Community Cohesion

What is Community Cohesion?

The Welsh Government’s Strategy for Community Cohesion, “Getting On Together,” defines community cohesion as:

“Community cohesion is what must happen in all communities for different groups to get along well. A key part of this is integration, allowing new and existing residents to adjust to each other. Our vision of an integrated and cohesive community rests on three pillars:

• People from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities.  

• People know their rights and responsibilities.

• People trust each other and local institutions to act fairly.

There are three main ways to live together:

• A shared vision for the future and a sense of belonging.

• A focus on what new and existing communities share, while valuing diversity.

• Strong, positive relationships among people from different backgrounds.

Cohesion Action Plan

Alongside the “Getting On Together” Strategy, the Welsh Government has a national Cohesion Action Plan, implemented locally in the Vale of Glamorgan. The Action Plan includes:

• Action Plan Themes

  • Raising awareness of hate crime, including reporting and available support.

  • Engaging with the Gypsy and Traveller community.
  • Collaborating with Community First Cluster Areas.
  • Addressing the needs of asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants.
  • Raising awareness of human trafficking and modern slavery, including reporting and support
  • Ensuring local policies promote cohesion and good relationships.
  • Setting up systems to report and address issues that might raise community tension

Community Tension Monitoring

All communities can face tensions that may lead to conflict. These can vary by area and may occur between:

• Different ethnic or faith groups.

• New arrivals and long-term residents.

• Young and older people.

• Wealthier and less affluent communities. 

• Neighbouring areas. 

It’s crucial for the Vale of Glamorgan Council and its partners to have current information on community cohesion. This helps identify potential tension hotspots and enables early, supportive actions.

• Tension Monitoring Form 

   

  This form collects insights from local authority staff and partner organisations. The gathered information will: 

  • Feed into the Police tension monitoring process. 

  • Help create a neighbourhood-level picture of emerging issues. 

  • Enable positive, proactive responses to community concerns.

• Important Notes

  • This process does not replace formal systems for reporting crime or hate incidents.

  • It combines data from various sources to build intelligence.

  • It captures ‘softer’ information—like local knowledge, unreported incidents, rumours, and community concerns.

Vale of Glamorgan Community Cohesion Group

Community cohesion focuses on building strong, positive relationships among people from different backgrounds so they can live and work together harmoniously. When communities lack cohesion, tensions can arise, leading to division, increased crime, disorder, and antisocial behaviour.

The Vale of Glamorgan Community Cohesion Group unites organisations, agencies, community groups, and local representatives to enhance community life and cohesion. The Group aims to:

1. Strengthen communication and information-sharing between the community, the Vale of Glamorgan Council, and South Wales Police (SWP).

2. Foster a culture of openness and transparency among all partners.

3. Support and promote initiatives that help create a more cohesive, inclusive, and enjoyable community.

Objectives

At each Community Cohesion Group meeting, members work towards these goals by: 

• Exchanging information on key community issues like hate crime, antisocial behaviour, and domestic abuse.

• Advising the Council and SWP on community needs, tensions, and emerging issues.

• Learning new strategies from the Council and SWP to enhance community cohesion and policing.

• Creating partnership opportunities to boost confidence in reporting hate crimes and improve satisfaction with police responses.
• Discussing incidents and trends affecting community relations and cohesion.
• Sharing ideas and best practices to enhance community engagement and foster inclusion.

Hate Crime

What Is a Hate Crime?

A hate crime is a criminal act against a person or property that is perceived by the victim—or anyone else—to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on: 

• Race

• Religion or belief

• Disability

• Sexual orientation

• Gender identity (including transgender identity)

• Nationality

• Age

A hate incident is a non-criminal act where prejudice is a factor in targeting the victim. 

All hate crimes are hate incidents, but not all hate incidents are hate crimes.

• Examples of Hate Crime

  Hate crime can be physical, verbal, or psychological,and may include

  • Physical assault

  • Verbal abuse or threats

  • Offensive letters or phone calls

  • Vandalism or graffiti

  • Intimidating or threatening behaviour

   

  Anyone can be a victim of hate crime. It’s personal, and no one should suffer due to the ignorance of others. 

• Reporting a Hate Crime

  In an emergency, call South Wales Police on 999.

   

  You can report a hate crime, including online hate crime and planned marches or events online. 

   

  Alternatively you can:

  • Call 101

  • Visit a police station 

   

  You can also report hate crime to Victim Support, the official National Hate Crime Report and Support Centre for Wales:

   

  You can contact them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 0300 30 31 982 or visit them online.  

Contact Information

For more information on cohesion, please contact the Vale of Glamorgan Community Cohesion Co-ordinator:

• Rachel Slade: Communitysafety@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk