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 2018/19, and includes the performance report relating to CCTV services for 2018.

Councillor Boden agreed to consider this agenda item first to allow PC David Arnold (Cambridgeshire Constabulary) to leave the meeting and return to his duties.

Members considered the Fenland Community Safety Partnership (FCSP) report.

PC David Arnold explained that Inspector Ian Lombardo was due to attend today’s meeting on behalf of Cambridgeshire Constabulary however had been called away on urgent police business and sent his apologies.

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

1.    Councillor Boden stated that Councillor Mrs Laws had submitted a question in relation to this item. She asked why data on Whittlesey Food Bank had not been included in the statistics reported (page 98 of the Agenda Pack). Dan Horn agreed to investigate why this data was not included and report back to members.

2.    Councillor Boden asked for further information on the amber status in relation to scam awareness (page 91 of the Agenda Pack). Councillor Oliver explained that an amber status means the action requires intervention to ensure the target is met. He stated that the work in relation to Cybercrime is relatively new, having only been subject to a strategic assessment at the FCSP meeting in October 2018. The action remained amber as the number of people who had completed the training course had not been confirmed. He confirmed that at the FCSP meeting in January 2019, the Police, Fire Services and the Council all confirmed they had completed the training therefore this action will change to green going forward.

3.    Councillor Oliver added that they are now widening the scope of this training and teams within the organisations can complete the training online. He agreed to provide members with the link to the online training course. Councillor Tierney confirmed that he had completed the course and found it very useful.

4.    Aarron Locks stated that the online course takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and he is hopeful that the knowledge gained from this will be passed on throughout the community.

5.    Councillor Boden asked if the Council informs local businesses of the risks of Cybercrime. PC David Arnold explained that the Police have specially-trained officers and a dedicated Cybercrime department that deals with this crime. He confirmed that Cybercrime affects businesses as well as individuals in the community.

6.    Councillor Boden suggested that the Council focuses on making businesses aware of the risks of Cybercrime. Aarron Locks explained that the strategic assessment carried out on Cybercrime focused on individuals in the community and those that are deemed most vulnerable. The Council engaged with the Police during this process and he agreed to feedback this suggestion to the Police and FCSP.

7.    Councillor Owen asked which specific age groups are more likely to fall victim to Cybercrime. Aarron Locks explained that the assessment identifies parts of the community most at risk and higher-risk age groups. The most vulnerable members of the community are the older generation however the younger generation are also considered high risk as they are more likely to partake in high risk behaviour online and are the most connected.

8.    Councillor Boden asked how widespread a problem Cybercrime is in Fenland. Aarron Locks explained that Cybercrime tends to be under reported and victims may find it hard to report due to embarrassment they may feel. He added that many of these crimes are not recorded, as bank fraud is not necessarily dealt with by the Police and it is believed that a large amount of Cybercrime is unreported.

9.    Councillor Oliver agreed and stated that many Banks do not report Cybercrime fraud to the Police if the value falls under a certain monetary threshold therefore it is difficult to quantify the amount of victims of this crime.

10.Councillor Boden said that Cybercrime is becoming increasingly sophisticated and there needs to be more awareness on this.

11.Councillor Boden said that he was disappointed with the Police’s response in relation to the number of female offenders in Fenland (page 98 of the Agenda Pack). He asked how statistically significant this is and whether there are any reasons why Fenland has such a high proportion of female offenders compared to the rest of region. Councillor Oliver confirmed that further research needs to be undertaken in relation to these statistics but unfortunately the Police have not had the resources available to complete this research. He confirmed that the FCSP had agreed that an analysis of female offenders in Fenland will be undertaken as part of the end of year review.

12.Councillor Boden asked if the findings of this analysis are significant, that they be bought back to Overview & Scrutiny Committee. Dan Horn agreed to provide this information to members when it is available.

13.Councillor Tierney stated that the Police have other areas to prioritise over statistical analysis. Councillor Boden agreed but said it would be useful for members to receive further information on the extent of this issue in Fenland.

14.Councillor Boden asked how the Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) priorities are managed within Fenland. Dan Horn explained that discussions are ongoing with the PCC in regards to this and place-based action plans will be undertaken to ensure that the district feeds into the countywide priorities set by the PCC.

15.Councillor Boden asked for further information on the effectiveness of the FCSP. Councillor Oliver explained that the partnership works well and all priorities are either completed annually or escalated to the next level. He added that in the future the FCSP is interested in working closely with the PCC.

16.Councillor Tierney stated that whilst the FCSP does undertake positive work, there are issues within the community such as homelessness and street drinking that need to be resolved further. Dan Horn agreed that multiagency issues such as these can be difficult to tackle and the FCSP discussed at length the issue of street drinking at their meeting in January. He explained that the FCSP are considering other solutions to this issue.

17. Councillor Boden explained that the view of the community is that they do not feel as safe as Fenland’s low crime statistics suggest. The perception is that Fenland has a higher level of crime than it actually does and asked how we can change this perception in the community. PC David Arnold explained that people do not see the presence of the Police as much as they would like. Whilst the Police cannot be seen all the time, they are keen to promote that they are there for people and offer reassurance to the public. He explained that one of the ways they can achieve this is by taking 10-15 minutes out of their shift to patrol areas which improves the public perception of Police presence in the community.

18.Aarron Locks agreed and said the Police had increased their social media presence over the past 12-18 months releasing ‘good news’ stories which should assist with reducing the public’s fear. PC David Arnold added that the Police have reached a lot of people via the use of social media. Officers are also engaging in public Q&A sessions too.

19.Councillor Boden highlighted that whilst social media can be used to promote positive stories, negative stories are also circulated online which gives the impression to the public that crime is more prevalent than it actually is.

20.Councillor Boden said that the presence of the Police in the community has reduced over recent years and asked how the FCSP balance their resources between safeguarding work and crime reduction. Dan Horn responded that the FCSP form a work programme from the annual strategic assessments and try to balance both of these areas with the resources available.

21.Councillor Boden highlighted that one of the key areas in Fenland that frustrates residents is parking related issues. Councillor Oliver agreed and said this is a national problem. One of the main issues is that it is very difficult to solve as many agencies are involved. He confirmed that the PCC and Cambridgeshire County Council are in discussions with how this can be rectified and a collective approach is required. He welcomed any suggestions from members.

22.Councillor Tierney said there were options available to enforce parking contraventions but agencies are not always willing to support and fund it. He suggested that one of the options available is reintroducing Traffic Wardens into the community. Councillor Oliver reiterated that this is a complex issue that would involve multiple agencies.

23.Councillor Mrs Mayor stated that she had read an article recently in a national newspaper, about residents funding private security patrols to tackle parking contraventions. She asked if Kingdom’s enforcement powers could be expanded to include this area as the Council’s Streetscene officers are limited in what they can do. Councillor Oliver confirmed that this is one option available but this would require the Police to transfer powers over to these agencies. He explained that the main issue is funding, as if enforcement agencies are used any fines generated are paid back to Central Government and not retained by local authorities.

24.Gary Garford confirmed that CCC as Highway Authority would need to decriminalise on street parking to empower districts to take their own action.

25.Councillor Tierney highlighted that if parking enforcement was profitable, the Police would still undertake this function. He suggested that Town Councils may be interested in discussing the options available with the relevant agencies.

26.Councillor Boden agreed that there are alternative routes that can be explored in relation to parking enforcement.

Councillor Boden thanked PC David Arnold for his attendance at today’s meeting.