Daniel Buckley
My name is Daniel Buckley, and I work for Southend-on-Sea City Council as a Community Safety Officer. I began my role in August 2022 working alongside a determined and dedicated team that tackles crime and anti-social behaviour, aiming to make Southend a safer place.
I took on this role because I strive to help people. Within my time in the role, some but not all my training has included becoming a Hate Crime Ambassador and completing training in emergency first aid at work.
Being a hate crime ambassador allows me to work with potential victims of Hate Crime. I advise them on reporting and how to spread awareness.
Emergency first aid has enabled me to attend multiple incidents that have required me to utilise learnt skills. Assessing the situation and providing the necessary care and at times facilitating the attendance of an ambulance.
We are required to provide a high-visibility presence across the entire city and manage casework that can include managing residential complaints or the assembling of prosecution files in relation to persistent offenders.
One of the struggles we experience in our role is meeting demand despite possessing only a small team.
However, assisting us daily are our partners at Southend BID, Essex Police, Youth Services and others. We meet regularly to discuss, and problem solve ongoing issues.
A rewarding part of my role is being given the opportunity to attend community safety related events providing crime prevention awareness.
Most recently I took part in the Knife Angel project. I worked with volunteers to engage with the public. I was pleased that I was able to bring my own passion to the event and positively influence those who visited the monument. Working with the event organisers and volunteers to give advice on how to detect and avoid vulnerable people being targeted into knife enabled serious violence and ways of reporting their concerns, allowing people to grieve and share their stories of lost loved ones they held so dear to them and lost due to senseless violence
I provided an overview of the Knife Angel’s history, offered reporting advice, consoled those who had suffered at the hands of knife crime or serious violence, and signposted to related services. I found the Knife Angel to be a hard-hitting piece of art that attracted as much in admiration as poignancy. Visitors were given a white ribbon for them to personalise and pay their respects.
The Knife Angel project team were passionate about bringing the monument to Southend and starting difficult conversations around a subject that is plaguing communities across the Country. You can find out more about the knife angel here and where it will be heading to next:
Knife Angel Tour Details
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