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Safer Communities Awards

About the awards

Across Wales Community Safety Partnerships and other partners are working individually and together so that everyone in Wales feels safe and free from the fear of exploitation, crime and disorder. This work is often carried out quietly and by a small number of people who have a passion for making a difference to individuals, families and communities.

The Safer Communities Awards are being held to recognise outstanding contributions to community safety in a multi-agency context. The afternoon event will be celebratory in spirit and recognise those who have had a real impact on people’s lives throughout the year.

As well as recognising individual’s efforts and collaborative projects and partnerships, this will also provide a spotlight for awardees, colleagues and wider community safety professionals that their hard work is valued and makes a real difference to individuals and communities across Wales.

The inaugural Safer Communities Awards Ceremony took place in the Village Hotel, Swansea on Thursday, 30 November 2023 hosted by Lynn Bowles.

See the 2023 Winners

2024 Safer Communities Awards

This November we will be celebrating community safety success stories with the second Safer Communities Awards. The ceremony will take place on Thursday 28 November, hosted at Wrexham Football Club. This year we’re delighted to welcome journalist and BBC broadcaster John-Paul Davies to present the awards alongside other guests and dignitaries.

Entries have now closed. If you have submitted a nomination the team will be in touch with you soon to let you know if you’ve been successful.

About the award ceremony

The award categories

Entries to the awards can be self-nominated or nominated by a third party. Nominations are welcome of any individual, organisation or project working in Wales, whether paid or unpaid from public, private or the third sector – charities, voluntary groups and community groups.

There are fourteen awards categories in the following areas:

  • Anti-Social Behaviour
  • Crime Prevention
  • Early Intervention
  • Equalities, Inclusion and Cohesion
  • Governance
  • Modern Slavery and Exploitation
  • Offending and Justice
  • Organised Crime
  • Partnerships
  • Public Safety
  • Safeguarding
  • Serious Violence
  • Terrorism and Extremism
  • Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence

 

Judging

Entries will be reviewed by an awards panel who will decide the category and overall winners. The panel is chosen to avoid as many conflicts of interest as possible, whilst bringing together those with specialist knowledge on community safety in government, public and the third sectors. The panel is made up of a representative from Welsh Government, Welsh Local Government Association, Policing in Wales and the Wales Safer Communities Network.

If there are any questions or clarifications required by the panel in order to make a fully informed decision, this will be communicated with the nominator, and if necessary the nominee, by the Wales Safer Communities Network team. The panel’s decision will be final.

Scoring criteria

Each entry will be scored on:

Prevention

  • Does the initiative prevent something from happening?
  • Does it prevent escalation or re-occurrence of an issue?

Innovation or improvement

  • Is the approach innovative?
  • Does it improve on previous experience?

Impact

  • What impact has the initiative had on individuals or communities?
  • How has it improved quality of life or community safety?

The judges will score each entry from 1 to 10, in each of these areas. The highest overall score in the category will be awarded as the winner. The overall winner will be determined by the highest scores and the initiative or project the judges feel best showcases excellence.

The awards ceremony

This year’s awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 28 November at Wrexham Football club. We are delighted to welcome John-Paul Davies as our host this year and look forward to celebrating success within community safety.

How to book

Booking details will be announced soon.

The event will take place in the afternoon and the dress-code will be business attire.

About our host

John-Paul Davies worked for ITV Wales for two years before joining Sky at the start of 2008. Before that he spent four years in the Police becoming the first Police Officer in twenty years from South Wales to gain a place on the Home Office Accelerated Scheme for Graduates. He quickly realised he was dealing with the consequences rather than causes of problems which led him to pursue a long-held desire to become a journalist gaining a Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Cardiff School of Journalism in 2005.

During his time at Sky News & Sky Sports in London, John presented the Rugby League World Cup, International Rugby Union and International Football. He has been an anchor when some of the World’s biggest news stories have broken over the past decade.

John has a deep concern for underprivileged people and is committed to a number of charities at home and overseas. He has a heart for raising awareness of mental health and the need for player care in the sport.

John loves to travel and History having studied the subject in Aberystwyth where he also taught secondary school history & PE. His experience in the Police and Journalism have enabled him to witness first-hand how a person’s past influences and informs their present and future.

Sponsorship

If you would like to get involved with the awards as a sponsor, see your logo alongside the Wales Safer Communities Network and have a stand at the awards ceremony please get in touch with us.