Issue - meetings

Meeting: 08/11/2019 - Cabinet (Item 66)

66 Matters Referred to the Cabinet by a Committee - Reference from the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee - A.2 - Scrutiny of Elements of Community Safety pdf icon PDF 276 KB

To enable the Cabinet to give consideration to a recommendation made by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee in respect of the above.

Decision:

RESOLVED, that Cabinet notes the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations and endorses the responses of the Portfolio Holder for Partnerships thereto.

Minutes:

Cabinet was informed that, further to the concerns raised at the meeting of the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny (CLOS) Committee on 1 July 2019 (Minute 55 referred), that Committee had sought to examine Community Safety issues at its meeting held on 7 October 2019.  The several elements of Community Safety that were to be scrutinised at this meeting included:-

 

(a) An outline of the challenges and priorities over the coming period as identified by the new Divisional Police Commander and an assessment of the issue of County Lines/Cuckooing etc. and the proliferation of drugs and the response to it.

 

(b) Anti-Social Behaviour – looking at data on this, hot spots in the District and changes over time.  The outcome of the partnership funding of £10,000 by this Council/Essex Police for additional police patrols in July/August (did it work, how did it compare with 2018, what would be the impact if not repeated in 2020 etc.), delivery of the new Anti-Social Patrol Officer (looking at the justification for the post and how it had operated, had it delivered against the rationale for being established), and the arrangements for and work involved in Community and Street Action Days – are their measures of their success?

 

In addressing the elements identified for scrutiny at this meeting, Tendring Community Policing Team Inspector Darren Deex had been present at the meeting.  He provided the CLOS Committee with a presentation and outlined the four key challenges and priorities for the Force locally were:

 

  • Reducing Serious Violence / Knife Crime,
  • Tackling County Lines & Drug Supply,
  • Protecting Vulnerable People,
  • Community Engagement,

 

The presentation had then addressed all of the above separately.  In respect of community engagement it was noted that the Police would produce a regular briefing document that would be sent to all Councillors advising them of key facts and progress against the above key challenges/priorities.  Community engagement by the Police in Jaywick Sands was specifically touched upon at the meeting.

 

Details of Operation Spider were provided to the Committee.  This Operation had been put in place with matched funding from this Council and Essex Police to provide £20k towards additional policing of Clacton Town Centre between 1st July and 3rd September 2019. Against the objective of Operation Spider, the Committee was advised that in 2018 there had been a decline in anti-social behaviour in Clacton Town Centre; this had risen in 2019 back to similar levels as there were in 2017.  However, this was mainly originating with one individual.  If that additional presence had not been provided, the response to that spike in criminal behaviour would have further impacted on visible policing across the District as officers sought to respond to it.  In this case, the response of the Police would also not have been as effective as it was this year due to the Council’s funding.  The response of the Police to the spike in criminal behaviour appeared to have been well received by businesses in the Clacton Town Centre area. Though the perception  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66