New campaign gets tough on domestic abuse

Men who abuse their partners are being targeted by a powerful new campaign.

The latest campaign by the Tamworth Community Safety Partnership has been launched in time for Christmas and the New Year, as domestic abuse cases always increase over the festive season. Alcohol, family pressures and the cost of Christmas can all act as triggers for violence and abuse.

The campaign was launched as part of the Safer Nights Plus Operation on Friday December 16. Posters giving men details of the anti-domestic abuse Respect Helpline have been put up in gents’ toilets across the borough and police officers attending all domestic abuse incidents will give perpetrators of domestic abuse a Respect Helpline card.

The posters all carry the message ‘Choose to stop’, along with the Respect helpline number.

Tamworth Borough Council Community Safety Officer Marcella Forrest said: “Sadly, Christmas is a peak period for incidents of domestic abuse. While there is no excuse, the added pressures of the festive period can contribute to a very abusive Christmas for the victims of domestic abuse.

“Our latest campaign aims to reach the perpetrators of domestic abuse – 94% of whom are men – and encourage then to examine their own behaviour and work to change it.”

The Respect Helpline is a confidential service for perpetrators of domestic abuse, which offers information and support to help perpetrators change their behaviour. It can be contacted on 0808 802 4040.
Anyone suffering domestic abuse can contact Pathways on 01543 676800.

Lantern procession lights up Glascote Heath

Festive cheer came to the streets of Glascote Heath last week when more than 50 people of all ages joined together in the community’s first lantern procession.

Young and old – and even a few dogs – braved the cold weather to take part in the procession, jointly organised by Glascote ARCH, Sure Start, Sacred Heart RC Church and St Peter’s Church.

Some of those who took part in the procession went along to a lantern-making workshop at St Peter’s, run by Sure Start earlier in the afternoon, where they made pretty lanterns for the event.

The procession started at Sacred Heart RC Church and wound its way through the estate, stopping twice for carol singing. It ended up at St Peter’s Church, where light refreshments were laid on for those who took part.

Glascote Community Development Officer Stuart Etheridge said: “It was a really good event and we were all very pleased by how it went. It was really nice to see so many members of the community coming together to take part in our first lantern parade.

“We are now hoping to hold a lantern procession next year and will learn from this year’s event to make it bigger and better.”

Tell us what you think about dog plans

Have your say on our plans to bring in new Dog Control Orders

We’re looking at introducing new powers to make it easier to keep our borough clean, as well as encouraging dog owners to be responsible – and we’re asking for your views.

We’re considering bringing in four new dog control orders, and we would like you to tell us what you think of the plans.

The four orders are:

• The dog fouling order covering the whole of Tamworth. This would allow staff to impose £80 on-the-spot fines on dog owners who fail to clean up after their pets
• Exclusion of all dogs from certain areas. This would NOT ban dogs from public parks, but would apply to all fenced children’s play areas and small areas in open parks where there is play equipment
• Keeping of dogs on leads at a number of areas including cemeteries, the Upper and Lower Lawns in the Castle Grounds and Anker Valley sports pitches
• Keeping of dog under control. This would be in force across the borough and would be used if a dog was out of control or causing a nuisance

We’re running an online survey so that you can tell us what you think of the plans – if they are too harsh, if they don’t go far enough or if there are other areas you would like to see covered by them.

The survey can be found here and you have until February 28 2012 to fill it in.

Once we’ve got all the results in, we’ll have a look at what you have told us. We’ll use those comments to add to or amend the plans, before taking them to the council’s Cabinet.

If the orders are approved, they will come into force next summer.