West Lancashire Community Safety Partnership gears up for annual freshers’ week

Sep 20 2012 by Rob Pattinson, Ormskirk Advertiser

WEST Lancashire Community Safety Partnership said plans are in place to reduce anti-social behaviour, keep students safe and help them successfully integrate into their new lives ahead of freshers’ week.

The partnership’s annual freshers programme begins when students arrive for the first week of term at Edge Hill University on Sunday, September 23.

The West Lancashire Community Safety Partnership (CSP) includes West Lancashire Borough Council, Lancashire Police, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Lancashire County Council, Lancashire Probation Trust and the NHS Central Lancashire primary care trust.

For the first time, many aspects of the partnership’s activities will extend into weeks two and three when returning students come back. Dave Tilleray, West Lancashire CSP chairman, said: “We would like to welcome the new cohort of students to Edge Hill. We appreciate members of the community are concerned that there can be some anti-social behaviour during the first few weeks of term.

“The CSP has been working hard to ensure plans are in place to reduce anti-social behaviour, keep students safe and help them successfully integrate into their new lives.”

During freshers’ week, members of the partnership will be in and around Edge Hill’s campus to offer help and advice to new students, as well as reassurance for the wider community in Ormskirk.

The Silent Students Happy Homes (SSHH) campaign has been expanded with the help of funding from West Lancashire CVS, Lancashire Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC) and the Community Safety Partnership to cover more areas of town.

The campaign involves a team of students using their own time to walk up and down St Helens Road and Ruff Lane late at night in a bid to ensure the areas around the campus are quiet. Additional patrols will be undertaken by the street pastors.

There will also be credit card-sized leaflets handed out to promote responsible drinking, fire safety awareness sessions on campus and free checks for students in private accommodation, and monitoring by police to prevent illegal street parking on registration day.