This week Isle of Wight residents are taking to the streets with people up and down the country, for a week of community action against anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and gum busting.

“Not In My Neighbourhood Week”, which runs from 13th-20th October aims to highlight what is being done locally, day in, day out, to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

Dedicated anti-dog fouling patrols and requests for help from residents in reporting graffiti are just some of the local initiatives being highlighted.

What’s happening during Not In My Neighbourhood Week on the Isle of Wight?

The Isle of Wight community has the opportunity to get involved with their local Safer Neighbourhoods team and community partners in a range of events designed to make neighbourhoods safer.

Officers and staff have been busy planning a range of activities from school visits and beat surgeries to community clear up days and enforcement work which will directly impact on the quality of life for people living in certain neighbourhoods.

• As part of the week, the Isle of Wight council will be trailling a new Gum Buster machine capable for removing carelessly discarded chewing gum from the pavement. The machine (pictured above) will be trialled initially in Newport and, if successful, will be used across the Island to clear gum from the pavements wherever gum is a problem, particularly in busy town centres and esplanades.
• Watch your speed! Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit are fully participating in Not In My Neighbourhood week, targeting speeding drivers, drivers using mobile phones and committing other offences.
• Officers from Hampshire Constabulary’s firearms unit will be making daily presentations about our Fake Gun Real Trouble campaign along with information about knife crime and other issues affecting young people, to pupils at Ryde High School.
• Residents who know where graffiti is and want to see it erased are being encouraged to ring the council’s Safer Community Safety Service on (01983) 550980 to report it. Alternatively, they can email community.safety@iow.gov.uk or log onto www.iwight.com/graffiti. These locations will subsequently be visited by teams using specialist graffiti removal equipment who will clean the area highlighted.
• Council officers will also be joining their colleagues from the police and carrying out patrols in the Island’s busiest towns during busy weekend evenings to help deter anti-social behaviour.
• Dedicated anti-dog fouling patrols will also be carried out across the Island during the week, while Medina Housing and South Wight Housing officers will be working with the council and police to clear up communal areas. 
• Crime fighting agencies will also be meeting with members of the public to discuss the crime issues that need to be tackled in their local area and to build confidence in the work that they do with the police to make communities safer.

John Scott, Home Office Regional Director for South East said:

“Not In My Neighbourhood Week highlights some of the excellent work being done to make our communities safer.

It is an opportunity for local services to take their crime fighting activities straight to the streets and for local people to find out about some of the best ways to avoid becoming a victim of crime.

“I would urge people to visit any one of the events that are taking place, as the best way to tackle crime is for us to all work together.”

The aim of the week is to help communities get to know the people working in their neighbourhoods, and to work together on the issues that communities say are important.

Chief Inspector Tim Ashman, Hampshire Constabulary’s Safer Neighbourhoods lead, said:

“This national week of activity throws the work of our Safer Neighbourhood teams, the other units around the force who support them and our partners into the spotlight.

“The reality, however, is that this activity is going on in your community all the time. We have delivered on our promise to provide a dedicated officer or team for every neighbourhood in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

“Providing the team only goes part way towards improving neighbourhoods - we need communities to get involved with their local officers and tell us what’s important, and what’s going on in their street, village, town or city, so that we can work together to keep neighbourhoods safe.”

The Home Office launched its new Crime Strategy ‘Cutting Crime: A new partnership 2008-11′ in July 2007. The document can be found HERE:

Further information on Not in my Neighbourhood week can be found HERE: