SIGN UP AS COMMUNITY CRIME FIGHTERS

Local people are being given the chance to sign up as Community Crime Fighters to help the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour in their community.

A training session is being held on Tuesday 13 October in Brighton between 9am and 4.30pm. It's free to attend, with lunch and refreshments provided, and the Thanet Community Safety Partnership is looking to get 10 people from Thanet who want to attend, so that they can provide a free minibus to take them. The scheme is aimed at people who are already actively involved in their community and want to do more to tackle the problems in their area.

The training programmes look at the various powers available to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime, the help available to victims and witnesses and ways to get the best out of local organisations.

Community Crime Fighters were introduced as part of the government's Neighbourhood Crime and Justice Areas, with Thanet the only pioneer area in Kent.

More than 2,000 people have been trained across the UK to date and, of those, more than 90% said they found the training left them better prepared to play a role in helping to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in their area.

Cliftonville resident, Lynn Repeti, who is the chair of the Surrey Road Action Group, attended a previous community crime fighters event in Southampton. She said: "I found the event I attended very helpful and informative. It was good to see all walks of life together and showing an interest in their communities. I learnt a lot about the policing pledge and how to get more involved in my community. I would encourage other residents to attend this free event in Brighton".

If you are interested in attending the training event in Brighton and becoming a Community Crime Fighter, contact Tiffany on 01843 577910.