Issue - items at meetings - Community Safety, Crime Reduction and Drugs Strategy 2011-2014

 ( Note this report was considered after item 8)

7.1 The Commissioner Community Safety introduced her work and the draft Community Safety Crime Reduction and Drugs Strategy 2011- 2014. She manages the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Team that delivers the Strategy and oversees the production of priorities.

7.2 The Council had an equal duty with the Police to reduce crime in the area and to publish a 3- year Strategy. Priorities as listed on Page 19 of the Strategy, are based on detailed crime analysis, an audit of crime and disorder, annual strategic assessment and consultation with communities of interest and neighbourhood communities.

7.3 The Commissioner explained that previously, consultation at the start of the 3-year period had elicited only limited response rates. Now, on-going consultation and dialogue is built in and Local Action Teams (LATs) are especially useful in developing a real understanding of the priorities. The draft Strategy is included in the Consultation Portal and published on the Safe in the City website and is subject to change to reflect the feedback from consultation.

7.4 The Community Safety Partnership had received accolades from the Home Office as a ‘mature’ partnership, good at calculating and dealing with the causes of offending.

7.5 Further developing integrated offender management and reducing youth reoffending linking in with other plans for instance Children’s Services, were key elements of current work, she said. The aim is to reinvest more in prevention and early intervention services.

7.6 Members thanked and congratulated the officers on their work.

7.7 Asked how Intelligent Commissioning (IC) linked in, the Commissioner pointed out that the draft Strategy would still change to reflect the Commissioning Strategy in the areas of the three Pilots on domestic violence – the most advanced IC area– alcohol-related harm and drug-related deaths, where there would likely be most change.

7.8 In reply to questions Members heard that lead officers’ names could be provided. A potential list of ‘outcomes’ rather than targets was being drawn up and these would be reported to the Community Safety Forum.

7.9 Regarding potential root causes of crime such as some areas of high dwelling densities, lack of amenities and facilities, and general health and well-being, the Commissioner pointed out that CSP does not lead on those areas but does suggest and encourage crime reduction measures eg in planning and major projects, supporting events such as White Knights. Crime and disorder is considered in all decision-making, as set out in other strategies. Root causes and breaking the cycle of crime are addressed where possible in dealing with individual offenders, by integrated offender management.

7.10 An investigation was suggested of how ‘crime and disorder’ is incorporated into strategic plans, including any potential correlation between housing issues/crime and disorder, and housing for offenders.

7.11 The Committee asked about crime trends, how the priority areas are established, which officers or bodies have responsibilities in each area and how resilience to all types of extremism is being developed. They heard that the published annual strategic assessment forms the basis for setting priorities and analytical performance reports are provided regularly to the Community Safety Forum. Moving towards a positive Community Cohesion approach with the Communities and Equalities team was now under way.

7.12 The Commissioner clarified the meaning of scrutiny panels (page 56, point 11.2 refers) that were convened by the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences rather than Scrutiny Councillors.

7.13 ECSOSC noted that this was a working document undergoing development and recommended that the adopted Strategy:

i) provide information on statistical trends and cross-refer priorities to relevant data in the Strategic Assessment, State of the City report, etc

ii) include information on the lead bodies on each priority area

iii) ECSOSC recommends that how crime and disorder issues are incorporated in Strategic Plans, be added to its scrutiny work plan.