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Walsall Neighbourhood officers patrol with Walsall Council and specialist Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCO) to assess how they can make the town centre environment feel safer for the community.
Our DOCOs are a team of security experts who advise police and partners on specialist crime prevention advice and consult on how to make new and existing developments safer and less likely to be used for crime.
In conjunction with the council, our officers have provided advice on how to reduce crime in hotspots such as ‘Bossman Alley’, the main cut-through from the bus station to Park Street, which is privately owned. They have already installed two CCTV cameras and bollards to combat antisocial behaviour and serious youth violence, but this is just the start.
The council-led regeneration project of Park Street, the Saddlers Centre and train station is in planning. Our Designing Out Crime Officers will check that their plans include sufficient street lighting, CCTV coverage of all areas and less vast open spaces that could encourage large gatherings.
They also want to remove enclosed alleyways that can become home to antisocial behaviour such as loitering, vandalism and more serious youth violence such as knife crime and drug offences.
Sergeant Alex Backrath, Neighbourhood policing manager for Walsall town centre, said: “Walsall Police is already responding to calls for service quicker and arresting more suspects than ever in our efforts to make Walsall residents feel and be safer.
“Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) and serious youth violence are top priorities and, by working closely with DOCOs and our partners, we can detect and prevent these crimes before they occur.”
This forms part of our work towards the joint-partnership initiative, We Are Walsall 2040.
The shared commitment aims to make Walsall the most improved borough in the region by 2040, by working together to make a healthy, happy, thriving and safe area where residents are proud to live.
“Working towards the WAW2040 vision, our neighbourhood officers are doing regular walkabouts with the council and community groups to identify changes that could be made to the physical landscape to help them feel safer.” Sgt Backrath said.
“It’s important that we listen to the public as well as specialist DOCO advice. Combining our policing knowledge of recent crime hotspots and trends with the feeling within the community will help us tackle violence against women and girls, serious youth violence and antisocial behaviour in Walsall.” | 
