7. 5. Statement: Working Together for Safer Communities

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:18 pm on 7 February 2017.

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Photo of Michelle Brown Michelle Brown UKIP 4:18, 7 February 2017

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I welcome the additional community support officers that you’ve announced and spoken about in your statement. However, it’s a pity that, certainly in north Wales, too many police stations are now inaccessible and the premises sold off. The security of having a visible and easy to find police station and an accessible one has been taken away from many people. Will the Cabinet Secretary give us details of the representations he’s made to the police commissioners and the police forces of Wales in respect of closure or downsizing of police stations?

I welcome any efforts made to reduce, and eventually eliminate, violence against women, sexual violence and domestic abuse. As I have commented previously, male teachers and men in public life—for example, pop stars and sportsmen---all have an important role to play in ending violence against women. How are you working to encourage men’s organisations and men in the public eye to become involved in your work to eliminate domestic and sexual violence and help them to understand that they can play a crucial part in securing a happier and safer culture for future generations of women and men?

I agree with the Cabinet Secretary that community safety does not end at crime prevention. Domestic and other accidents can forever change the lives of both the victim and those around them, and prevention, as they say, is better than cure. There is often a series of opportunities along the timeline of an accident, all of which offer a chance to prevent the accident, but the starting point is education and awareness. DangerPoint, in my constituency, is an educational facility that is eliminating future accidents and injury in the home and elsewhere as we speak, as well as making children and young people aware of their social and legal responsibilities, thus helping them keep out of trouble with the authorities. DangerPoint is an independent charity and is the only facility of its kind in Wales. Does the Cabinet Secretary agree with me that this facility should be receiving sustainable funding from Welsh Government and that other such facilities should be supported by Welsh Government and made available to children and young people in the rest of Wales? Thank you.