children’s services
  • Job Centre Plus
  • Northumberland County Council strategic housing
  • Victims First
  • Northumberland County Council public health 

 
We coordinate agencies to tackle problems identified at a local level requiring multi agency involvement, ensuring the best solutions are explored for communities in longer term prevention of antisocial behaviour, crime and disorder issues adversely affecting our neighbourhoods.

We have four strategic community safety hubs covering the county in the North, West, South East and Central chaired by Northumberland County Council.  The hubs fall in line with the geographical boundaries of the authorities Area Committees. The new strategic community safety hubs will be divided into:
  • West
  • Central (Ashington and Morpeth joined together)
  • North
  • South East (Blyth, Bedlington and Cramlington)
The hubs deal with concerns raised through partners, including elected ward and town councillors. Through these partnerships we are able to work collaboratively to identify solutions to resolve issues where single agencies have been unable to in isolation. 

 

  • Youth Service provision in relevant areas
  • Antisocial behaviour in play parks
  • Traveller's sites
  • Illegal or inconsiderate parking
  • Locational issues specific to environmental crime and antisocial behaviour
  • Area profiles to understand the local issues, geography, demographics to ensure the most effective solutions
  • Repeat/perennial problems
  • Crime and substance misuse trends
  • Community engagement

email:  Safernorthumberland@northumberland.gov.uk

  • To deliver the Safer Northumberland Partnership (SNP) priorities as set by the SNP Strategy Board
  • To work in partnership to resolve problems and provide solutions – short, medium and long term, for all aspects of community safety, including: developing safer neighbourhoods, addressing community confidence and cohesion, crime, disorder, drugs, domestic abuse, alcohol and road safety
  • Respond to public concerns including appropriate reporting and representation at public forums and area committees where necessary
  • Consider problems for investigation from partner members who have attempted to address the issue without success
  • Co-ordinate and focus the work of specific project team(s) by using a common problem solving approach, utilising the scan, analyse, response, assess (SARA) model to tackle issues
  • To manage and monitor financial resources

 

  • Northumbria Police chief inspector(s)
  • Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service
  • Local authority elected members for LMAPs area
  • Representative from parish / town council
  • Local authority officers (Northumberland County Council)
    • strategic community safety
    • operational community safety
    • children’s services
    • local services area manager(s)
    • other appropriate services as deemed necessary
  • nominated officer from the youth offending service
  • nominated officer from the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC)
  • representatives of voluntary and community sector
For futher information contact Louise Stobbart, Partnership officer at 01670 623845 or 
Learn about community triggers and how to report anti-social behaviour.

What is ASB? 
Anti-social behaviour (ASB) covers a lot of different types of behaviour and can affect people in many different ways.  
 
For the purpose of the Community Trigger, ASB means behaviour causing or likely to cause nuisance, annoyance, harassment, alarm or distress to any member of the public or which may have a detrimental effect on someone’s quality of life. 

  

What is a community Trigger (ASB Case Review)?

A Community Trigger (also known as an ASB Case Review) is an important statutory safety net for victims and communities experiencing ASB, to request a review of their ASB case and to bring agencies together to take a joined up, problem solving approach to find a solution for the victim(s). 
 
An activation should be made where the Threshold is met and where victims are unsatisfied with the response they have received from the relevant agencies. 
 
In essence, the Community Trigger process is designed to put victims at the heart of the case investigation process and for agencies to ensure you feel supported and listened to. 
 
Threshold 
In Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, the threshold to activate a Community Trigger is: 
 
At least three qualifying complaints have been made about anti-social behaviour in the past 6 months and/or; 
The victim(s) of ASB are considered to be ‘high risk' 
 
How to Activate a community Trigger? 
In Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Community Trigger activations across all of the 6 Local Authorities are coordinated by the Northumbria Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner who will: 

  • Acknowledge receipt of your Community Trigger request. 

  • Contact you to discuss your case and obtain further information. 

  • Liaise with the relevant Community Safety Partnerships. 

  • Share information with agencies who are responsible for managing anti-social behaviour. 

  • Record and publish relevant data relating to Community Trigger activations. 

  
If you meet the threshold for the Community Trigger you can contact the OPCC to raise a request in the following ways: 
 
Online form accessed here 
Email: enquiries@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk 
Phone number: 0191 221 9800 
Postal address: 
Community Trigger Activation 
Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner 
Victory House 
Balliol Business Park 
Benton Lane 
Newcastle upon Tyne 
NE12 8EW 
 
Click here for information on the publishing data about the Community Trigger 

 

Please contact us directly through email: safernorthumberland@northumberland.gov.uk

To report a prevent concern please email:
prevent.channel@northumberland.gov.uk

To find local councillor’s in your area, please visit this page. 

Other useful contacts:

Northumbria Police    
Tel: 101
Website: www.northumbria.police.uk

      
Northumberland County Council
Tel: 0345 600 6400
Website: www.northumberland.gov.uk
      
Northumbria Probation Service
Tel: 0345 608 0204
Website: www.northumbria-probation.co.uk

      
Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group
Tel: 01670 335157
Website: www.northumberlandccg.nhs.uk