To receive an update on ASB issues in Wisbech.
Minutes:
Michael Basford, Neighbouring Policing Team Inspector, Dan Horn and Alan Boughen provided an update on ASB issues in Wisbech.
Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows:
· Councillor Hicks stated that he attended a meeting with some residents from West End, March and was informed by the officers in attendance that officers have not got enough time to police on the beat as they are spread too thinly looking after March and the surrounding villages between two officers. He asked how the Police intended to make a visible presence when there are so few officers covering a big area? Michael Basford responded that neighbourhood policing does cover a large area, and work does need to be prioritised. He continued, with the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, resources are redirected to dedicated officers to specific areas, and they will be dedicated to being visible and available to the members of the community in those specific communities but disagreed with the comment that the Police are spread too thinly.
· Councillor Booth asked if the Police will be more visible in the surrounding villages as this has been lacking for many years? Michael Basford responded in the affirmative.
· Councillor Woollard stated there has been a lot of talk concerning Wisbech, but this anti-social behaviour is prevalent in all of the towns and he has seen first-hand the issues March Town has had and would like some assurance that the initiatives that are being introduced will spread across the whole of Fenland rather than concentrating in Wisbech alone. Michael Basford assured the committee that this project will be rolled out across the whole of Fenland.
· Councillor Barber asked if Police visibility is going to be a regular presence in the towns? Michael Basford confirmed this was going to be the case with dedicated specific resources to that role. He continued the neighbourhood policing team is also supported by other teams with the help of specific funding, enabling an uplift in officers in and around town centres across the Northern District of Cambridgeshire with Peterborough included which is still a developing area but should soon see an uplift in officers in the Horse Fair at Wisbech and an increase in visible policing.
· Councillor Booth asked how long it was going to take before officers are seen in place? Michael Basford replied that 36 people were being interviewed this week and there is a plan to have them in a post within 28 days. Councillor Booth commented on the shortness of time as he imagined it was quite a few months to be trained to become a police officer. Michael Basford confirmed they were taking existing officers from other departments and bring them into neighbourhood policing and their role will be backfilled with new staff.
· Councillor Hicks asked how many new officers there will be in total? Michael Basford replied across the Northern Division, which includes Peterborough, there will be 36 new officers, however, currently at the moment unfortunately there are several vacancies to be filled with a further three officers needed to bring the number up across the board to 17 neighbourhood police officers which does not include himself.
· Councillor Barber suggested having a whole day of tackling on street parking and issuing parking tickets as this is becoming an issue across the towns and villages within the Fenland area. Michael Basford confirmed that parking tickets are given out, but the Police workload has to be prioritised, and he hopes one day civil parking is introduced into the Fenland area. Councillor Barber reiterated the point and feels this would be a good deterrent. Michael Basford confirmed that after 20 years of monitoring the work put in place it has proved that ticketing is not a particularly effective deterrent.
· Councillor Booth agreed with what has been said and stated that in Parson Drove there has been issues parking outside the school and in his experience many people will just pay the parking ticket and continue to park illegally. Michael Basford gave assurance that officers will be targeting the higher risk areas such as primary schools.
· Councillor Sennitt Clough stated in the presentation it was mentioned about ASB and young offenders and she would like to know how he has found working with schools and has this been effective in trying to prevent young people from participating in ASB? Michael Basford responded there is a dedicated school’s officer in place and they work very closely with himself and the team for information sharing which can be very effective to build a picture of every aspect of the child’s life. Councillor Sennitt Clough found this very reassuring as she understands some ASB is linked to things going on in the individual’s life.
· Councillor Roy referred to the ‘yes scheme traffic light system’ mentioned in the report and asked if there are any statistics to back up how effective it has been at each level? Michael Basford confirmed he did not have any statistics with him but stated there are individuals that are known to the Police and other agencies in a number of Market Towns, and it has been noted that these names are coming to the Police and partners attention a lot less frequently and the first impression is that this scheme is having an impact.
Members noted the information provided.