Oxford,
07
February
2017
|
09:25
Europe/London

Fire and crime prevention pilot expands across West Oxfordshire

A pilot by Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service and Thames Valley Police to work together to share fire and crime prevention advice, as well as provide information to promote health and wellbeing with residents has been such a success in Carterton that it is to be expanded across all parts of West Oxfordshire.

Firefighters and Police Community Support Officers in West Oxfordshire recently took part in a joint training exercise at Witney Fire Station to share their knowledge so they can offer home visits that will provide fire safety, home security, healthy living and crime prevention advice in a single visit.

The expansion of this pioneering initiative by Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service and Thames Valley Police will mean that when Police Community Support Officers visit homes in West Oxfordshire, they will be trained to spot fire-related risks and offer fire safety or public health advice on the spot instead of referring people to the fire service to arrange a second visit. Equally, when firefighters visit homes they will be trained to look for signs of when someone is vulnerable to crime and offer advice to residents about how to protect their homes and avoid being a victim of door-step crime for example.

Kerry Blair, Group Manager at Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service said: “This is a fantastic example of the collaborative work taking place between ourselves and Thames Valley Police to better serve the community by focusing on the needs of residents through a multi-agency approach. Home visits can cover anything from fire safety, home security safety and awareness of doorstep crime as well as health advice.”