Agenda item

Cllr David Longstaff, the Cabinet Member for Safety and Resident Engagement, and Julie Taylor, the Assistant Chief Executive, presented a report that outlined the case for supporting the implementation of the current Safer Communities Strategy and proposals for enhancing the Strategy.

The Chairman stated that it was not clear from reading the report what the implications of the sharing of resources would be, and questioned if the report addressed the issue of fewer police officers.

Julie Taylor responded that the report did not directly address the issue of reduced police numbers at the moment. She informed the Committee that the Strategy focused on stopping crime before it occurs with proposals that would involve the police investing in new activities focused on crime prevention. The Cabinet Member stated that he had received no indication that the Borough would be experiencing a drop in the number of officers.

The Chairman stated that it was not evident from reading the report what the council’s lobbying strategy would be to ensure the continued provision of sufficient police constables within the Borough. The Chairman stated that the Committee wanted to see mention of the Council’s lobbying position in the Strategy in terms of numbers of police constables alongside details of how the Council would campaign on behalf of residents on this issue.

In consideration of the use of CCTV as set out in the strategy the Committee questioned the use of CCTV in terms of traffic offences and whether consideration had been given to the public mood on this issue. The Committee also questioned whether there were budget resources available for proposed changes to CCTV provision. The Committee also questioned the value of the case studies included in the report in terms of their relevance to Barnet.

In relation to the relevance of CCTV case studies within the report, the Cabinet Member stated that more examples from a Barnet perspective could be used.

At this point John Hooton, the Assistant Director for Strategic Finance, came to the table to inform the Committee that an options appraisal would be taking place in terms of funding future CCTV provision and that funding was in place within in the Capital Programme for the current CCTV service.

The Cabinet Member stated that in terms of relevant case studies more examples of how CCTV works could be provided from a Barnet perspective.

In relation to alcohol related crime in the Borough the Chairman noted that the council was proposing to implement a borough wide Public Place Order and questioned whether consultation had taken place.

The Cabinet Member stated consultations would be taking place and would be due to be completed in July with the matter being brought to Council, along with supporting evidence, in October.

In relation to the New Deal with Residents and the integrated offender management aspect of the report the Committee commented on the importance of ensuring that individuals were not unfairly implicated in sanctions taken as a result of the actions of family members.

The Cabinet Member stated that he would take all the points raised by the Committee under consideration.

Resolved that –

1. The Committee note the report.
2. The points raised by the Committee be brought to the Cabinet Members attention.