New strategy drawn up to make Southampton safer
The city's been named as the most dangerous city in Hampshire for crime
Modern Southampton is a city of grandeur, from the stone pillars of the civic centre to the imposing glass office blocks of Ocean Village. But behind this glimmering exterior lies a crime problem that needs addressing.
Southampton’s Safe City Strategy 2022 to 2027 has been drawn up to keep the city as safe as it can be. The strategy has been put together by the Safe City Partnership, which is made up of the city council, police, fire service, health bodies and other organisations, and which says it’s aim is ‘to work collaboratively and share resources to make Southampton a safer place to live, work and visit.’
But the picture is not entirely rosy. According to Crimerate.co.uk, which analyses levels of crime in the United Kingdom, Southampton is the most dangerous city in Hampshire. The 2021 crime rate in Southampton was 123 crimes per 1,000 people. This is 35% higher than the county’s overall average of 80 crimes per 1,000 people. Out of all cities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Southampton had the fifth highest crime rate.
Higher than average crime levels in the city include burglary, criminal damage, and even arson. However, by far the most common crimes in Southampton are violent and sexual offences with 14,792 offences happening last year alone, an increase of 18% from 2020.
So, why is crime high?
In a report produced by the partnership, there are a number of reasons for the levels of crime across the city.
One of these is population change. The report states that young people are at a disproportionately higher risk of becoming offenders of crime. Southampton has a growing young population with the 0-18 category expected to increase by 4.3% by 2027, 10-14 to increase by 6.3%, and 15-19 to increase by 14.7%.
Another factor that determines an area’s crime rate is poverty and inequality. The report says that children who live in poverty are at greater risk of growing up to become involved in crime. Some 22% of children in Southampton are living in ‘low income’ families. 30.4% of children are eligible for free school meals. That translates as 10,018 children. This percentage is 9.6% higher than the national average, and Southampton’s increased by 5.7% last year alone.
The third factor that the report lists is changes in the claimant count. The report says that the higher the number of residents on benefits, the higher the crime rate. The percentage of those receiving out of work benefits in Southampton more than doubled last year from 3.1% to 6.6%. This new percentage equates to 11,410 people.
So, what is Hampshire Constabulary doing about this?
Superintendent Simon Dodds is the district commander for Southampton at Hampshire Constabulary.
He said: “Our number one priority is to reduce violence and in doing so make the city safer. Most frequently that is violence associated with county lines drug dealing, domestic abuse and incidents related to the night time economy, specifically as rape and serious sexual offences.
“As part of our focus on violent crime we have a dedicated team whose role is to tackle offenders causing harm relating to drug supply, whilst protecting those who are on the periphery of criminality made vulnerable through drug use.”
Supt Dodds also discussed the other crimes they were focusing on. He said: “Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls is also a key part of our violent crime strategy, which is why we have dedicated patrols at night on the weekends and work with licensed premises, security staff and other support agencies to reassure those enjoying a night out and target potential perpetrators.”
Other police work being done to keep the city safer includes running Safe At Home campaigns, which support victims of domestic abuse, working with young people who have been involved in knife crime and working with the Violence Reduction Unit which looks at the root of violence in homes.
What is the city council’s role?
While Hampshire Constabulary enforces the law, a lot of responsibility for the wider picture rests with Southampton City Council and the Safe City Partnership.
The Safe City Strategy is a five-year plan from 2022 to 2027 which aims to work on three priorities.
The first is to keep people safe from harm.
The partnership says it will work with partners to communicate information in an accessible way to local residents, including children, which will help them to keep safe. It will undertake evidenced-based environmental changes that can increase safety and reduce the potential for harm. It will engage with local people to discuss issues associated with crime and disorder that affect them and help agencies work together to better target resources.
It will listen to and work with local people to understand what works and does not work. The council and its partners will also listen to victims and residents about the issues that impact them greatest; and lastly, they will ensure an annual statement is provided to the public that highlights progress and challenges experienced in the city.
The second priority is to prevent and reduce offending.
To do this it will work to try to understand the underlying causes of serious violence, particularly for young people. It will support a well-trained trauma informed workforce, who work restoratively with offenders, to tackle the underlying causes of their behavior. The plan will support collaborative working across the voluntary sector, with places of worship and youth-run organisations. It will support communities and professionals to understand and recognise the signs and symptoms of radicalisation and exploitation. It will work to harness the support of large employers to raise awareness, confidence and skills around identification, brief intervention and referral of perpetrators; and finally it will increase awareness of the term ‘perpetrator’ as not only high impact abuse, but also recognising unhealthy behaviors by individuals in relationships.
The Safe City Strategy’s final priority is to create safe and stronger communities.
Just some of the many items on its list of implementation are the following; to enhance community engagement and development work across the city to help communities and local groups be stronger and safer; to reinstate a scheme which allows police and communities to have meetings; to work together in communities through local forums and Partnership Action Groups to prioritise issues of concern; and to promote volunteering, both to support organisations supporting ex-offenders and helping ex-offenders find volunteering opportunities.
The partnership believes that if it can achieve this, then its Safe City Strategy five-year plan may have a chance of making Southampton a safer place by 2027, with less anti-social behaviour, less violence; and ultimately, less crime.