Agenda item

The Commission considered a report of the Director of Children and Family Services, the purpose of which was to set out the duties placed on the County Council and other statutory responsible agencies in relation to crime and disorder and to outline the current approach adopted in Leicestershire.  The report also sought the Commissions views on the revised Leicestershire County Council Community Safety Strategy for 2022 – 2026 as part of the ongoing consultation.  The Commission were asked to consider this report in its capacity as the County Council’s designated crime and disorder committee.  A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 9’ is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were made:

(i)              Partnership working had inevitably been affected by lock downs imposed during the Covid 19 pandemic.  However, partners were now coming back together, and a Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Conference would be held later this year.  This would help target discussions around how partners would deliver their reviewed priorities which had been reflected in the Council’s refreshed Strategy.

(ii)             A Member questioned the affect delivery of some outcomes had in practice.  For example, the installation of additional lighting to help address violence against women and girls.  The Director confirmed that this work had been led by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, supported by partners including the County Council, and undertook to provide more information on the impact of this work outside the meeting.

(iii)           Anti Social Behaviour (ASB) continued to be an issue but was heavily affected by the weather.  Figures had increased over recent summer months but were expected to now plateau and drop slightly.  The Strategic ASB Group and Officer Subgroup continued to review data and specific cases as appropriate and the Council had a dedicated officer appointed to drive this work forward.

(iv)           The Lead Member for Children and Family Services emphasised that it was very difficult for the Council and its partners to build up evidence of where ASB was happening and therefore how best to address this, as many people no longer reported it, instead choosing to post issues on-line.  Members acknowledged that it was vitally important for incidents to be reported either to the Police or the Authority to help it build that intelligence.  It was suggested that this could be a point raised with CSPs through the planned CSP Conference.

(v)            A member commented that many residents no longer reported cases of ASB due to the lack of response received.  The Director confirmed that the publics expectations had to be managed and it had to be recognised that reporting an incident would not necessarily result in immediate action.  Cases were often complex and subject to other contributing factors that also needed to be addressed.
 

(vi)           Members noted that a tiered response to ASB had been adopted and only when all other avenues had been exhausted were the police involved.  Up to that point, a range of partnership activities and responses were adopted to try and resolve issues.

(vii)         The Lead Member commented that cuts to funding had been a contributing factor in the work undertaken to address ASB.  For example, cuts to youth work had had a knock-on effect.  Members recognised that the County Council with its partners was seeking to deliver the best outcomes with the limited resources now available.

(viii)        A Member commented that the cost of obtaining an injunction through the courts had increased and had now become prohibitive.  Access to youth services was key to prevent ASB, but access to the legal process when problems arose was also critical.  The Director acknowledged that this was an issue and commented that this further emphasised the need for a partnership approach.

RESOLVED:

That the comments now made be reported to the Cabinet at its meeting on 16^th September 2022.