The Safer Vale Partnership is committed to increasing our engagement with members of the public in relation to community issues such as tackling anti-social behaviour, substance misuse and domestic abuse. We understand the problems people face when trying to access services. We are aware that there is a lack of transport both public and private an people can find it difficult to negotiate Council and voluntary services. It is our priority to address these issues to ensure that services are available to those who need it and those who are vulnerable.

Much of the geographical area of the Vale of Glamorgan is rural with small villages and hamlets. Analysis of our population indicates that five of the top ten locations inhabited by elderly people are in rural areas of the Vale.

In these areas a number of engagement methods have been put in place including ‘Coffee and a Chat’ mornings, however many of the buildings in the rural Vale are in need of refurbishment and are non Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant.  Some areas do not have access to community venues a charge is often incurred for its use.
Perception and the fear of crime amongst the elderly is high and sometimes disproportionate. It is important to reassure this age group, addressing fear of crime and seeking to improve their confidence through partnership working.  Results of the Safer Vale survey indicated that 35% of elderly respondents were worried about becoming a victim of antisocial behaviour and 29 % were worried about becoming a victim of car crime.  Additionally 36% of elderly respondents felt that the level of crime in the Vale of Glamorgan had remained the same when in actually fact, year to date, crime is down 12% compared to the same period last year.

Of all the respondents to the Safer Vale survey, only 29% knew what the Safer Vale Partnership does. 26% knew their local Police Community Support Officer and only 12% had attended a PACT meeting in the previous 12 months.  These findings highlight a need for more proactive community engagement that can reach all members of the Vale of Glamorgan, regardless of their location and age.

TREV is an ideal engagement tool for the Safer Vale Partnership as it can be utilised throughout the Vale of Glamorgan to targeted areas and hard to reach groups. 
The Partnership has a wealth of leaflets and information booklets that provide members of the public with practical advice regarding crime and disorder and antisocial behaviour.  With TREV the Partnership now have a means of distributing this information to the elderly and hard to reach groups.

TREV has provided:-

• Mobility – target problem areas
• Easy access – The vehicle is fully adapted to DDA
• Personal touch – Members of the public can speak to someone face to face
• Community Needs – We can get into the heart of the community
• Specific Issues
• Provide visible presence