Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed attendees and explained that the meeting was the first stakeholder event since the last CDRP meeting in November 2011 which has since disbanded. The key objective of stakeholder group meetings would be to ensure good work is on-going, to hold partners to account, to challenge and to celebrate success.

County Councillor Mandy Smith declared a personal interest as a member of Safer and Stronger Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the County Council.

Verbal presentation.

Chief Inspector Darren Alderson presented a summary of crime and disorder across the District over the past twelve months.

Summary:

·         Crime and disorder continues to reduce across South Cambridgeshire.

·         South Cambridgeshire remains vulnerable due to rural nature of area and perceived affluence.

·         Working with our communities to ensure sound engagements and communication links.

·         The CDRP must be central to reducing crime and disorder by ensuring responsible bodies are doing their part and working together.

Details:

The Chief Inspector reported that his strategy for fighting crime was to allocate officers in a localised way to avoid staff being deployed elsewhere. The new staffing structure across Cambridgeshire Constabulary has helped to achieve this.

South Cambridgeshire remains an attractive County for criminality as it is rural and affluent, with businesses providing light industry and farming; fuelling the number of metal thefts and related offences. The importance of linking plans to tackle crime with South Cambridgeshire District Council’s aims and visions was emphasised. 

There had been a rise in the number of domestic violence offences reported; this was deemed a positive result as more victims are feeling comfortable enough to report incidents to police. The rise in reports was being matched by a rise in detections.

According to data there had been a peak in anti-social behaviour offences during the summer months due to the school holidays, better weather and longer days.

However the perception of anti-social behaviour in South Cambridgeshire remains at 0.5%, according to a survey carried out over the last four years. The aim would be to identify people that may be vulnerable early on, to prevent anti-social behaviour issues from escalating.

The Chief Inspector emphasised the need for joint efforts and meaningful engagement between Partner Agencies.

Report to be tabled at the meeting.

Nicky Phillipson from the Police Authority was in attendance to provide an update on the election of a Police and Crime Commissioner in November 2012 and on the implications for the CDRP.

Two groups had been working on compiling a report to inform the Police and Crime Plan. The first group is an internal group working to ensure the successful transfer of Scrutiny Committees. The other has been working with Partners to create the Police and Crime Panel, chaired by Cambridgeshire County Council and administered by Peterborough City Council.

The Police and Crime Panel, comprised of nine members, would not be a replacement of the Police Authority, but would be there to scrutinise the Commissioner. A Shadow Panel would be set up by July 2012.

Early conversations had taken place with CDRP’s regarding funding implications and risks. A Project Manager has been instated to oversee a Victim and Offender Needs Assessment incorporating data from workshops, multi-agency input and views of the third sector. The assessment, and an evidence-based report compiled by Cambridgeshire County Council would be used to inform the Commissioner’s Crime Plan.

Police and Crime Panels would cost less than the Police Authority and would be funded by Central Government. The budget has been set at £2million per year to cover the cost of all Panels.

Concerns were expressed about awareness of the elections and about the possibility of a low turn-out due to the weather in November and lack of promotion.

Nicky Phillipson explained that the elections have been promoted via CDRP’s, flyers at Neighbourhood Panel meetings and in a feature in South Cambs magazine. Updates in the form of a newsletter would be distributed to Board members.

Councillor Reynolds emphasised that member involvement is the key to a successful election. The structure change would take place gradually moving towards the smooth implementation of the new Commissioner. Responsibilities moving forward would be discussed at the next Police Authority meeting to be held this month.

Concerns over continuity were expressed and Nicky Phillipson confirmed that Police Authority work would be transferred as a going concern, with the abolishment of the Police Authority taking place the day after the elections. Police Authority staff would then transfer across to the Commissioner’s office to ensure continuity.

The Chairman requested that the Needs Assessment be distributed to T&CG members for inclusion on their next meeting agenda.

Statement of Expenditure.

The Chief Executive provided an update on Task and Coordination Group meeting aims and objectives.

The creation of monthly T&C Group meetings has enabled the establishment of a practical group that works on a local level. This minimises paperwork and uses a core team of representatives from Partner Agencies to tackle local issues as they arise. Specific members of the Board can be called in as required to provide more specific information. The first half of the meeting looks at intelligence received, as well as updates on the outcome of work to address Neighbourhood Panel concerns raised at the meetings. The second half of the meeting focuses on case specific issues. This process is intended to provide swift, effective action.

The Director of Health and Environmental Services at South Cambridgeshire District Council then provided an additional update on topics covered at T&C Group meetings.

Lessons learnt following the creation of new communities such as Cambourne have been built in to the Local Plan. Local Planners have been involved in order to attempt to ‘design crime out’ of communities. The meeting offers an opportunity to share intelligence and to give a joined-up response to Partners and the public.

Direct action arising from issues raised at Neighbourhood Panel meetings has included visits to Whittlesford scrapyard which have served to resolve problems in the area. All other scrapyards in the District have now been visited, and ‘Action Days’ have been held to disrupt criminality from coming in to the area.

The meeting is an opportunity to discuss successes, to make a difference on the ground, to raise awareness of key problem areas, to build relationships and to ensure a mutual understanding moving forward.

Hannah Waghorn, Lead Officer for the Probation Team, volunteered to attend T&C Group meetings as the Probation Service Representative. The Board welcomed this suggestion and agreed that having a Probation Service representative would be a good idea.

Concerns were raised about the potential loss of communication that may have occurred due to the replacement of CDRP meetings with less frequent Stakeholder events and about the potential for loss of ownership. The Board were reassured by T&C Group members that the meetings did capture concerns effectively from a range of sources and that efforts were being made to increase attendance at Neighbourhood Panel Meetings, and therefore increase the amount of intelligence acquired. Efforts included the on-going project being carried out by Inspector Chris Savage to expand Panel Meetings as a forum using social media.

Chief Inspector Alderson agreed to bring a report back to the next meeting on Inspector Savage’s work to increase engagement with the public.

Concerns were expressed about the lack of communication of outcomes and results to the public. The Board agreed that effective communication needs to be maintained in order to convey successes to Members and the public. The use of electronic engagement and perhaps a radical change to the way things are done currently were methods discussed to improve efficiency.

A request  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To be agreed.

The Chief Executive of South Cambrigeshire District Council explained that the Community Safety Plan had been based on trends over the previous twelve months and asked Board Members for comments.

It was suggested that priority number four ‘reducing crime and re-offending’ should be moved to the top of the list as it covers all the other points below it.

A request was made to add road safety to the list as previously there had been a reliance on the County Council’s team to carry out work to reduce offending. This team has suffered significant staffing cuts so it was felt that road safety initiatives should get County-wide support. It was agreed that Leon Livermore would provide some road safety intelligence for the next T&C Group meeting for consideration. 

The Board agreed to re-work the Plan to ensure that ‘plain English’ and less corporate terminology was used throughout the document.

Concerns were expressed about the measurability of the priorities and targets within the Plan. Comments indicated that perhaps the scope of the priorities was too broad to be measurable and that it could become a long ‘wish list’ of issues.

The Task & Coordination Group agreed to re-work the Plan taking on-board all comments made. The Plan would then be circulated to all Board Members. It was agreed that road safety would be discussed at the next Stakeholder Event to decide if this should be added to CDRP priorities.  

To be agreed.

The Partnerships Manager at South Cambridgeshire District Council reported that the Funding Plan linked in with the Community Safety Plan.

A full and frank discussion was held on the need to plan for a contingency budget, should the need arise for a Domestic Homicide Review to be carried out in the future.

The estimated cost was predicted to be approximately £20,000 and has been a statutory requirement since April 2012. It would be the responsibility of the CDRP to find the money to fund a review.

It was agreed that a rationale behind not setting the money aside now was required, should the need to fund a review arise.

It was suggested that a Risk Log be maintained to flag up any potential risks and to keep the issue ‘alive’.

The Board noted Appendix A, the Proposed CDRP Funding Plan.

The Chairman emphasised the need for the Board to recognise its responsibilities regarding Domestic Homicide Reviews and it was agreed that the Tasking and Coordination Group would reflect on their obligations and on the outcomes of the County-Wide Officer Group meeting arranged to discuss this issue on Wednesday 13 June 2012.

The proposed date for the next event is Tuesday 29 January 2013, from 9.30am in the Swansley Room at South Cambs Hall. You should have received an electronic invitation.

The Board agreed that Integrated Offender Management and road safety would feature on the agenda for the next meeting.

The Chairman reminded the Board that the next meeting would be held on Tuesday 29 January 2013 at 9.30am in the Swansley Room at South Cambs Hall.