Agenda and minutes

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

The minutes of the meeting held on 4 September 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.

Mr I. D. Ould CC declared an interest in agenda item 11 ‘Links between Leicestershire Safer Communities Strategy Board and the Health and Wellbeing Board’ as a member of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The Report will be presented by Rik Basra, Community Safety Co-ordinator.

The Board considered a report from Rik Basra, Community Safety Coordinator, which gave an update on the Safer Communities performance for Quarter 2 of 2017/18. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 5’, is filed with these minutes.

The Board discussed the information detailed in Appendix 1 and were informed that there was an upward trend in reported crime levels for all categories. The increase in vehicle crime was above the regional average.

Arising from discussion, the following points were raised:-

i)             The definition for ‘Burglary Dwelling’ had changed since last year, so a year on year comparison could not be made at this stage. Officers would explore whether the performance data for the indicator ‘Burglary rate’ could be broken down to detail the number of offences involving shed burglaries. Clarification would also be given to the Board as to whether the performance data for vehicle crime included only stolen vehicles or also incorporated items stolen from vehicles;

ii)            Regarding the ‘Violence with injury rate’, the rate for Leicestershire (4.35/1000) was significantly below the regional average (7.7/1000);

iii)           There was a sustained downward trend in performance against the newly adopted anti-social behaviour (ASB) indicator in the Community Based Survey ‘the percentage of people that agree ASB has decreased or stayed the same’; this was of concern to officers and would be investigated further. The Board was informed that the indicator detailed people’s perceptions rather than hard data of actual ASB offences;

iv)           Although there had been a 19% increase in the number of reported Hate incidents, the Board was informed that numbers were low and changes would as a consequence disproportionately affect the overall trend data;

v)            Regarding the level of prosecutions for hate incidents; the Local Police Commander could provide details of the level of successful prosecutions;

vi)           The Board was reminded that some of the data detailed at Appendix 1 had not been updated from the previous quarter as the data was collected at different times of the year, from different sources and, in some cases, was collected quarterly in arrears.

vii)         In some cases, for example with Domestic Violence, successful awareness campaigns often increased the rate of reporting, which should be seen as positive rather than an issue of concern.

RESOLVED:-

a.    That the Quarter 2 2017/18 performance report be noted.

b.    That officers would explore whether the performance data for ‘burglary rate’ could be broken down to detail the number of shed burglaries included.

The report will be presented by Carolyn Maclean, National Probation Service Leicestershire.

The Board considered a report from Carolyn MacLean of the National Probation Service (NPS) which informed the Board of the developments within the National probation Service over the last 12 months.

Arising from discussion, the following points were raised:-

i)             The organisation had experienced large scale change in the last 3 years, particularly with how the service was organised; there had been an adjustment in the level of qualified service officers and new ways of supervising offenders had been introduced;

ii)            The NPS were working jointly with the Police and the Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) with a more aligned focus on cases of serious harm and the handling of Domestic Abuse offenders. This included data analysis to understand patterns of offending so as to reshape services to meet need. This would lead to improved information sharing to manage cases effectively;

iii)           Future priorities for the NPS included work related to the management of offenders in custody, to improve safety in prisons and a large Ministerial driven project around improving the outcomes for indeterminate prisoners.  The board was informed that the safe and controlled release of indeterminate prisoners would require additional engagement with partners as there were many complex cases to handle;

iv)           National key performance indicators focussed on processes; data related to offender pathways and outcomes could not be provided due to the size and complexity of the area;

v)            The Board expressed concern regarding the attendance by the NPS at previous LSCSB meetings. It was explained that, following the recent organisational changes, there were fewer senior managers, so reducing ability to attend meetings. However, the Board was informed that attendance at the LSCSB would be prioritised, although resource was not available to attend the Community Safety Partnership Joint Action Group meetings around the county;

vi)           Members expressed concern about attendance at the LSCSB by the CRC and the level of engagement by the organisation; clarification was needed about their role, links to the NPS and attendance at the Board meetings.

RESOLVED:-

That

a.    the report be noted; and

b.    CRC attendance be requested for the next meeting.

The report will be presented by Supt. Simon Cure, Leicestershire Police. 

The Board considered a report from Detective Superintendent Simon Cure of Leicestershire Police which detailed the structures in place and significant workstreams being undertaken with regard to Domestic Violence and Abuse across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 7’, is filed with these minutes.

The Board was informed that the Domestic Abuse (DA) Health Group had been set up by the Clinical Commissioning Group, following recognition of the gaps in provision particularly in relation to primary care and GPs. It was outlined that domestic violence was a significant factor in the death of children.

RESOLVED:-

That the report be noted.

The report will be presented by Julia Young, representing Gurjit Samra-Rai, Community Safety Manager.

The Board considered a report from Rik Basra, Community Safety Coordinator, which gave an overview of the Domestic Abuse (DA) Awareness Raising Campaign being delivered during November 2017. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 8’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were raised:-

i)             The evaluation report of the campaign would be circulated to Board members;

ii)            The Board was pleased to hear that the campaign had encouraged more people to seek support with DA issues. It was planned that referrals would be made to United Against Violence and Abuse (UAVA), which had made preparations to ensure that the level of demand could be met. However, Councillor Walters expressed concern based on feedback that he had received regarding UAVA’s capacity to deal with additional calls. It was requested that the evaluation data detailed both the level of referrals and the number of people supported by UAVA.

RESOLVED:-

a.    That the contents of the report be noted;

b.    That the evaluation report be distributed to Members of the Leicestershire Safer Communities Strategy Board.

The report will be presented by Carly Turner, Service Manager Supporting Leicestershire Families. 

The Board considered a report from Carly Turner, Service Manager Supporting Leicestershire Families, which informed the Board of partnership working within the Supporting Leicestershire Families Programme. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 9’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were raised:-

i)             Officers were currently considering how to deliver the next phase of the Supporting Leicestershire Families programme, once the funding from the Troubled Families Programme had ceased. The Board was informed that it was vital to engage with partners to deliver at a local level.

ii)            The Police and Crime Commissioner praised the success of the Supporting Leicestershire Families programme and stated that he would continue to fund the programme. He highlighted that there was a need for Community Safety Partnerships to also support the programme.

RESOLVED:-

That the report be noted.

The report will be presented by Chris Thomas, Head of Service Early Help and Safer Communities. 

The Board considered a report from Chris Thomas, Head of Service Early Help and Safer Communities at Leicestershire County Council, which gave an update on the Home Office pilot – Operation Dovetail and informed the Board on how the Prevent agenda would be managed within Leicestershire County Council following the cessation of funding on 31 October 2017. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 10’, is filed with these minutes.

RESOLVED:-           

That the report be noted.

The report will be presented by Joshna Mavji, Public Health. 

The Board considered a report from Dr. Joshna Mavji, Public Health regarding the work being undertaken to explore how the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) and the LSCSB could work together effectively to understand, support and deliver common priorities. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 11’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were raised:-

i)             The data presented in the report detailed information available to Public Health; there had been changes to the statistics made available to them following the move to the County Council and it was hoped that more information could be accessed directly from hospitals. The Board was informed that data was welcomed by the Community Safety Partnerships as it helped inform their activities;

ii)            The Board was concerned about potential duplication in that the information presented was similar to that in the report on Domestic and Sexual Violence held by Detective Superintendent Cure. The benefits of amalgamating the information and joint working were recognised, particularly with reduced resources. The Joint Partnership on Child Sexual Exploitation was highlighted as an example where joint working had been successful in enabling service delivery;

iii)           The Strategic Partnership Board Executive Board, run by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, had discussed at length the benefits of data sharing.

RESOLVED:-

That

a)    the report be noted;

b)    where possible, the data be broken down to District level to support the Community Safety Partnerships in determining priorities for action; and

c)    a report on how data is handled and coordinated to reduce duplication be presented at the next meeting. 

The report will be presented by Richard Clarke, Chairman Neighbourhood Watch Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The Board considered a report of Richard Clarke, the Chairman of Neighbourhood Watch Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (NHW) which outlined the organisation’s strategic aims and governance arrangements, and sought support from partners through the adoption of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). A copy of the report, marked Agenda Item 12, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were raised:-

i)             The structure and organisation of Neighbourhood Watch had changed since 2015. Now led by volunteers, a great deal of work had been undertaken to reinvigorate the business; The Chairmen of the Community Safety Partnerships welcomed attendance by NHW at Community Safety Partnership meetings;

ii)            The Board acknowledged that there was general support for the MoU and asked that each Communmity Safety Partnership be approached to sign the agreement.  It was noted that Leicestershire Police, Leicester City Council and Rutland County Council had already signed the MoU.

Mr, I. D. Ould CC, Chairman, left the meeting at 12.05pm as he was due to attend another meeting.

Mr T. J. Pendleton CC in the chair.

RESOLVED:-

That the report be noted. 

The next meeting of the LSCSB is scheduled to take place on Friday 23 March 2018 at 10.00 am.

It was agreed that the next meeting of the Board would take place on Friday 23 March 2018 at 10.00am.