Safe Harbour Programme in Gdynia

Gdynia faces a number of diverse challenges connected with the local safety. As the city continues to change and expand, it is confronted with responsibilities and complexities of any fast-developing city. Major obstacles are ranging from inadequate capacity of the road network, a growing number of cars and insufficient parking spaces to growing social stratification that deepens the differences in the citizens'quality of life and therefore triggers pathological behaviours, homelessness or littering. The police reports show that the crime rate in Gdynia is decreasing but the number of such criminal offences as thefts, car thefts or damages is increasing. Accordingly, the city authorities and uniformed services like Gdynia City Guard or the police are determined to reduce the crimes that affect our community.

Gdynia Final of the Program - The police seal teaches safety rules

The police have introduced a 3-year prevention programme "Safe Harbour". It is divided into thematic areas such as safety in public places and places of residence and safety of the passengers using public transport. The police intensify patrols in the city centre and all means of public transport. Other problems are domestic violence, alcoholism, drug addiction and other signs of social pathology. To prevent these problems there operate interdisciplinary teams of policemen, city guards and psychologists. Other thematic areas are improvement of the road traffic safety, safety in business and protection of the national heritage.

The city makes all effort to enhance public safety and reduce the incidence of crime by implementinga number of educational and prevention programmes. They are addressed to school children and they are adjusted to particular age groups. The police implement the fourth edition of a programme for children from private and state schools -'The police seal teaches safety rules'. Another programme coordinated by Gdynia City Guard is 'Be safe'. Both programmes are aimed at preparing primary school students to cope with threatening situations like how to respondto meeting a stranger or howto behaveasa pedestrian. Moreover, starting from the first grade of primary school, children are taught how they can help the environment and therefore influence their communities. Other programmes worth noticing are the campaign against addictions and a programme about aggression and peer violence that are introduced in primary schools. For junior high school studentsthe police realize "Small Theatrical Forms"during which the students present short performances on such problems as drug addiction, alcoholism and violence.