FIRST and best in the UK. That is the title Chelmsford now holds for its safer communities policy.

The local authority has become the first organisation in the country to receive the World Health Organisation’s designation to become a member of its International Safe Communities Network.

The accolade puts it at the forefront of schemes to fight crime and reduce injuries.

On Monday, representatives from the World Health Organisation attended the signing ceremony in Chelmsford Council’s chamber with representatives of Essex Police, Essex Fire and Rescue, Mid Essex PCT, the county council and Essex Probation – all members of the Safer Chelmsford Partnership.

Bo Henricson, senior adviser of the WHO’s collaborating centre on community safety promotion, told the meeting: “It is a wonderful day for you and the work you are doing.

“You can never stop such things as accidents, violence and suicides happening, but you can increase the quality of life and decrease things that do happen.

“People love to live in a safe community and people will want to move here as well as businesses.”

The council had to go through three stages to achieve the designation – the application, a site visit and a designation ceremony.

The award was described as recognition for the activities delivered by the Safer Chelmsford Partnership over the past ten years.

Figures that supported the designation have seen crime down by 500 incidents – a reduction of 6.35 per cent, residents’ views of anti-social behaviour have fallen to 9.3 per cent and their perceptions of drunk or rowdy behaviour seen as a problem down to 17.9 per cent. There has also been increased community engagement and safety schemes, such as the taxi marshals introduced.

Steve Packham, Chelmsford Council’s chief executive, said: “It is an extremely important day for the borough of Chelmsford to have become an international safe community.”

Averil Price, the council’s director of safer communities, was the person responsible for getting the project off the ground.

She had returned from an international exchange to New Zealand in October 2008.

She explained she had visited a number of areas which had the designation.

She said: “The community has confidence if it sees everyone working together, which we do here.

“We will be carrying on working to make sure we maintain what has been achieved.”