- Report to follow
5.10pm to 5.50pm
Minutes:
The Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing introduced Shaun Morley as the Head of Community Safety and Regulatory Services and invited him to present the report to the Committee.
The purpose of the report was to provide a short overview as to the development of a new integrated partnership approach to managing anti-social behaviour (ASB) and update on the operational activity and development of Operation Blofeld.
Chesterfield Borough Council had developed an effective Community Safety Partnership (which included, Chesterfield Borough Council representatives, Derbyshire County Council, Police, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue, Health, Probation Service etc).
The role of the partnership was to coordinate delivery of appropriate actions that would support the reduction of crime and anti-social behaviour in Chesterfield and contribute to the overall safety of Chesterfield residents, visitors and businesses.
Given this core function and the strong role that the community safety partnership plays in tackling anti-social behaviour and criminality, the partnership had been restructured to include a number of thematic groups. Each of the thematic groups’ action plans would include key objectives, actions, and performance measures. The Community Safety Partnership would hold each thematic group accountable, and their progress would be reviewed on a quarterly basis.
It was noted that Chesterfield Borough Council was developing a new strategy to tackle ASB based on the principles of integrated multi-agency working, early intervention and prevention, proportionate enforcement, diversion, and effective engagement. The new strategy would see an integrated approach to tackling ASB at a strategic, tactical and operational level with the Community Safety partnership setting the objectives and developing the Chesterfield Borough plan. This would then be driven and managed at a tactical level by a multi-agency officer group that will meet on a bi-weekly basis. Finally, an operational tasking group of officers would also meet bi-weekly to manage current and merging ASB issues and provide integrated plans to tackle those issues.
The new multi-agency structure would include Housing, Environmental Health, Community Safety, Licensing, DCC Social Care, Police and Fire Service.
The report detailed volumes and categories of ASB incidents across the Chesterfield Wards over the last 12 months. Chesterfield Borough Council and partners would consistently and effectively collate and analyse this information and intelligence to understand the root causes of ASB issues and those involved or vulnerable to becoming involved in ASB. Putting in place positive, joined-up problem-solving activity to bring long term solutions to ASB by seeking to prevent incidents arising in the first instance. This activity would centre on evidence-based practice, in which we would proactively work alongside community organisations, educational establishments and statutory partners to tackle issues as soon as they arise, looking for local solutions and developing community resilience. We would therefore utilise a multi-agency problem solving approach as a means of delivering early intervention and prevention at a neighbourhood level.
The report also provided an update of enforcement actions carried out as part of Operation Blofeld.
It was anticipated that Chesterfield Borough Council’s new partnership approach to ASB would have a positive impact in the early identification of emerging issues, preventative, early intervention, appropriate enforcement, and the support of victims. The new structures and processes would need to be reviewed, evolved and evaluated.
The Chesterfield Delivery Plan for serious and organised crime had not yet been implemented but it was envisaged that an update would be provided to the scrutiny committee in the future.
A member asked a question relating to a specific area of the borough where they believed early intervention was needed to address ASB issues. The Head of Community Safety and Regulatory Services confirmed that areas such as Housing and Social Services needed to be joined up and structures were being put in place to be able to address these sort of issues sooner.
Members raised questions about the allocation of homeless people and the possibility of identifying their needs prior to any allocation decision, the current secondary schools working together to identify ASB and the reductions in PCSO numbers in Chesterfield.
Members were advised that currently to address ASB Youth there was high engagement in football activities and additional options needed to be driven by what the youth wanted so further activities could be developed. It was also recognised that due to recent Police recruitment drives it was inevitable that PCSO’s would apply for these roles. However, it was also noted that there was now active recruitment for more PCSO’s.
Members asked about “Purple Flag” and were advised that all licensed premises were on board and work was underway as to when this would be applied for, though no timescale was yet defined.
In response to members’ questions it was also confirmed that Police walk abouts would be done in line with the lighter nights to address ASB, also that all local drug issues will be prioritised accordingly despite ongoing County Lines policing.
A final member’s question was asked relating to using Councillors to communicate awareness to residents of what actions are being undertaken to address Crime and Disorder in their areas. It was accepted that there should be an increase in Councillor engagement with the Community Safety Partnership.
The Chair and Members thanked the Head of Community Safety and Regulatory Services and Superintendent Lambert for providing the update.
RESOLVED –
That the report be noted.