Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to set out how the Fenland Community Safety Partnership (referred to as partnership) identifies priorities for Fenland. The report also details an up to date performance picture for 2019/20, and includes the performance report relating to CCTV services for 2019.

Members considered the Fenland Community Safety Partnership priorities report presented by Councillor Mrs Wallwork.

She introduced members to Inspector Ian Lombardo (Cambridgeshire Constabulary) and welcomed him to today’s meeting.

Members asked questions, made comments and received responses as follows;

1.    Councillor Miscandlon asked if the Police intend to continue with the community hub interface in Fenland. Inspector Lombardo confirmed that the Police will continue this line of engagement and hope to increase this throughout the coming year. He confirmed that members will shortly be invited to attend a meeting with the Police in relation to this.

2.    Councillor Booth highlighted that the Council had previously attended community meetings in the district’s villages alongside the Police and asked for commitment that the Council would revert back to this process, as over recent months there has been no representation from them. Dan Horn explained that the Council try to consult with residents subject to the resource available and confirmed that the Council work closely with the Police and try to hold community events in town locations which the rural community visit too, such as supermarkets.

3.    Councillor Booth reiterated that these community engagement events are held in the district’s towns and as a result, the villages do not benefit. Councillor Mrs Wallwork explained that the resources are placed in locations with the greatest need however she agreed to review this.

4.    Councillor Miscandlon stated that previously villages had been visited by the Police’s mobile police station and asked if there were plans to reintroduce this. Inspector Lombardo confirmed that this approach is no longer taken however the Police are committed to increased public engagement in locations across the district.

5.    Councillor Wicks asked what the Police’s timeline is for improving the online reporting facility for criminal intelligence. Inspector Lombardo confirmed that work is ongoing in improving this service and members will be kept updated with the progress of this.

6.    Councillor Wicks stated that previously Trading Standard’s Little Book of Scams was available for residents and asked if this it still being circulated. Inspector Lombardo explained that this information is available online and work has been undertaken to engage with the older generation at community events to ensure the information reaches them. Councillor Mrs Wallwork confirmed that a small number of printed versions are still available but agreed to circulate the web link to members.

7.    Councillor Hay referenced minute OSC40/18 and asked if the analysis of women offender’s in Fenland had taken place yet. Councillor Mrs Wallwork explained that following a higher priority demand placed upon the Police and as a result of the introduction of a new multi-functional recording application, this analysis had not been completed. She confirmed that the partnership had discussed this work at the recent January 2020 meeting and agreed that the introduction of ‘Essentials by Sue’ (page 53 of the agenda pack) will reduce female offending in Fenland. She assured members that the level of female offending in Fenland was not significantly above the national average.

8.    Councillor Mrs Wallwork confirmed that loan-sharks can increase the level of female offending, as females are most likely to fall victim to this crime, and confirmed that the Fenland Community Safety Partnership (FCSP) will be delivering training on this.

9.    Councillor Mrs Bligh stated that the Police reports to parish councils do not contain enough information on crimes committed in the rural areas of the district. Inspector Lombardo explained that report intends to give an overview of the work being undertaken by the Police but the proposed community engagement meetings will focus on local areas and specifics of the crimes committed in these rural neighbourhoods. He added that the Police will also be setting up an email account which will circulate more detailed information to members. 

10.Councillor Cornwell asked for further information in relation to 4.4 of the report. Dan Horn explained that there is a higher risk for younger drivers when driving at work.

11.Councillor Cornwell suggested that the training should include training for users of mopeds and motorbikes and the partnership should engage with those below the legal driving age to educate them early. Alan Boughen explained that the Cambs Drive iQ work is delivered by the Police and Crime Commissioner to sixth form students and focuses on improving hazard awareness and road safety which are transferable to both mopeds and motorcycles too.

12.Councillor Cornwell asked why Chatteris were not included in the Cambs Drive iQ work (page 60 of the agenda pack). Alan Boughen explained that all schools and education facilities were approached however Chatteris did not participate.

13.Councillor Booth praised the work with young drivers but requested that speeding offences are given a higher priority in the FCSP as there is a general community concern about speeding. He stated that whilst there are speed watch groups, they need the Police to support the enforcement action. Inspector Lombardo explained that the Police have recently recruited 15 special officers and they will be focusing on community concerns such as speeding. He explained that the Police collect speed data which allows them to target specific areas and take a focused approach on tackling speeding.

14.Councillor Wicks highlighted the non-statutory partners referenced in 3.3 of the report and asked if the FCSP engage with any other housing associations aside from Clarion. Dan Horn explained that Clarion is the largest provider of affordable and social housing in the district but the Council do work alongside other housing associations too.

15.Councillor Miscandlon asked if street drinking in Wisbech has reduced as referenced in the report (page 61 of the agenda pack). Councillor Mrs Wallwork confirmed that street drinking is declining however work is still ongoing in relation to the public perception of this as residents still believe it is an ongoing issue in Wisbech.

16.Councillor Miscandlon asked what other evidence is available to show that street drinking has reduced in Wisbech. Councillor Mrs Wallwork explained that the town now benefits from a day hub for street drinkers which is highly attended and has significantly improved the figures. She added that there has been successful partnership work to tackle street drinking with Police offering additional support where necessary.

17.Councillor Booth highlighted that street drinking is still a concern amongst the community and asked how reliable the Police and CCTV statistics are, as cases of street drinking may occur in areas not covered by cameras or police presence. Councillor Mrs Wallwork agreed that work is required to tackle the public perception of street drinking and explained that not all CCTV incidents are reportable to the Police. She stated that incidents that occur outside of CCTV coverage can also be picked up by other reporting methods. Dan Horn explained that street drinking involves a multi-agency approach and many teams are involved in the collection of this data, including the Police, CCTV and the Council’s street cleansing team who feed information through to the multi-agency group.

18.Councillor Mrs Bligh asked that primary schools are included in the ‘Essentials by Sue’ campaign. Councillor Mrs Wallwork confirmed that primary schools will be contacted about this very positive campaign.

19.Councillor Booth asked why the ‘Essentials by Sue’ campaign is not included in the Health and Wellbeing Strategy as its association to crime and the FCSP is incorrect. Inspector Lombardo explained that the campaign features in the FCSP due to the level of theft associated with sanitary products. Councillor Mrs Wallwork agreed to identify the cross overs contained in both reports. 

20.Councillor Booth agreed as including it in the FCSP can stigmatise offenders of these crimes

21.Councillor Cornwell agreed that a cohesive approach needs to be taken in relation to the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the FCSP to ensure interaction between the two.

22.Councillor Skoulding asked if the Police provide first response to the other emergency services as the fire service do. Inspector Lombardo explained that the Police do provide first response where an ambulance is not available and as a result, officers are trained and carry advanced medical equipment on-board. He added that the Police and Fire Services attend weekly co-ordination meetings too.

23.Councillor Skoulding highlighted an issue with parking outside of schools across the district. Inspector Lombardo agreed to raise this as a community concern with special officers.  

Members thanked Inspector Lombardo for his attendance at today’s meeting.

The Overview and Scrutiny Panel considered and noted; the current performance of the partnership for 2019/20, the themes chosen for 202/21 remain linked to the PCC plan namely supporting victims, stronger communities and reducing offending and the CCTV performance report for 2019/20.