Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and all those present introduced themselves.

The minutes of the meeting held on Friday 2 June 2017 were taken as read and confirmed as a correct record.

There were none to note.

The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interests in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations were made. 

The Board considered a report from Karen Earp, research and Insight Manager which gave an update on the Safer Communities Performance for Quarter 1 2017/18. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 5’, is filed with these minutes.

The Board discussed the information presented in Appendix 1 and were informed that there was an upward trend in reported crime levels overall. With regard to the increase in reporting of hate crimes, this was seen as an indicator of the success of the Hate Incident Project, which encouraged an increase in reporting.

It was explained that some data included in Appendix 1 was collected at different times of the year, from different sources which made it difficult to compare. For example, the Youth Offending Service tracked the cohort of offenders over the year which made it difficult to compare that on a quarterly basis with other crime data. Members were informed that this had been highlighted within the report against the individual data sets where this was the case.

The Board was informed that the new indicator ‘percentage of people that agree Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) has decreased or stayed the same’ had replaced the other two indicators related to ASB that had been included in the

Community Based Survey. Performance against this new indicator had decreased compared to the previous quarter; officers would continue to closely monitor performance.

The Board was informed that the Risk Harm Rating Dashboard discussed at the last meeting showed that the area had moved from a low to a medium risk classification.

RESOLVED

That the Quarter 1 2017/18 Performance Report be noted.

The Board considered a report from Gurjit Samra-Rai, Community Safety Team Manager, regarding the updated and refreshed Terms of Reference for the Leicestershire Safer Communities Strategy Board. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 6’, is filed with these minutes.

The Board welcomed the inclusion of Leicester City Council and Rutland County Council as participating observers with no voting rights on the Board and agreed that they should be encouraged to attend meetings of the Board. All recognised the benefits of their attendance in terms of discussing cross boundary crimes and in sharing information.

Following discussion, it was agreed that the Revised Terms of Reference would be amended as follows:

i)             that the section on ‘substitutes’ would be amended to include:

·      that an officer from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner would attend in the absence of the Police and Crime Commissioner;

·      that an officer would substitute in the absence of the Chairman of each Community Safety Partnership;

·      that a District officer would substitute in the absence of the relevant District Councillor; and

·      that each substitute would have voting rights in the circumstances outlined above.

ii)            That the ‘Purpose’ would be amended to read:

“The Leicestershire Safer Communities Strategy Board (LSCSB) will oversee and co-ordinate the implementation and delivery of Leicestershire Community Safety Partnership priorities including co-ordination of the Police and Crime Plan”;

iii)           That reference to the Leicestershire County and Rutland Primary Care Trust (PCT) would be removed and changed to the West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and the East Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group;

iv)           That the operational arrangements regarding the quorum for meetings of the Board would clarify that a minimum of 6 voting members would be required for the meeting to be quorate.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the revised Terms of Reference be approved, subject to the changes requested by the Board;

b)    That Leicester City Council and Rutland County Council be encouraged to attend future meetings.

A verbal update will be provided by Jane Moore – Assistant Director Education and Early Help, Leicestershire County Council.

The Board received a verbal update from Chris Thomas, Head of Service Early Help and Safer Communities at Leicestershire County Council, regarding the Strategic Partnership Board which was held on 3 July 2017.

The Board were informed that the priorities for 2017/18 had been clarified at the meeting and that the Executive would devise a delivery plan under each priority area. Reports had also been received which covered knife crime, counter terrorism and Braunstone Blues.

A multi-Agency Pursue Panel would be established which included Leicester City and Leicestershire County Youth Services, Child Safeguarding Boards from Leicestershire County and Leicester City, Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Head Teachers and East Midlands Ambulance Service.

With regard to tackling knife crime, the Board were informed that agencies were working in partnership with the local Accident and Emergency Department to share information on certain injuries. Additionally, there was a regular update on knife crime at the Leicestershire Police force tactical meeting, to which City and County representatives were invited.

RESOLVED

That the update from the Strategic Partnership Board be noted.

A verbal update will be given by the Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Bach.

Lord Willy Bach provided a verbal update on his work as the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and explained that he was looking forward to hosting a meeting with the Chairs of Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) on 27 September 2017 at Leicestershire Police Head Quarters. He also invited Mr I. Ould CC, Chairman of the Leicestershire Safer Communities Strategy Board to attend. He added that the meeting would provide an opportunity to discuss funding with the CSPs as a large part of their funding came from the Office of the PCC.

Lord Bach informed the Board that grants of up to £10,000 were available to fund a range of activity that tackled crime and supported victims. He encouraged Community Safety Partnerships to advertise the availability of these grants to Third Sector organisations and private firms.

He informed the Board that he would, with the Chief Constable, meet with Parish Councils on Wednesday 27 September at 5pm to discuss rural crime and asked members of the Board to promote the opportunity to increase attendance. The meeting would be held at Leicestershire Police Head Quarters.

Lord Bach highlighted that demand for a Police response had risen, with the use of 101 and 999 much higher on this recent August Bank Holiday weekend compared to the same time last year. Call centre improvements had been put in place and, through the introduction of a new system, people were able to track their own crimes online. Additionally, a webchat and the facility to report crimes online would be introduced in January 2018; all of which supported the efficient management of the increased demand.

Regarding the issue of missing persons, Lord Bach highlighted that there was a need for all partners, including Leicester City and Rutland, to work in partnership to address what had become a growing issue.

The Board was informed that the Fire Service and Police in Coalville would amalgamate into a single building and would look for opportunities for joint working to deliver efficiencies.

RESOLVED

That the update from the Police and Crime Commissioner be noted.

The Board considered a report from Matt Cane, Head of Community Safety at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) which provided an update on the work of LFRS. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 9’, is filed with these minutes.

Details of the Braunstone Blues project were given and it was highlighted that the emphasis of the project was on enhancing the work already in place in an area. The Board recognised the effectiveness of the Braunstone Blues and acknowledged that there was a need to explore how that effectiveness was illustrated and success judged, to enable further roll-out in other areas.

LFRS, along with partners, had put in place a range of support for young people including Cadet groups in Leicester City and Market Harborough, and the targeted youth course in North West Leicestershire. Funding had been provided by CSPs and the opportunity for further roll-out in other areas was highlighted should funding from the CSP become available.

RESOLVED

That the report giving an update on the work of the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service be noted.

A presentation will be given by Jonathan White and Supt. Shane O’Neill.

The Board received a presentation from Superintendent Shane O’Neill of Leicestershire Police which explained the Policing priorities for 2017/18. A copy of the presentation is filed with these minutes.

It was explained to the Board that delivery plans would be put in place for the 4Ps – Pursue, Prevent, Protect and Prepare. The Board were assured that resources for day to day operations would not be affected. Additionally, delivery plans were in place to address other areas of concern – knife crime, terrorism, violent crime. Officers would ensure that each plan linked to the strategic priorities to ensure a consistent delivery across the force.

RESOLVED

That the presentation on the policing priorities for 2017/18 be noted.

The Board considered a report from Gurjit Samra-Rai, Community Safety Team Manager, which provided an update on the current and planned developments in the management of Anti-Social behaviour (ASB) across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR). A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 11’, is filed with these minutes.

The comprehensive programme of ASB training for all front line neighbourhood policing teams, all local authorities across LLR and anyone managing ASB cases would begin imminently and would bring a consistent approach to the management of ASB across LLR, whilst still allowing for local variance. The Board were concerned that a too rigid approach would not enable good practice to shine through in particular areas.

The Board were concerned that the appropriate tools were in place to enable the sharing of data between partners within the principles of the Data Protection Act. It was recognised that SENTINEL could be used more effectively and consistently to enable data sharing between partners.

RESOLVED

That the update on the developments in the management of ASB be noted.

The Board considered the report from Gurjit Samra-Rai, Community Safety Team Manager, which provided an update on developments, challenges and opportunities regarding partnership domestic abuse and sexual violence projects and commissions. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 12’, is filed with these minutes.

The Board were concerned about how best to communicate to people the key messages regarding domestic abuse, especially to those with low literacy levels. It was noted that information needed to be distributed through a variety of places – e.g. places of worship, schools and doctors’ surgeries. The Board welcomed further information on how awareness could be raised of the issues related to domestic abuse.

The Board noted that it was likely that different partners dealt with the same families and highlighted that it was vital to share information to ensure efficient service delivery. It was acknowledged that all agencies had a role in supporting people affected by domestic abuse and were required to cooperate across partnerships in the prevention of abuse.

The Board were informed that the Specialist Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Service supported primary victims aged 13 and over. Regarding those under 13 years of age, schools had a role in referring those of concern to social workers; Accident and Emergency Departments could also pass information on.

RESOLVED

a.    That the update on developments, challenges and opportunities regarding partnership domestic abuse and sexual violence projects and commissions be noted.

b.    The Community Safety Team Manager to present a report to the next meeting of the Board on how to raise awareness of domestic abuse issues.

i)          Drug and Alcohol Data

Councillor Michael Rickman highlighted that he had had difficulty in obtaining data from Turning Point related to drug and alcohol misuse showing trends and comparisons; however, he had managed to source the data through the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The Board noted that this raised the issue of monitoring carried out by the CCG.

RESOLVED

That Chris Thomas, Head of Service Early Help and Safer Communities at Leicestershire County Council, would speak with Public Health colleagues and would formally request the data from Turning Point for CSPs.

ii)         Community Safety Agreement

Gurjit Samra-Rai, Community Safety Manager, Leicestershire County Council, explained that it was a statutory requirement for two tier local authorities to have a Community Safety Agreement and that she planned to draw up an agreement for Leicestershire. In order to inform the process, she asked all CSP managers to forward their Community Safety Strategy to her.

RESOLVED

That Community Safety Managers would send their CSP Community Safety Strategy to the Community Safety Manager at Leicestershire County Council.

iii)       Partnership Mapping

Councillor Kevin Loydall asked whether a structure chart existed which explained the linkages between the different partnerships and their roles.

RESOLVED

That the Community Safety Manager, Leicestershire County Council would draw together a structure chart explaining the many partnerships and their role in community safety.

Future meetings of Leicestershire Safer Communities Strategy Board will take place at 10:00am on the following dates:

·         Friday 1 December 2017

·         Friday 26 January 2018

·         Friday 23 March 2018

·         Friday 15 June 2018

·         Friday 28 September 2018

·         Friday 7 December 2018

It was noted that future meetings of the Board were scheduled to take place at 10.00am on the following dates:

·         Friday 1 December 2017

·         Friday 23 March 2018

·         Friday 15 June 2018

·         Friday 28 September 2018

·         Friday 7 December 2018

10.00 – 11.35am

4 September 2017                                                                           CHAIRMAN