West Mercia Police Authority

Police efforts in helping set up community projects in an area of Shrewsbury have drastically cut incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour.

Various initiatives, including a community gardening scheme, have brought big improvements for residents living in Bridgeford Road, Lowfield and Armdale. During the summer, West Mercia Police Authority approved a £200 grant for buying plants and gardening tools.

Sergeant Claire Greenaway, from Shrewsbury's town centre police station, said the community garden project had helped bridge the generation gap between youngsters and elderly residents.

She said: "We looked at how we could improve the area and introduce a couple of projects to help the children work with the elderly more effectively. Gardening is a major theme in this location and there were a couple of flower beds that needed work doing on them. The children on the estate aided by some of the residents worked hard to transform these flower beds as a joint exercise."

Sergeant Greenaway said she was anxious to maintain the momentum on this and several other projects in the local community. She has succeeded in obtaining a further £400 from the Police Authority's community initiatives fund towards running costs.

"A lot of hard work has been put in by a lot of people with some very encouraging results. The residents are singing everyone's praises and other areas in the town are now asking the police to start a gardening club with their youngsters too. I could not have predicted the difference these activities would make and for the first time in years, we have a cohesive community and a pleasing reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour".

Last year, between July 20 and August 25, 22 incidents were reported to the police compared with just five over the same period this year - a reduction of more than 75 per cent.

Other projects being conducted in the area are litter picks for young people and a young mum's club. The new Police Authority grant will enable the initiatives to continue for at least another six months.

Sergeant Greenaway added: "Shropshire council's Youth Service and the housing associations have been an immense help. Gill Jones, the council's Senior Community Action Leader, has been a tower of strength and has really driven this project. A lot of its success is down to her enthusiasm and belief. My own team has continued with the gardening initiative and also the litter picks which the children and parents have all bought into to make their estate a better place to live on. They should be very proud of themselves."