Listening to community & policing concerns

Last week I visited organisations dedicated to driving racial justice, supporting refugees and migrants and a programme dedicated to improving local services for adults and young people who face multiple disadvantage.

ACH- supporting refugees and migrants

I visited Ashley Community & Housing (ACH), a housing association which provides integration services for refugees and migrants in the UK. I had the pleasure of meeting with ACH Founder and Chief Executive Fuad Mahamed and some of his team. Fuad, a refugee himself from Somali has a remarkable story of resilience, entrepreneurship, and a perfect example of what happens when refugees are given opportunities. Fuad founded ACH in 2008 as a small-scale housing provider, located in the inner-city of Bristol supporting housing to refugees who had recently received their five years leave to remain. However, the organisation has grown to become a leading refugee-led provider of resettlement and integration services for refugees and newly arrived migrant communities in the UK.

ACH now employ over 115 people, provide supported accommodation and tailored integration services such as employment, training etc in the West of England and West of Midlands.

One of my roles is to be a voice of local people, so visiting ACH has helped me to get some insights into some of the policing and safety issues affecting refugees and migrant communities.

I am determined to work together across sectors and with diverse communities to make our communities safer and secure across Avon and Somerset area.

BSWN- driving racial justice

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion are matters close to my heart. Race Matters to all of us, in society, community, workplaces and in our organisations. I visited Black South West Network (BSWN) to acquaint myself to their incredible work. This visit and conversations with Sado Jirde, Director of BSWN and team, other engagement visits gave me the insights I need to hold the police to account and further drive improvements, and to explore opportunities for collaborative working.

BSWN is a Black-led racial justice organisation based in Bristol that supports the development of dynamic, independent, and strong Black and Minoritised communities, businesses, and organisations to flourish whilst challenging systemic barriers.

BSWN runs a few projects and programmes, and one of them is the Access to Justice programme (A2J). The A2J programme promote working together to analyse existing legislations to advocate for legal reforms that addresses racial disparities and enhances access to justice. I was interested to hear how they are working with some schools to try and address school exclusions. And the work they are doing through their Avon & Somerset Predictive Policing Scrutiny Group and its related events, community meetings, and campaign actions. My role is not just about holding the police to account but also about working with partners to drive change, including local authorities, criminal justice and third sector organisations, therefore it was positive to hear some of BSWN’s work.

Changing Futures Bristol- a whole system approach to crime reduction and prevention

I took part in the Changing Futures’ programme briefing event, where I was invited to share my Police and Crime Plan priorities, especially on crime reduction, prevention and keeping communities safe. Bristol City Council Leader Tony Dyer, Alexander Wallace – Rough Sleeping Policy Advisor, MHCLG, Stephanie Mckenna – Neighbourhood Chief Inspector, Avon and Somerset Police and representatives from key Stakeholders also attended the event. It was interesting to hear some of the learnings and challenges from the Changing Futures Programme Team about their Whole System Approaches to Policing, Crime and Justice in the Context of Multiple Disadvantage.

It is estimated that there are between 500 and 1500 people in Bristol experiencing three or more Multiple Disadvantage factors at any one time. And it is likely that this group command a disproportionate level of resource from services (including criminal justice agencies) and that resource often comes as a crisis intervention as opposed to preventing escalation of risk and need. Partnership working is so vital.

The Changing Futures programme was established as a 3-year programme in 2022 as part of a national initiative funded by MHCLG and The National Lottery Community Fund to address this systemic failure through coordinated, person-centred approaches and provide better outcomes for individuals experiencing multiple disadvantage.