MAPS

A PROBLEM solving group seems to have all the answers when it comes to tackling anti-social behaviour.

Vale Royal’s Multi-Agency Problem Solving group has been tackling troublemakers for the past two years.

It has helped secure handfuls of Anti-social Behaviour Orders, played a key role in the first ever crack house closure in Cheshire, supported offenders in getting their life back on track after a stint behind bars and steered scores of problem youngsters away from a life of crime.

There is nothing cryptic about the reason why this group is going from strength-to-strength. The answer is partnership work.

Each week, members of the borough’s Community Safety Partnership - the Police, Probation, Social Services, councils, Community Safety Wardens, Registered Social Landlords and housing association and trust representatives – get together to thrash out anti-social behaviour issues.

John Roberts, a Community Safety Officer for the Community Safety Partnership, said: “When the group first started out we concentrated purely on anti-social behaviour but as time has gone by we’ve widened our net.

“We now concentrate on anti-social behaviour, youths who are at risk of offending and offenders in custody who are being returned to the community. The way we have developed has perfectly equipped us to take on the Prolific and other Persistent Offenders scheme when it was launched earlier this year.

“So not only are we working with people who are using anti-social behaviour, we’re also working with the area’s worst criminals to try and help them change their ways. If they choose to refuse our help then we actively target them and deal with them through the courts.”

From nominating a problem teenager to have their behaviour monitored to discussing the options for a persistent offender on release from prison – every aspect of anti-social behaviour is covered.

Nuisance neighbours, racists residents, abusive alcoholics. All their paths cross with the MAPS group which was launched to ensure problems don’t go unresolved because they are too complex for one agency to solve alone.

A recent example of this is Cheshire’s first ever crack house closure. Information held by the Police revealed that criminal activity was taking place in and around the home. Landlord’s records showed problems with the tenant and the records of authorities revealed neighbours were experiencing problems.

The MAPS group pieced together all their information to reveal a true picture of what has happening and worked together to sort it out. Weeks later the tenant had been evicted and hauled before the courts for criminal offences and peace and quiet was restored to the community.

This team work effort would not have been successful without the MAPS group and the unique way it shares information. A process which carries responsibility for the agencies which use the information.

For a council it could mean an eviction process, the Probation Service may have to create a comprehensive support package for an offender, the police may need to step up patrols in a certain area or involve their anti-social behaviour co-ordinators, housing officers may have to take statements from residents for use in an Anti-social Behaviour Order application.

The list is endless and it means each and every agency involved must be committed to making a difference.

Cheshire Police proved its commitment by recruiting an Information Exchange Officer, who ensures the police’s information is shared with the right people for the right reasons. There’s also a dedicated anti-social behaviour co-ordinator who is involved in ASBOs and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts.

Insp Mark Watson said: “Every agency involved in MAPS is doing its best to make a real difference to the borough. We all have staff and officers working in the communities listening to the needs of the people whose lives are effected by anti-social behaviour.

“Those needs are raised through the MAPS group and everyone works together to address them. The success the group has enjoyed proves that this is the best way to address problems. There is definitely strength in numbers.”

MAPS meetings take place every week and are dominated by discussions of progress of people currently on ASBOs and ABCs; updates of criminal investigations; nominations for ASBO and ABC applications; anti-social behaviour hotspots and many other related issues.

Agencies take away a number of tasks from each session which are then reviewed the following week.

Currently the MAPS group are dealing with 9 cases; have issued 24 Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (of which 18 are still in force); are considering another 19 for ASBOs; and are managing 21 individuals through Acceptable Behaviour Contracts.