Board of Directors
The Board of Directors / Trustees of the National Community Safety Network
Full Board Members
Jane Mowat
Robert Greaves
Mike Batty
Stephen Carr
Michael McCrory
Andy Pownall
Voting Co-optees
Denise Casbolt
Non-Voting Co-optee Advisors
Professor Gordon Hughes
Jane Mowat, Chair
Jane was elected as NCSN Chair of the Board of Directors / Trustees in December 2006.
I have been Director of Safer York Partnership since August 2002. Prior to that I spent six years in the Corporate Development Unit of North Yorkshire Police consulting with communities, working with hard to reach groups and developing a method by which CDRPs could carry out their crime audits. My work in this field has been commended by HMIC in two inspections of the force and I have had articles published by the Home Office. I have worked closely with CDRPs across North Yorkshire conducting research to support the development of their crime and disorder reduction strategies.
I am married to a police officer, have a daughter, a step-son and a dog, and in my spare time I run a local dancing school for children.
Robert Greaves, Vice-Chair
Head of Crimewatch (Community Safety) Programme, Wandsworth Council since 1989.
Qualifications: MA (Cantab) RIBA, MCIOB, MBeng
Experience: I have 14 years’ experience in Community Safety and over 28 years’ in local government. Having changed from a career as a Chartered Architect at management level in 1989 to my current position, I combine project management and design skills with extensive knowledge and expertise in Community Safety. I currently head a Division of over 20 and manage a budget of around £3m. The Division has 2 Chartermarks and is accredited for Investors in People.
Former chairman (1989) and Board member of Wandsworth Safer Cities Project (1989-1993); former chairman of the then London Boroughs Association’s Crime Prevention Advisors Group (1991-1993); a policing adviser to the Association of London Government (1993-1997); currently a member of the Local Government Association’s Community Safety Advisers Group (1994 to date). I have served on Home Office working groups on Vehicle Crime, Station Security, Information Sharing, and Neighbourhood Watch (as the LGA representative). I have lectured on Partnership at Bramshill Police Training College.
Key Achievements: At Wandsworth, key achievements include the introduction of CCTV (1990); the development, with the private sector, of Omnidata (1992), a support Unit for Neighbourhood Watch (1992), Safer Stations (1992), crime mapping (1993), the first EU funded crime prevention conference in Europe (1995). At the LGA, I have served as a member of various working groups.
Views: I believe that Community Safety is still not widely understood or accepted, in spite of the efforts of the NCSN and others, and that there are significant tasks ahead in building greater understanding of the scope of what Community Safety practitioners do and in developing training and career development.
Mike Batty, Treasurer
I work for Stockton on Tees Borough Council as Head of Community Protection, which includes responsibility for Community Safety, Security, Youth Offending Service, Environmental Health, and Trading Standards & Licensing.
I have been with Stockton for five years, and have previously worked for five other local authorities, starting with Enfield in 1982, and progressing via Waltham Forest, Leicester, Rochdale and Easington.
I am a 'jack of all trades', with experience of housing, community development, and a range of leisure and community development services, plus some corporate policy work.
I believe that the great strength of the Network is that it is strongly rooted in grass roots practice, unlike some of the larger established professional institutes. This is an exciting time to join the Board, with the appointment of the staff team, which will obviously place new demands on Board Members, in terms of policy development, and adjusting relationships.
I also believe that it is essential to continue to build up the credibility of the Network with Whitehall, so that it can be used to get the views, experience and frustrations of practitioners heard by the upper echelons. In tandem with this, the Network needs to develop the skills and experience of community safety practitioners so that they can make a strong case for community safety amid the multiplicity of priorities and competition for resources which face local authorities and other public service agencies. Finally, I think it is important for the North East Region to be represented on the Board, because of the high levels of crime and disorder suffered by parts of the Region, and because of the good progress made in reducing crime and disorder in recent years.
Stephen Carr
Stephen is currently community safety manager for Cardiff and was community safety manager (formerly officer) for Blaenau Gwent from January 2003 until January 2006. He's a member of the Wales Association of Community Safety Officers (WACSO) and was the organisation's chair for 2005/6, and also a member of the All Wales Community Safety Forum, co-ordinated by the Welsh Local Government Association in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government and Home Office regional office, and the Wales Youth Crime Prevention Forum.
Stephen is one of only four Home Office Advanced Associate Trainers (AATs) in Wales and one of only 30 across the UK. He is also acting as an advisor to Centrex and the Home Office regional office on the development of the new modular training framework for partnerships.
As community safety manager for Cardiff he is one of the key officers involved in the implementation of the first wave of Single-Non-Emergency-Number (SNEN) programmes and the development of a SNEN multi-agency community safety tasking process incorporating the National Intelligence Model (NIM) and Home Office approved problem-solving tools.
Prior to becoming a community safety professional, he was previously managing director of Oasis youth diversion project in Merthyr Tydfil in 2002 and, until December 2001, had been a journalist for 16 years. Stephen has also been a public relations and marketing manager. However, his involvement in community safety dates back to 1991 when, as news editor of the Hereford, Leominster & Ross-on-Wye Journals, he was invited to become a member of Hereford City Crime Prevention Panel and Herefordshire Police/Community Liaison Committee.
Stephen was also chair of Merthyr Tydfil Crime Prevention Panel from May 2000 until January 2003.
back to the top
Denise Casbolt
Denise Casbolt has had a career in crime for 16 years, always in the community safety/partnership context. She was based in communities whilst working for Nacro and her current position is Partnership Director of Barnsley Community Safety Partnership. Denise was Chair of the Board of Directors / Trustees from December 2003 until December 2006. As a Network member she has participated in the planning group for the production of the Community Safety Good Ideas Annual. She also represents Barnsley Councils Chief Executive on the LGA's Community Safety Advisory Group, and has participated in a number of strategic groupings in the town she works in, and in South Yorkshire.
She has passions about the work, which are - partnership development, inclusion of the community and voluntary sectors, young people and restorative justice. Densie also runs a home, is a wife and mother, adores chocolate, and sings.
Michael McCrory
Currently employed as Community Safety Co-ordinator with Magherafelt Area Partnership in Northern Ireland, Michael's main role is to introduce the concept of community safety to the community by developing a Community Safety Partnership and supporting its work and projects.
Michael maintains that Community Safety has a very wide definition, and is also involved in establishing and managing Towns Partnerships to involve agencies and community groups in managing their towns in the district. He also manages the CCTV system.
Previously, Michael worked with various community groups throughout the province. The main part of his work was to introduce interagency working in solving community problems.
back to the top
Andy Pownall
Currently working for Halton B.C., where I have been for 11 years, I co-manage our multi agency Community Safety Team which comprises of six Council employees and six Police staff.
My past posts include Housing management and Strategic Policy. During my time in Housing I attained an Honours Degree in Housing Studies and became a full member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
I have worked in Community Safety for six years and have extensive knowledge of "what works" from both a Strategic point and, more importantly, within Local communities. I have spoken at several national conferences on Section 17 and Halton’s approach to Alleygating.
I presently chair the Cheshire Crime and Disorder Practitioner Group and vice chair the Government Office North West Community Safety Forum. I consider the experience of these two groups to certainly complement the ideals of the National Community Safety Network and the natural link is invaluable. I feel I can ensure that all these groups work together and reduce duplication, which in itself will progress the individual and joint initiatives of these bodies.
In conclusion I consider there is still a lot to be done in the field of Community Safety, new challenges and pressures are constantly being put on Community Safety Partnerships. It is our task to work with Partnerships and ensure that good practice is transparent and shared both regionally and nationally. Finally, I feel I can meet the challenge and already have the contacts to further the Network’s objectives specifically in the North West.
back to the top
Professor Gordon Hughes
Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Sub-Dean Research – Open University
My current research interest lies broadly in the exploration of the governance of public safety and the growing salience of appeals to ‘community’ in crime control, both in the UK and internationally, under late modern conditions.
I currently co-ordinate both the UK and European ‘Governance of Public Safety Research Networks’, under the auspices of the British and European Societies of Criminology. From October 2003 I will take a visiting professorship at the Criminology Department, University of Melbourne, Australia.
I have developed and taught a wide range of both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in sociology, criminology and social policy for over twenty years. Since joining the Open University in 1995 I have been a leading course team member and author of a number of undergraduate courses.
back to the top
If you are interested in being involved with the NCSN either nationally as a Director, or regionally as a representative please contact Jan Pyne: Tel: 01244 322314
T: 01244 322314
E: 