Agenda item

(a)       That the contents of the report be endorsed; and

(b)       That the Committee look forward to receiving the report on future CCTV provision, when it is available, together with an update on the implications of new legislation on Anti-Social Behaviour.

The Chief Executive introduced a report outlining the activities of the Community Safety Partnership (SCP) over the past year.  In acknowledging the challenges in tackling anti-social behaviour issues, he said that the Council’s record had been excellent and that the Partnership’s role transfer to the Local Service Board had helped to sharpen focus.

The main points of the presentation were:

·         Background to the partnership

·         Performance statistics compared with 2012/13

·         Local Developments

·         Links with the Council’s Improvement Plan

·         Details of the Community Safety Team

·         Regional Developments - making a difference through collaboration

The Team Leader - Community Safety highlighted the key priorities within the North Wales Safer Communities Board Plan for 2014-17 which had been adopted by Flintshire’s CSP.  The Plan reflected the recommendations of the regional Strategic Assessment together with the findings of the Substance Misuse Needs Assessment which had identified the misuse of alcohol as one of the main areas of concern.

Overall crime and disorder statistics for 2013/14 indicated a steady reduction from the previous year.  The Team Leader - Community Safety pointed out that figures for victim-based crime reflected ongoing operations resulting from reports of historic incidents both in Flintshire and Wrexham.  The increase in burglary dwelling incidents reflected an emerging trend throughout North Wales, however figures for Flintshire had levelled off during the first quarter of 2014/15 as a result of intervention work with Police colleagues to identify key individuals and task group working with involvement from Neighbourhood Wardens.  A reduction in anti-social behaviour statistics from 2012/13 had been further reduced by 21.5% during the first quarter of 2014/15.

On local developments, the Chief Executive spoke of positive progress by the CSP on the ‘People are Safe’ priority, focussing particularly on tackling alcohol abuse.  More detail could be shared with Members outside the meeting.

The achievement milestones for 2013/14 in the report indicated a ‘green’ status on all areas apart from substance misuse.  Mr Godfrey Hayes of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board advised that employee sickness issues had mainly been resolved and that performance figures for the first quarter of 2014/15 had seen a significant improvement, with 99% of service users receiving treatment within 20 days.  He added that alcohol related crime was on the increase across the whole of North Wales.

During an update on team members, the Team Leader - Community Safety said that co-location had made communication easier between officers, Neighbourhood Wardens and Community Police Officers.  This would also be of benefit when the new legislation on Anti-Social Behaviour was due to come into force, on which the Committee would receive an update.

The Chairman thanked the Team Leader - Community Safety and her team for their hard work and asked about a breakdown of crime figures relating to drugs and alcohol.  Whilst Acting Superintendent Dave Owens of North Wales Police was able to provide some data on crime and anti-social behaviour, he advised that this may not reflect the true position as it was not possible to capture in every case whether drugs or alcohol had been a contributory factor.

After expressing his appreciation for the excellent Member training sessions which had taken place earlier in the year, Councillor Ian Dunbar made reference to the increase in reported sexual crime offences and shoplifting, the latter of which had been commented on by the Police & Crime Commissioner.  On shoplifting, the Chief Executive said it was his view that signposting to food banks was not an alternative to preventing crime and appropriate prosecution and enforcement.

Acting Superintendent Owens spoke of the support offered by Police forces to encourage individuals to report sexual crimes which in turn impacted on the statistics.  He explained that many cases involved domestic violence and that a recent change in legislation meant that a Domestic Violence Protection Notice could be issued to impose restrictions on the individual.  The increase in shoplifting offences was evident not just in Flintshire, but across Wales and England.  Positive intervention by North Wales Police alongside the SCP to work with local retailers had resulted in only one incident of shoplifting reported during the past month.  Acting Superintendent Owens stressed the importance of looking at the actual figures behind the percentage changes in recorded crime statistics, as these were small numbers.  He went on to say that Flintshire was regarded as one of the safest areas to work and visit in Wales.

When asked by the Chairman about any difficulty in identifying incidents of shoplifting as a result of the carrier bag charges, the Acting Superintendent said that the general consensus amongst retailers was that this was not an issue.

In response to queries from Councillor Nigel Steele-Mortimer, various examples of non-victim based crime were given such as drug possession and some Public Order Act offences.  The Chief Executive explained that the Welsh Government (WG) commissioned ’10,000 Safer Lives’ project, of which Flintshire was the lead in North Wales, was aimed at identifying and supporting those at risk from domestic abuse through a multi-agency approach.

Councillor Brian Lloyd spoke of the need for appropriate sentences for violent crimes, such as the incident recently reported in Mold.  Acting Superintendent Owens agreed that violent crime was a concern, however these types of incidents in safer areas such as Flintshire appeared to be more pronounced.  Many reported incidents of violence were domestic related and a collective effort was made to encourage the reporting of offences to avoid repetition, with support from the Domestic Abuse Safety Unit in Deeside.  In addition, the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) were specifically tasked with assessing and managing risks from identified violent offenders.  The Acting Superintendent added that many violent crimes involved drugs and alcohol, although it could not always be proven that these were a contributory factor.  He added that effective schemes were in place within areas of Flintshire to exclude identified repeat offenders and to advise retailers on the promotion of higher strength alcohol.

Councillor Joe Johnson commented that the difference in statistics from the previous year was not substantial and asked what was being done to identify re-offenders and potential crime hotspot areas.  Acting Superintendent Owens reminded Members that crime statistics had significantly reduced over the past ten years and that Police forces were aware of re-offenders, using regular forum meetings to discuss emerging trends and hotspot areas through analysis of victims, offenders and locations.

Councillor Dave Mackie said that previously reported substance misuse figures had indicated some individuals not completing their treatment and asked whether this was still an issue.  He also suggested that the ‘Cat’s Paw’ project be extended to help educate young people on the impact of anti-social behaviour.

Mr. Hayes explained that the figures on substance misuse services included drug and alcohol issues, and that there had been an increase in individuals with new emerging drugs and those with associated alcohol problems.  A large proportion of referrals on alcohol related issues were via GPs or self-referrals, some at the instigation of the service user’s partner.  Mr. Hayes said that individuals followed through on their referrals and that one session alone was able to make a difference.  However, the main challenge was sustaining this through lifestyle changes and appropriate after-care plans were in place to help the individual complete their treatment.  In acknowledging the complexity of alcohol-based issues, Mr. Hayes recognised that positive steps were being taken through the CSP.

The Team Leader - Community Safety spoke of the success of the WG funded Cat’s Paw campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse and sexual violence at secondary schools and colleges across North Wales.  However, due to significant reductions in grant funding, it was not possible to extend the scheme.  She went on to explain that a multi-agency approach was being taken to engage with young people in secondary schools to raise awareness of such issues.  The Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator added that the CSP also worked with school liaison officers to help educate young people through the use of CDs and the ‘Decision Street’ theatre props to re-enact scenarios.

Following comments from Councillor Mackie on the CCTV policy, the Chief Executive explained that the review was driven by funding and need to review and modernise equipment.  Having expressed disappointment that the need for a regional CCTV service had not been supported, he said that the approach taken in Flintshire to involve Town and Community Councils was working effectively, as noted by the Deputy Police Commissioner.  The review to consider a new model, taking account of depreciation of equipment, was due to be concluded in October 2014.

Acting Superintendent Owens commented on CCTV as a valuable, effective toolkit in crime prevention and praised the approach taken by Flintshire.  He confirmed that use of private or commercial CCTV was an integral part of the response taken by the Police, particularly in victim-based crime.

On CCTV, Councillor Paul Cunningham said it was useful to receive regular breakdowns of issues in Flint and actions taken, and spoke of the increasing problem of some individuals consuming alcohol in public areas.  In response to a question on the breakdown of statistics for criminal damage and arson, the Acting Superintendent explained that both areas were grouped together for reporting purposes.  He said that there was now a shift in focus on arson due to some incidents identified as anti-social behaviour issues, with data analysed to establish trends.

The Chief Executive said that the completion of the review on CCTV provision in October 2014 would require significant debate and impact on budgetary decisions.  A report would be brought to the Committee during the Autumn.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the contents of the report be endorsed; and

(b)       That the Committee look forward to receiving the report on future CCTV provision, when it is available, together with an update on the implications of new legislation on Anti-Social Behaviour.