Community Safety Partnership

Crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) can impact whole communities. Issues can include:

• public drug use or drug dealing
• antisocial vehicle use
• noise that is not normal household noise
• e-scooter or e-bike use

In Bracknell Forest, there has been an increase in ASB reported to police compared to last year. ASB covers a range of behaviours that can cause nuisance, annoyance, harm and distress to a person or community. We know that single agencies cannot always resolve ASB on their own and must work in partnership to address it. We adopt a harm-centred approach to ASB, and we focus on shared problem-solving with partners.

We will continue to proactively respond to ASB in recognition of the harmful impact it can have on a person or family’s quality of life. For more information, visit our anti-social behaviour page. 

We will be:

1. Making sure that residents know the various ways to report ASB and crime. We can only respond to ASB and crime if we have evidence of it happening.
2. Promoting referrals from partners into the CSP Partnership Problem-Solving Groups. In these groups, partners work together to jointly solve issues. This will allow us to address complex, stubborn and challenging issues with a range of powers, expertise and resources.
3. Preventing and responding to ASB committed by the same people. Repeat offenders will be supported into diversionary or preventative activities or managed through existing groups.
4. Holding business premises responsible for ASB taking place on their property. We will explore options where locations can be reinforced and protected against ASB.
5. Working with police and housing to issue civil and criminal orders to stop ASB and crime. These could include community protection notices and criminal behaviour orders. The effective use of powers aims to stop nuisance and criminal behaviour.

ASB incidents and low-level crimes, like shoplifting, have risen in Bracknell Forest town centre compared to last year. Work is taking place to address this issue. ASB can escalate into more serious criminal behaviour if not addressed.

The town centre is the social and economic hub of the borough and attracts many millions of visitors each year. We need to make sure that it is a safe and economically viable centre for all to enjoy.

The Police and Crime Commissioner has launched a retail crime strategy for the Thames Valley. This is in recognition of regional trends of increased retail crime. We want to take part in this strategy.

We will be:

1. Working to make sure retailers are reporting all incidents of shoplifting to police. We want to make sure that they complete the police shoplifting packs which give evidence. If police understand which retailers are affected and who is responsible, they can act accordingly.
2. Working to make sure all incidents of ASB are reported to police by retailers and the Lexicon. Again, if police have a clear picture of the nature of ASB, who is involved, as well as specific locations, an appropriate response can be put in place.
3. Preventing and responding to ASB committed by the same people. Repeat offenders will be supported into diversionary or preventative activities or managed through existing groups.
4. Making sure that police and the Lexicon security work together to prevent criminal damage and public order. They will work to achieve this through patrolling, capturing evidence and sharing information . We aim to have fewer victims of criminal damage and public disorder and increased feelings of safety.
5. Actively promoting referrals from partners into the CSP Town Centre Partnership Problem-Solving Group. In this group, partners work together to jointly solve issues. This will allow us to address complex, stubborn and challenging issues with a range of powers, expertise and resources.

You can find information about support for domestic abuse on our website.

Domestic abuse is often considered a hidden crime and has significant psychological consequences for victims. These include anxiety, depression, suicidal behaviour, low self-esteem, inability to trust others, flashbacks, sleep disturbances and emotional detachment. The physical health consequences are often long-term. At its extreme, domestic abuse can result in death through homicide or suicide.

Findings from our 2024 domestic abuse needs assessment found that there is a continued need to focus on this area. There were over 2,500 reports of domestic abuse to police in Bracknell Forest last year. This is one of the highest types of crime recorded in our borough.

By law, councils must help victims and children where there is domestic abuse. Witnessing domestic abuse as a child can contribute to a higher risk of being violent as an adult. We need to stop this cycle. Under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, children are recognised as victims in their own right.

We will be:

1. Sharing information about services that help victims of non-physical abuse, such as emotional, psychological, and economic abuse. This information aims to raise awareness about non-physical domestic abuse, its signs and examples.
2. Creating awareness campaigns that are culturally appropriate and inclusive. They will focus on the unique needs of communities that use services less often. For example, male victims, older adults, disabled individuals, and those from ethnic minority groups. We hope these groups will engage more if they feel our services and campaigns are inclusive and meet their needs in their way.
3. Requesting police to consider the use of a Domestic Violence Protection Notice and Order at all appropriate incidents. This will offer more protection for victims and give them space to find support. It will also help manage perpetrators better.
4. Sharing information with residents and professionals about the domestic violence disclosure scheme (also known as Clare’s law). We hope that those at risk of violence or abuse can be made aware if someone has a history of offending. This is important when there are concerns or if police need to inform a resident.
5. Improving data collection across domestic abuse services. This will allow better service planning and make sure resources are allocated where they are needed most.

Serious violence is a high-harm crime that puts communities in fear. Knife crime and other types of violence have devastating consequences for lives in the short and long-term.

Fear of violence stops people going out into the community and this can make them less healthy.

We need to support young people early on so they develop positive behaviours, as violence can have a lasting impact on their future.

By law, Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) must do work to stop the most serious types of violence. We will work with partners on a comprehensive plan to prevent and respond to serious violence across all ages. This plan is outlined in our Serious Violence Strategy 2024 to 2027.

We will be:

1. Sharing the ‘Fearless’ campaign with children. The campaign teaches children how to report someone they know who is unsafe to Crimestoppers. Reporting is anonymous and they won’t have to go to court. We hope that children will feel more confident about sharing concerns that could help reduce harm to their peers.
2. Making sure that children and their families know of all the youth activities that are available and how to access them. We hope this will make it easier for children to access safe spaces and trusted adults who can support them and encourage them to take part in activities, sports and hobbies.
3. Supporting schools to respond to suspected weapon carrying and gang culture through the Wise Up Programme. The programme includes creative arts and works with children and parents to bring about positive change. We hope this helps children and their parents understand the culture better. It should also encourage children into other activities, sport and hobbies.
4. Offering a supportive 'ACT Now' intervention within 90 minutes of the police notifying us that a child has been arrested for violent behaviour. The project aims to divert children away from further violence and are supported to not re-offend.
5. Responding effectively to child violence and exploitation safeguarding process (MACE and Makesafe) referrals. These support and safeguard children against violence and exploitation.
6. Responding effectively to referrals to the adult violence and exploitation safeguarding and management processes (Serious Adult Violence and Exploitation or SAVE). This is to achieve two outcomes. First, to support and safeguard adult victims against violence and exploitation. Second, to make sure adult offenders are effectively managed to prevent them from committing violence and exploitation.

We want to build on the strong community cohesion in Bracknell Forest. We want to find ways to make them even stronger and more inclusive.

The 2024 UK civil unrest and fear of being targeted have had a deep impact on the psychological well-being of many individuals in our borough. Unfortunately, hate crimes have taken place in Bracknell Forest, targeting people and groups in the community.

We will be:

1. Continuing to monitor reported hate crimes. We will identify community tension indicators and work with partners to prevent them from escalating.
2. Share community tension indicators with partners when needed. We will work together to prevent issues like graffiti or social media posts from escalating. We aim to build a network of stakeholders who regularly share information on community tension indicators, enabling us to respond when needed.
3. Building trust with communities to encourage reporting of hate crime incidents. This will help us get a better understanding of the barriers to reporting. We hope that it will inform what we can do to increase confidence to report.
4. Monitoring police reports of hate crimes to learn about their patterns and if certain communities are being targeted. The weekly monitoring of reports will allow us to understand trends, volumes and type. It will also allow us to understand specific targeting and experiences.