Agenda item

The Director for Housing and Communities to provide a report setting out the proposed Community Safety Strategy 2021-23 which will lead to an annual Community Safety Action Plan to be compiled and reviewed by the Partnership to allow focused action and resource deployment for the forthcoming year. The Strategic Plan sets out how the Partnership will assess and act upon issues relating to crime and disorder across the borough for a three year timescale.

The Director for Housing and Communities, Mr Andrew Cotton and the Communities and Neighbourhoods Manager, Mr Albert Wilson, introduced the report the purpose of which was to set out the proposed Community Safety Strategy 2021-23. This would lead to an annual Community Safety Action Plan to be compiled and reviewed by the Partnership and would assess and act upon issues relating to crime and disorder across the borough for a three year timescale.

Mr Cotton highlighted the following:

Ø  The report would be going to Council in March 2021 for formal approval.

Ø  The Policy had a strong link to the corporate policies and excellent services and would allow the council to be connected to and led by the community.

Ø  Working with partner agencies allowed the council to get a greater understanding of a wide range of issues within the community.

Ø  Reintroducing the use of the community centres would help give focus on priority neighbourhoods and individuals within the community.

Ø  The Strategy would take a holistic approach to case management to understand why people behave as they do and try to influence change.

Ø  The Partnership meets on a quarterly basis to discuss and work around priorities.

During the discussion the following points were noted:

Ø  Members thanked Mr Cotton and Mr Wilson for the report.

Ø  The Fairmead housing estate is a known priority neighbourhood and the CSP scoped out the potential for using the community centre to deliver joined up services.

Ø  The case management teams and the new Neighbourhood Support Officer would predominantly be working from the community centre, post lockdown.

Ø  The new tenancy agreements would allow them to take more action from a council perspective on individuals who are causing issues.

Ø  The police had been targeting key areas that are known for drug related crime over the last year.

Ø  The partnership focussed on and addressed issues in regard to rural crime and the police were increasing patrols in rural areas where crimes had been committed. The partnership would look at addressing all issues in the rural areas as and when they arise.

Ø  Through the networks that had been built up through the Community Hub and the knowledge gained regarding vulnerable people within the community there had been an improvement on how to better target and support individuals.

Ø  The council had engaged with the NHS and local health leads across the county in order to better understand resident’s issues.

Ø  The council had engaged with local community groups and Facebook groups to assist with low level mental health issues.

Ø  The Partnership would look to improve engagement with the parish councils who as valid stakeholders could give targeted information and intelligence on their communities. The police already had regular discussions with the parish councils regarding such priorities.

Ø  Post lockdown, a forum would be organised for all parish councils and a representative from the CSP would attend to give a presentation on how the CSP operates, the priorities going forward and how it would work in partnership with the parish councils.

Ø  The CSP is in liaison with LCC and the Highways Team on how to reduce speeding motorbikes through rural villages.

Ø  Consideration would be given to improving communication around safety implications for cyclists in rural areas following an increase in the number of cycles on the roads following lockdown.

Ø  Work had been undertaken with the violence reduction network in schools and is also focussed on working with young people under the age of 25.

Ø  The People Board, which is a partner of the CSP, engages with Age UK regularly regarding the recent increase in scams and fraud targeted the elderly and infirm. These issues were reported back to the CSP.

The Committee,

RESOLVED

that the contents of the report and the ongoing contribution of the Community Safety Partnership to ASB issues across the Borough and the direction of travel for the Community Safety Partnership be NOTED.