AFTER a young man passed away following a late night assault in Salisbury city centre, talks are underway as to how to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in the city.
Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner is to develop a Safety at Night Charter to ensure people feel safer at night in Salisbury.
PCC Philip Wilkinson has met with Salisbury City Council representatives, police, and those from the late-night economy.
They discussed custody, CCTV, officer visibility and licensing concerns, as part of practical solutions to tackling late-night crime.
The news comes after 23-year-old Freddie Jones-Fontete was killed in an attack in New Canal last month.
Connor Pool, 24, of Salt Lane, Winterbourne Gunner, has been charged with Section 18 grievous bodily harm.
Read more: 'Taken far too soon' - Vigil held to remember 'kind and caring' Freddie
The PCC said he could see how a multi-agency approach with increased police visibility and community engagement, better lighting in some areas and extra CCTV capability could start to make a difference and he wants to work with Wiltshire Police, Salisbury City Council, Wiltshire Council, and other representatives, to bring those issues to the fore.
He said: “There are clearly growing concerns among residents of Salisbury around crime and antisocial behaviour, with the recent incident in which a young man sadly lost his life reinforcing those concerns, and I appreciate how those communities must be feeling now.
“My office is already working with partners across the county, including Wiltshire Council, to develop a Safety at Night Charter, bringing together all those in the late-night economy to ensure a safer night out can be had for all and I’m really pleased that the city council is keen to get on board with this too.
“It’s really important to me that residents of Salisbury feel safe again, and that the strong relationships between police, local authority and the late-night economy are re-established following two years of lockdown restrictions, to ensure that a safe night out can be had for all.”
Read more: City in shock after 'gut-wrenching' attack
The Mayor of Salisbury, Councillor Caroline Corbin, who was present at the meeting, said: “I would like to thank the Police and Crime Commissioner for coming to Salisbury to listen to our concerns and discuss ways of working together to improve safety in the City.
“There is a lot of good work already going on by many organisations across the city, including the Street Pastors and Pubwatch, and we need to build on this for the sake of all our residents.”
Residents are urged to report areas where they feel unsafe online, or in the event of a crime to report to the police via their website or by calling 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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