Tuesday, February 13, 2007
PACT Meetings: What Are They?
PACT or “Partnership and Communities Together” is
an initiative started in 2006 by the South Wales
Police with the intention of “introducing a far more
effective community based policing style and
delivering a quality of service that will see (the) force
as one of the leads in community policing”. The
emphasis is on “community engagement” via regular
meetings where the public can “identify any problems
or issues of concern within” the community.
A panel of local residents, community representatives
and police officers, known as “The PACT Panel” then
identify three priorities for the community which are
then targeted by the appropriate organisation - often
the police themselves but sometimes the Council or
other body.
Sadly South Wales Police introduced the idea with
little consultation with external agencies such as
housing associations or local councils and local
Councillors were involved very late in the development
of the idea. As a result the idea was born amidst
controversy and confusion.
Nevertheless, your Councillors have engaged with the
idea and worked with the local police and the PACT
Panel to try to make it as effective as possible. So far
there have been three PACT meetings in Trowbridge,
each attended by fewer than thirty local residents. It
has recently been agreed to hold future meetings at
three month intervals.
The next PACT meeting will be on 7th March at
Cardiff Community Housing Association Community
Centre, Heol Newydd (on the Bro Athro Estate at the
bottom of Trowbridge Road opposite Coleg Glan
Hafren) at 7pm.
All residents of the Trowbridge area are invited to
attend.
Councillor Ralph Cook
an initiative started in 2006 by the South Wales
Police with the intention of “introducing a far more
effective community based policing style and
delivering a quality of service that will see (the) force
as one of the leads in community policing”. The
emphasis is on “community engagement” via regular
meetings where the public can “identify any problems
or issues of concern within” the community.
A panel of local residents, community representatives
and police officers, known as “The PACT Panel” then
identify three priorities for the community which are
then targeted by the appropriate organisation - often
the police themselves but sometimes the Council or
other body.
Sadly South Wales Police introduced the idea with
little consultation with external agencies such as
housing associations or local councils and local
Councillors were involved very late in the development
of the idea. As a result the idea was born amidst
controversy and confusion.
Nevertheless, your Councillors have engaged with the
idea and worked with the local police and the PACT
Panel to try to make it as effective as possible. So far
there have been three PACT meetings in Trowbridge,
each attended by fewer than thirty local residents. It
has recently been agreed to hold future meetings at
three month intervals.
The next PACT meeting will be on 7th March at
Cardiff Community Housing Association Community
Centre, Heol Newydd (on the Bro Athro Estate at the
bottom of Trowbridge Road opposite Coleg Glan
Hafren) at 7pm.
All residents of the Trowbridge area are invited to
attend.
Councillor Ralph Cook
