Log on and give St Helens 'Good Guys' the X factor

A crime-fighting project run by St.Helens Community Safety Partnership has been nominated for a national award.

The St.Helens 2011 'Be a Good Guy - bin it, don't burn it' initiative, designed to reduce antisocial behaviour around Halloween and Bonfire Night, is one of 11 projects shortlisted for the 2012 Tilley Awards.

And this is where you come in.  Just like the X Factor, the winner will be the one who attracts the most votes.  Just log on to http://tiny.cc/votegoodguy and vote for the project.  Voting is now live.

St.Helens Council and its partners including Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, and local housing associations encouraged reporting of the build-up of bonfire materials, ensured rubbish was quickly removed and put on extra activities for young people both in and out of school.

This resulted in a 37 per cent reduction in fires compared to 2010, while reports of antisocial behaviour to the Police dropped by eight per cent. Street bonfires reduced by 58 per cent, and the fire service experienced no attacks on crews during the period.

Councillor Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Environmental Protection and Safer Communities at St.Helens council said:  "To get nominated for the final at the first ever attempt at sending in a bid is a tremendous achievement.  I hope everyone will take the time to log on to the website and vote for the project. More than 70 projects entered this year's competition so to get through to the finals is all the more rewarding."

Minister of State for Crime Prevention Jeremy Browne said:   "The Tilley Awards are recognised across the world for highlighting the very best of British crime fighting and this year is no exception. Today's finalists should be proud that they have beaten some tough competition to make it through to the finals. 

"These projects show that when police, councils, charities and the public work together they can make the real, positive changes to issues that  matter to  local communities. I want the public to feel as engaged as possible in how crime is tackled locally which is why we are once again opening the shortlisted entries to a public vote. I would encourage anyone to view the excellent projects on the Tilley Awards shortlist and select their favourite."

Local resident and member of Moss Bank Tenants and Residents Association Jim Sorby applauded the campaign adding:  " It was the quietest bonfire night in years.  What a difference a year makes."'

The public vote closes on 2 November, so come on, get voting for St.Helens.