To present to Cabinet the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2025 - 2028 for approval and recommendation to Full Council for its formal adoption.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)     notes the success of the Community Safety Partnership to date and the outcome of consultation and engagement with the Partnership and its constituent members in respect of the proposed Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2025-28;

(b)   notes the individual recommendations from the Community Leaderships Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 28^th January 2025, and considers whether to endorse the Portfolio Holder’s proposed responses to those five recommendations;

(c)     notes the findings of the assessment to inform the Crime and Safety Partnership’s four priorities for the District of Tendring and agrees that these priorities, as set out below, should form the Council’s strategic priorities;

1.   Tackling ASB and the root causes of ASB

2.   High Harm Violence (with a focus on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Domestic Abuse)

3.   Drug and knife enabled Serious Violence (Gangs and County Lines)

4.   Emerging threats and Trends (i.e. Shoplifting, Vehicle Crime, Arson & Criminal Damage)

(d)  approves the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2025 – 2028, as set out in Appendix A, in accordance with Section 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, for recommendation onto Full Council for adoption as part of the Council’s Policy Framework.

Cabinet considered a report of the Assets and Community Safety Portfolio Holder (A.1) which presented to Cabinet the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2025 - 2028 for approval for recommendation onto Full Council for adoption, as part of the Council’s Policy Framework.

Cabinet recalled that, at its meeting held on 21st October 2024 Cabinet had received a report by the Monitoring Officer issued under Section 5A of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 in respect of the position in relation to this Council’s historical omission regarding the formulation and implementation of a Crime and Disorder Strategy for the Council, as required under Sections 5 and 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Following on from that report a strategy was now presented to Cabinet for recommendation onto Full Council for adoption as part of the process to resolve that historical omission to have in place a Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy for recommendation onto Full Council for adoption.

This Portfolio Holder report therefore presented the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2025 – 2028 for approval. The strategy set out the over aching framework for the Council and its partners in the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) to reduce crime and disorder by formalising the work that would be undertaken with the CSP and the Council’s Community Safety Team over the next three years.

It set out priorities for reducing crime and disorder and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), whilst protecting vulnerable people across the District of Tendring over the next three years.

It was reported that through working together, the CSP had achieved many successes in reducing crime and disorder and ASB, protecting those who were vulnerable and making the District safe and secure for residents, businesses and visitors. 

As a community leader this Council was proud of those achievements that had been possible only through partnership working. To build upon previous work and to understand the challenges that continued to arise this Council would continue its work with partners to ensure a safer District for its residents.

Members were informed that the strategy was based upon a wide range of data and information, from public consultation to crime and disorder information that was brought together in an annual Strategic Assessment.  Through that assessment four key themes within the strategy, as set out below, had been identified that fed into the CSP priorities. It recognised the challenges facing children, young adults and families that had evolved and continued to do so.  For example, criminal gangs were targeting children to move drugs in and out of towns and other areas, including in this District.  This was a national issue, but all needed to be aware of criminal gangs, and to be able to spot the signs that children might be being targeted.

1.   Tackling violence against women and girls was at the forefront of the CSP’s agenda and reflected the Government’s priority in tackling this issue, following the tragic deaths of Sarah Everard, Balvinder Gahir, Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman and Julia James, and an increase in reports of domestic abuse. 

2.   An ambition to increase support for victims and survivors, increase the number of perpetrators bought to justice and reduce the prevalence of violence against women and girls.

3.   To work in partnership across the CSP & Health and Wellbeing Board and with partners and communities to achieve progress on our priorities during the lifetime of this strategy and seek to bring about real change for residents and visitors to Tendring. 

4.   The CSP brings the opportunity for organisations and groups to come together to improve crime and disorder and ASB in Tendring and create an environment where people and communities can flourish, the CSP remains committed to making Tendring safe.

Cabinet was informed that the Strategy had been considered by the Community   Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting held on 28^th January 2025. That Committee had resolved:-

(a)     the Crime and Disorder Strategy presented to the Committee be supported and Cabinet advised of this support for delivery by the appropriate partners including Essex Police;

(b)   the Committee - 

(i)       commends the Strategy authors for ensuring that the language and format and use of graphics to create what is an accessible document for most readers;

(ii)     urges the Cabinet to ensure that all reasonable and appropriate steps are taken to care for the health, safety and wellbeing of all staff involved in enforcement activities and community safety;

(iii)  recognises the increasing levels of violence against the person, shoplifting, possession of weapons, personal robbery, hate crime and domestic abuse and the need for robust action to address these growing crime problems in the District;

(iv)  urges the Community Safety Partnership to adopt, as a priority, the need to educate and encourage confidence in the reporting of crime by the public and business managers to reduce significantly the current levels of under reporting by victims; and

(v)   expresses its concern for delivery of the priorities on the basis of the plans announced on the day of the meeting for all 99 PCSOs in Essex to be made redundant.

The Portfolio Holder for Assets & Community Safety’s formal response to the Comments/Recommendations put forward by the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 28 January 2025 was as follows:-

“The Portfolio Holder for Assets and Community Safety agrees the recommendations and comments of the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee in relation to (a) and (b) (i – iv).  In relation to (b) (v) I note that the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has revised the budget and that the PCSO’s are set to continue in their roles, subject to the Home Office approving the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee Funding.”

To ensure that the strategy was appropriately adopted, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and to evidence compliance with the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, as amended by section 97 and 98 of the Police Reform Act 2002, that placed a requirement on Community Safety Partnerships (CSP) to develop a Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy:-

It was moved by Councillor Kotz, seconded by Councillor I J Hendersonand:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)     notes the success of the Community Safety Partnership to date and the outcome of consultation and engagement with the Partnership and its constituent members in respect of the proposed Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2025-28;

(b)   notes the individual recommendations from the Community Leaderships Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 28^th January 2025, and endorses the Portfolio Holder’s responses to those five recommendations;

(c)     notes the findings of the assessment to inform the Crime and Safety Partnership’s four priorities for the District of Tendring and agrees that these priorities, as set out below, should form the Council’s strategic priorities;

1.   Tackling ASB and the root causes of ASB

2.   High Harm Violence (with a focus on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Domestic Abuse)

3.   Drug and knife enabled Serious Violence (Gangs and County Lines)

4.   Emerging threats and Trends (i.e. Shoplifting, Vehicle Crime, Arson & Criminal Damage)

(d)  approves the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2025 – 2028, as set out in Appendix A, in accordance with Section 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, for recommendation onto Full Council for adoption as part of the Council’s Policy Framework.