Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and the apologies were noted.

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 December 2021 were taken as read and confirmed as a correct record, subject to paragraph 39(ii) being amended to read as follows:

“In response to a question of how many Community Triggers had been lodged in the previous 12 months it was agreed that this would be checked and the information would be provided to Board members after the meeting. Every local authority was required to publish the number of Community Triggers they had received. It was noted that Charnwood received the most Community Triggers: 23 in total and 6 to date in the 2021/22 performance year (after the meeting the figure of 6 was corrected to 8 for 2021/22). The Local Government Ombudsman had found that the Community Trigger process for Charnwood was not well enough publicised. Therefore work needed to be carried out to ensure the Community Trigger process and particularly the appeal process was better signposted to the public.”

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

The Board considered the LSCSB Action Log. The Chairman pointed out that the actions on the Log were either completed or would be completed as part of the agenda for this meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the Action Log be noted.

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

Mr. N. Bannister CC declared that he was employed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) but was not acting as a representative of the CPS at this meeting and any opinions he gave or statements he made were separate to those of the CPS.

The Chairman sought and obtained the consent of the Board to vary the order of business from that set out on the agenda for the meeting.

A presentation will be given by Detective Inspector Gary Bee, Leicestershire Police.

The Board received a presentation from Detective Inspector Gary Bee, Leicestershire Police, regarding Modern Slavery, Human Trafficking, Exploitation and Organised Immigration Crime. A copy of the presentation slides, marked ‘Agenda Item 12’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussions the following points were noted:

(i)          It was expected that the actual levels of Modern Slavery, Human Trafficking, Exploitation and Organised Immigration Crime in Leicestershire were much higher than the statistics indicated. However, due to a lack of reporting and mistrust of the authorities within communities it was very difficult to say what the exact figure was.

(ii)         Some victims of trafficking were forced to work at car washes and the public needed to be made aware of this and that if they used the Responsible Car Wash scheme they could ensure that the car wash they were using was not exploiting its workers.

(iii)       Leicestershire Police provided training on Human Trafficking and the signs to look out for. This training was available to local authority officers on request and in response to a suggestion from the Chair it was agreed that Human Trafficking would be included on the training programme for Board members.

(iv)       Section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 enabled a person being prosecuted to plead the defence that they were compelled to do so by virtue of slavery or relevant exploitation. If the defence was raised a referral to the Single Competent Authority, part of the Home Office, needed to be made and they would make a decision on whether that person was a victim of modern slavery. However, there was a backlog with the decision making process. Whilst a ‘reasonable grounds’ decision would came back within a couple of weeks, the ‘conclusive grounds’ decision could take between 9 and 12 months.

RESOLVED:

(a)        That the contents of the presentation be noted:

(b)        That training be arranged for Board members on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.

Jane Moore, Director of Children and Families, Leicestershire County Council will give a presentation.

The Board received a presentation from Gurjit Samra-Rai, Head of Service (Safer Communities), Leicestershire County Council regarding the work of the Strategic Partnership Board. A copy of the presentation slides is filed with these minutes.

The Strategic Partnership Board was chaired by the Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews and sitting underneath that Board was the SPB Executive chaired by Jane Moore, Director of Children and Families at Leicestershire County Council. Underneath the SPB Executive were the following Boards:

·       Prevention and Early Intervention Board chaired by Martin Samuels, Strategic Director for Social Care and Education at Leicester City Council;

·       Adolescence Safety and Diversion Board chaired by ACC David Sandall, Leicestershire Police;

·       Adult Vulnerability and Offending Board (MAPPA SMB) chaired by Bob Bearne, Probation Service.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the presentation be noted.

Rik Basra, Community Safety Coordinator, Leicestershire County Council will present this report.

The Board considered a report of Rik Basra, Community Safety Coordinator, Leicestershire County Council which informed of changes to the Community Safety Agreement as a result of the annual review which had taken place. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 7’, is filed with these minutes.

RESOLVED:

(a)        That the contents of the report be noted including the changes to the Community Safety Agreement;

(b)        That the continued use of the Community Safety Agreement in its current format and design be approved.

David Peet, CEO, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner will present this report.

The Board considered a report of David Peet, Chief Executive, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire which provided an update on notable issues relating to the Office. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 8’, is filed with these minutes.

David Peet introduced himself as he had only been in post since January 2022 and would not be known to all Board members and he explained that he had significant experience working in Community Safety.

David Peet informed that Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) would receive the same amount of funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner for 2022/23 as they did for the previous year. Going forward it was intended that CSPs would receive multi-year settlements and the Board welcomed this.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the report be noted including the publication of the new Police and Crime Plan and the request from the OPCC to identify synergies between the Police and Crime Plan and Board members’ own plans.

Rik Basra, Community Safety Coordinator, Leicestershire County Council will present this report.

The Board considered a report of Rik Basra, Community Safety Coordinator, Leicestershire County Council, regarding Safer Communities performance for 2021/22 Quarter 3. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 9’, is filed with these minutes.

It was noted that Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) were now taking place on a daily basis.  Whilst new MARAC referrals had increased and it was believed that the Covid-19 pandemic had contributed to this, repeat MARAC referrals had fallen steadily which was likely to be the result of a lot of positive work that had taken place. It was requested that representatives from Leicestershire Police be invited to a future meeting of the Board to provide the detail of how the reduction in repeat MARAC referrals had been achieved. It was also noted that a MARAC review had taken place, funded by partners, and it would also be useful to consider the findings of that review at a future meeting of the Board.

RESOLVED:

(a)        That the 2021/22 Quarter 3 Performance information be noted;

(b)        That there be an agenda item at a future meeting of the Board regarding MARACs.

Mick Grewcock, Area Manager, Safer Communities, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, will present this report.

The Board considered a report of Mick Grewcock, Area Manager, Safer Communities, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) which provided an overview of work currently conducted by LFRS. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 11’, is filed with these minutes.

In presenting the report Mick Grewcock corrected an error at paragraph 3 of the report which should have referred to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Arising from discussions the following points were noted:

(i)          The Home Fire Safety Checks which LFRS carried out now included wider health related issues such as dementia and risk of falls. If these issues were identified with a particular resident LFRS would make a referral to the appropriate partner organisation. LFRS also received referrals from partner organisations when those organisations became aware of fire and safety risks at a particular property and these referrals were encouraged by LFRS. This included referrals from the Lightbulb Service.

(ii)         LFRS had launched the Hazard Express which was a virtual reality experience regarding road safety hazards. Information relating to the Hazard Express and a video of the experience could be viewed on the LFRS website.

(iii)       As a result of the Grenfell Tower incident LFRS had conducted a review of 154 buildings over 18 metres in height, which included community engagement and safety advice being given to occupants in these buildings where necessary. Some enforcement notices had been issued. In response to a question of whether any follow up work was carried out after the inspections reassurance was given that any time an inspection had identified issues they were acted upon.

(iv)       LFRS had ongoing engagement with all the prisons in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Reassurance was given that prisons were designed with potential vandalism in mind and the prisons were equipped with special technology which enabled fires to be extinguished quickly. LFRS had not had any specific engagement regarding the design and construction of the new prison at Glen Parva so far. However, one of the findings of the Grenfell Tower inquiry was that Fire and Rescue Services should have a greater input in the design and construction of buildings earlier on and therefore in the future LFRS would be involved early on in the design and construction of major buildings in Leicestershire.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the report be noted.

This report will be presented by Charlotte Keedwell, Anti-social Behaviour System Governance and Co-ordination Officer.

The Board considered a report of Charlotte Keedwell, Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) System Governance and Coordination Officer, Leicestershire County Council which provided an update on her role and work. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 10’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussions the following points were noted:

(i)          Work was ongoing to reduce the duplication of ASB records in Leicestershire and the deadline for this to be completed was the end of March 2022.

(ii)         There had been a spike of Community Triggers in the Charnwood area, and Blaby was also starting to see an increase though not to the same extent. It was queried whether the spike in Charnwood was due in part to the complaint that was made to the Local Government Ombudsman regarding Charnwood.  The District Council websites were all very similar with regards to the information they gave about the Community Trigger process so this was unlikely to be a factor. However, it was noted that Charnwood Borough Council staff had a statement at the bottom of their emails which signposted the public to the Community Trigger. There had also been a recent episode of the Panorama television programme regarding Community Triggers which would have raised awareness. Community Trigger referrals were now also being received from Victim First.

(iii)       Reviews were taking place of Community Triggers across Leicestershire, common themes were being identified and lessons learnt were being compiled. This information would be considered by the ASB Delivery Group.

(iv)       The Community Trigger Process was being imbedded in Sentinel so that officers could make individuals aware when they were coming close to the Community Trigger threshold.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the report be noted.

A presentation will be given by Sergeant Andy Goadby, Prevent Team, Leicestershire Police.

The Board received a presentation from Sergeant Andy Goadby, Prevent Team, Leicestershire Police regarding the work of the Prevent Team and the Counter Terrorism Local Profile. Arising from the presentation and discussions the following points were noted:

(i)          The Prevent Team was based at Spinney Hill Police Station in Leicester and comprised of two civilian officers and 4 police officers. The role of the Team was to receive referrals regarding individuals that were at risk of being exploited by extremists or becoming radicalised and put support in place for those people. Referrals to Prevent should be made via the National Referral Form which was on the Leicestershire Police website but inquiries could also be made to the Prevent Team via telephone on 0116 2486770. There was also an additional website which provided general information regarding the subject: www.actearly.co.uk Edwina Grant from Hinckley and Bosworth District Council was the District lead for Prevent, and the Community Safety Team at Leicestershire County Council played a co-ordination and oversight role. However, referrals should go to directly to the Prevent Team rather than to Edwina Grant, though Edwina Grant would be notified by the Prevent Team. It was important to give partners the tools, knowledge and confidence to make a referral to the Prevent Team and anything Board members could do to facilitate this would be welcomed.

(ii)         Concerns were raised that poorly managed interactions between the police and the public could lead to a mistrust of the police and consequently information regarding terrorism would not be shared. In response reassurance was given that Prevent had a team of contact officers that were impartial and independent from the investigation and provided support in a sensitive manner. If the Prevent Team identified safeguarding or mental health issues then they would make referrals to the appropriate partners.

(iii)       The Counter Terrorism Local Profile Document was published annually and set out the threats, vulnerabilities and risks relating to terrorism and violent extremism in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The latest version had been published in January 2022 and much of the information within the document had been gained from questionnaires which had been sent out. The majority of referrals the Prevent Team received related to Leicester City. Of the Districts, Charnwood, Blaby and Hinckley and Bosworth had the most referrals. This had been the same distribution of referrals for some time.

(iv)       The priorities for the local area were:

·       Islamist terrorism;

·       Extreme right wing terrorism;

·       Online extremism;

·       Self initiated terrorists;

·       Extremist travel;

·       Prison radicalisation and releases.

(v)        The greatest terrorist threats came from individuals that had been inspired on their own initiative by browsing the internet etc rather than being encouraged by others or being part of a terrorist network. The Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on extremism and radicalisation as people had more time to be online and become radicalised and they had not been seen and monitored by other people during that period.

(vi)       The terrorist attacks which were most commonplace did not require training or specialist equipment but could be carried out using a vehicle of a knife.

(vii)      Early identification of persons at risk was key and signs to look out for included:

·       Developing intent including committing to the role and a sense that something must be done, verbalising concerns, and having fixations around a grievance or target;

·       Developing capability including developing skills and knowledge, deciding on tactics, sourcing resources, and showing an interest in methods used by previous attackers;

·       Planning and preparing for an attack, making final preparations, and tying up loose ends.

(viii)    Potential links between Hate and Prevent were being assessed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

A presentation will be given by Ian Stubbs, Regional Prevent Advisor - East Midlands.

The Board received a presentation from Ian Stubbs, Regional Prevent Advisor regarding his role. A copy of the presentation slides, marked ‘Agenda Item 14’, is filed with these minutes.

The Independent Review of Prevent carried out by Lord Shawcross was initially due to report in September/October 2021 but its publication had been delayed. No indications had been given so far of what the report might find. It was expected that the Government’s response to the report would set the Prevent framework for the coming years but given the delay it was unlikely that the Government would be able to respond to the report before the Parliamentary summer recess. With the expected timescales in mind it was intended that a workshop would take place in September 2022 to set out what the implications of the Review would be for the Region. The Chairman suggested that the Regional Prevent Advisor could return to the Board at that point to provide a further update.

RESOLVED:

(a)        That the contents of the presentation be noted;

(b)        That the Regional Prevent Advisor be invited to a future meeting of the Board to provide an update regarding the outcome of the Independent Review of Prevent and the local implications.

An update will be provided by Nick Dann/Raj Singh, Ministry of Justice.

The Board received a verbal update from Raj Singh, Ministry of Justice, regarding the new prison at Glen Parva, Leicester. The Board was also in receipt of the March 2022 edition of the prison newsletter, a copy of which, marked ‘Agenda Item 15’, is filed with these minutes.

It was noted that the new prison was to be named HMP Fosse Way and Serco had been appointed as the operator on a 10 year contract.

Unfortunately there had been a Covid-19 outbreak at the prison site which meant that visitors were not permitted so the tour for LSCSB members would have to be further delayed. The situation would be reviewed week commencing 11 April 2022.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the verbal update be noted.

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled to take place on Friday 17 June 2022 at 10.00am.

RESOLVED:

That the next meeting of the Board take place on Friday 17 June 2022 at 10.00am.