Agenda item

The Commission considered a report of the Director of Children and Family Services, the purpose of which was to provide an annual update on the work of the Safer Communities Team and to seek its views on the draft Domestic Abuse Reduction Strategy 2026 – 2029.  A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 12’ is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were made:

(i)               Members noted with disappointment that the East Midlands Elected Member Prevent Network Meeting had folded and emphasised the value of regional discussions and Home Office briefings to support elected members’ understanding of Prevent and related community safety issues. It was suggested that the Lead Member should seek to re-establish this group to strengthen cross-boundary working, recognising that risks did not align to local authority borders.

(ii)              In response to questions about Prevent activity and trends, the Director advised that during quarter 3 (October 2025 to the end of December 2025) referrals had been particularly busy but had since settled, with higher volumes in Charnwood and Hinckley.  It was noted that the District Prevent representative sat within Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and undertook significant work with schools and local agencies on referral pathways.

(iii)            Over half of the persons referred to the local Police Prevent Team were recorded as having no identified ideology, followed by right-wing extremism, with Islamic extremism the lowest category.  Around 10% of referrals were female which was higher than in previous years and, whilst the average referral age cited was 35, the largest age group referred were between 11 and 15 years, suggesting schools played a key role in making referrals.

(iv)            Members asked for further detail on Prevent training in schools.  The Director reported that work was undertaken with Designated Safeguarding Leads. Whilst academies might source training from private providers this had to be accredited.  The Council also shared information to governors, safeguarding leads and through headteachers’ briefings.  Training had also been delivered to parents.

(v)             Members highlighted online vulnerability and the influence of high-profile online figures on young people.  The Director confirmed that training and awareness regarding online risks and early intervention work in this area continued to be a priority.

(vi)            Members questioned how the Council communicated its Prevent work and whether the annual update sufficiently reflected issues such as antisemitism, far-left extremism and other forms of radicalisation. The Director clarified that the Council did not actively promote its Prevent activity but did deliver training across schools, and for members and staff.  Unfortunately, public-facing messaging had been misconstrued and had previously generated significant negative feedback for the service.  As a result, communications were managed carefully to protect the Council’s reputation and community cohesion while continuing operational work.

(vii)          Members welcomed the joint work taking place with partners to address all forms of hate crime and hate incidents across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.  It was noted that further direction was anticipated nationally following the Southport review, including consideration of the ‘front door’ to Prevent and whether this would be through a single agency or a partnership approach. 

(viii)         Members emphasised the importance of being clear that the Council would not tolerate any form of extremism and that residents needed reassurance and practical information on how this would be addressed.  It was suggested that improved feedback mechanisms for members would support consistent messaging to communities.

(ix)            In relation to domestic abuse, members questioned the availability of ‘safe accommodation’ of which there was currently a shortfall.  The Director advised that the primary constraint was the wider lack of housing supply across the region.  However, work was underway with district and borough partners to explore opportunities with developers, the use of refuge accommodation, and providing support for victims to remain safely in their own homes where appropriate with perpetrators removed where lawful and practicable. 

(x)             Members stressed practical barriers for victims finding accommodation including distance, particularly when children were in local schools, as well as the accommodation of family pets.  It was suggested that such issues could be a factor preventing victims reporting abuse and engaging with support.

(xi)            It was acknowledged that domestic abuse was wider than physical violence including coercive control and financial abuse.  Under-reporting remained a challenge, including for male victims, and the Strategy sought to deliver a significant programme of awareness-raising and increased communications to build confidence and encourage people to report.

(xii)          Members raised concerns about Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Case Reviews (Community Trigger), including whether revised thresholds would increase demand and whether there was sufficient district capacity to deal with this.  It was acknowledged that additional capacity was likely to be challenging and that previous discussions about jointly funding an officer to support such work had not been agreed.  This would continue to be considered through the ASB Strategy and Delivery Groups.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the Community Safety Annual Update be noted and that the comments now made on the revised Domestic Abuse Reduction Strategy be presented to the Cabinet for consideration.

(b)  That the Lead Member for Children and Family Services be encouraged to reignite discussions with colleagues across the East Midlands and to re-establish the East Midlands Prevent Group.