Agenda item

David Ellis, Portfolio Holder, David Wakelin, Corporate Director, Andy Callingham, Service Manager Public Protection and David Jayne, Community Safety and Safeguarding Manager attended the meeting to inform members about the work of the Crime and Disorder Partnership and provide essential background information about how the partnership works, and what it does, to enable them to determine issues for examination at the December meeting.

Local authorities and the police to work in partnership with other agencies to develop and implement a strategy for tackling crime and disorder in their area, working to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour and fear of crime.  Members were informed that the South Notts. Crime and Disorder partnership is made up of Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe and membership includes the three local authorities the Police, the fire and rescue authority, the clinical commissioning group. Ruth Hyde CEX Broxtowe is chair of the strategic group, and David Wakelin chair of the executive group which has responsibility for managing performance.   The Partnership has three strategic themes:

·         Early intervention

·         Prevention of offending

·         And increasing public confidence

 Allied to this are programme groups for:

·         Targeted support and Youth Justice Partnership

·         Substance misuse

·         Reducing re-offending

·         Hate crime

·         Domestic violence,

Reducing crime and anti-social behaviour is not just the Police and local authority working together but a whole range of organisations including community partners. Members learnt about locality working and how a whole range of partners including the local authority, housing providers, youth services, children’s centres and schools work together in a number of ways.  Information and data analysis enable focused interventions in high crime and antisocial behaviour areas which can include targeting offenders, improving physical environments, installing CCTV and supporting victims. Netherfield is a Partnership Plus which attracts extra resources to combat high crime and anti-social behaviour levels.

Gedling ASB/Vulnerable Persons Panel is chaired by the Community Safety and Safeguarding Manager. Referrals are taken from a wide range of agencies for vulnerability, including hate crime and repeat victimisation and there is a multiagency response for victims and families.  These groups work with victims and look at what makes people vulnerable, one of the key partners in this is the Mental Health from the County Council.

The ASB and Policing Act allow 6 powers to be used:

·         Injunctions to prevent annoyance and nuisance– none have been served as has not been necessary

·         Criminal behaviour orders – 3 served by the Police

·         Dispersal Powers – 4 undertaken by the Police

·         Community Protection Notices – 25 notices, possibly noise nuisance that has escalated

·         Public Space Orders – none served

·         Closure Orders – none served

There is also a community trigger where 3 cases of ASB in the last 6 months can result in the case being reviewed to see if they meet the threshold for action.  None of these have been issued.

Performance in Gedling on the whole is good and crime figures are falling.  Gedling performed better than the Community Safety Partnership average for all the main crime groups over the last 3 month rolling period – 2^nd best for all crime.   Performance for all crime types with the exception of robbery (placed 8^th) over the last 12 months – 2^nd for all crime and best performer for criminal damage.  Areas of concern and where the partnership is not performing well are dwelling robbery, robbery, vehicle crime and violence against a person with injury.

Overall crime 2015-2016 year to date is 7.7%down.  This has been bought about by sharing information, knowledge and expertise

Developments in the future to support and enhance this work include:

·         A Safer Nottingham Community Safety Partnership strategic away day: a partnership review – October 2015

·         Implementation of a new Family Service – November 2015

·         Improvements to Safeguarding procedures to include licensing

·         The effects of the Care Act 2014 on the Vulnerable Persons Panel improving work with local people identified to the district community safety partnerships

as vulnerable to, for example, antisocial behaviour and hate crime.

Members listened to the information provided and asked a number of questions relating to the presentation.

Members asked for clarification about how some of the figures were generated particularly in relation to violence against the person.  They were informed that the increase in incidents could in part be due to occurrences formerly being recorded as one incident; now each person involved is logged as a separate incident.  Concern was raised about how the partnership works with the City and numbers of perpetrators travelling from the City to Gedling to undertake crime.  There were informed there is a successful working partnership with the City but improved sharing of information and good practice would enhance this relationship.  Collaborative work is undertaken regarding domestic violence as the agencies involved tend to work across boundaries. Members were particularly concerned about the fall in the number of domestic violence incidents reported and this is one area where they would consider an increase in reported incidents as a positive.  The problem of policing legal highs was also discussed.

Members were reminded that this presentation was to enable them to consider which issues they would focus on at the next meeting when they will be scrutinising the work of the CRDP. Domestic violence was highlighted as one area of concern, Members will be asked to submit other areas for examination in advance of the meeting.

RESOLVED:

Request information regarding the recording of domestic violence incidents and the work undertaken by the Partnership to support victims and survivors