MAKING Brentwood the safest borough in Essex is the aim of an organisation looking to reduce crime locally.

The Community Safety Commissioning Plan for 2014/15 was voted through unanimously by Brentwood Council’s Community Services Committee last week.

Put together by the Brentwood Community Safety Partnership, the plan lists ten projects which will be provided in the borough with the aim of reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.

Formed in 1998, the group is made up of representatives from authorities like the council, police, fire service and probation service.

Recently it was revealed projects set up by the organisation helped reduce anti-social behaviour incidents in Brentwood by 24 per cent in the last three months of 2013.

Overall crime between October 2012 and September last year also fell by 9.5 per cent and partnership vice-chairman Chris Hossack said they want to make Brentwood the safest place in Essex.

The Conservative councillor said: “We are an ambitious group and over the next 12 months we would like to keep seeing the crime figures dropping and get Brentwood the reputation of being the safest place in Essex.

“Obviously we know the stats won’t go down by 24 per cent every quarter like they did in the last one, but as long as they keep going down that will be good enough.”

Among the new initiatives are crime and safety awareness days for the eldery, more support to neighbourhood watch groups and anti-crime workshops for secondary school pupils to attend.

Funding worth £32,000 has been allocated for the schemes.

Chief Insp Tracey Harman, police district commander for Brentwood and chairman of the partnership, said working together with the other authorities has been very positive.

“It is all about supporting each other,” she said.

“By all sitting down together and planning together, it is proving more effective in the fight against crime.”