Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2022 be agreed as a correct record.

Apologies for absence had been received from:

·         Clair Green, Executive Director, Assurance, LBB

·         Peter Curtin, Borough Commander, London Fire Brigade

·         Alice Bird, MOPAC Policy Officer

None.

Maggie Higton Brown, Head of Community Safety presented the Annual report to the Board and explained that this is the first time that this paper has been presented in this format.

Ms Higton Brown asked the Board to note the recommendations that the Annual report is an accurate record of the outcomes in the work programme for the year 2021/22 which will then be taken to the Communities, Leadership & Libraries Committee in October.

Ms Higton Brown highlighted that the report includes listing all the work carried out by the statutory organisations 

The Chair asked noted the need for greater publicity of the schemes that are covered within the report, for example the Ask for Angela initiative and the Safe Spaces. The new administration is keen to ensure improved communication of  all the work that is going on and the measures there to help communities feel safer and know where to access information, guidance and support.

Declan Khan noted that the team work closely with Police colleagues on the Ask for Angela campaign and will be introducing as part of premises having a license to sell alcohol, mandatory training on such initiatives for all staff working in those premises. 

The Safer Communities Partnership Board approved the Annual Report for 2021-2022 as an accurate record of the outcomes and work programme for that year.

The Safer Communities Partnership Board recommended the Community Leadership and Libraries Committee note and approved the report.

Matt Leng, Community Safety Manager presented the performance dashboard and took the Board through the performance data covering the period of March 2022 to May 2022 and members were invited to give comments in relation to how this information is presented.

Mr Leng noted the increase in residential burglary, however there is a concerned focus by the Police and their tactical coordination group around this specific increase in crime which will be dealt with operationally via that group. He also highlighted that Barnet is now becoming an area of note, rather than of concern, at the present time.

The Chair highlighted the current cost of living crisis and going forward what impact this may have through the winter.

CI Lynch informed the Board that he has tasked one of the central departments within the Police to work out if there is any modelling that can be carried out to enable intelligence around the current crisis and the cost of crime will be which will form an intelligence piece to build upon going forward and where efforts should be focused.

Robbery is a priority for the Met Police as well as for the local strategic partnership and he informed the Board about the bespoke operation that has been currently running, called Operation Peleton where the officers have been uplifted in responding to crime in various hotspots and additional patrols have been placed in locations that have a high footfall. There has also been an increase on Q car usage, whereby bespoke cars respond to victims of robbery to give a better forensic opportunity within the first hour of an offence being committed.

Tamara Djuretic, Director of Public Health asked if there was more granular data available to tell us where across the borough the robberies are taking place and if there is a profile of offenders relating to ethnicity and age and if this is used to target interventions. CI Lynch confirmed that the Police have access to the granular detail of such crimes by ward data which also gives them names of outstanding suspects who can then be traced each week.

The Chair noted the thorough process that takes place in relation to music and other festivals that are organised within the borough and highlighted the good partnership working between the Council and the local communities.

Tina McElligott, Director of Children’s Social Care asked if a large proportion of offenders were adults as Family Services have not been notified of many Serious Incident Response Meetings (SIRMs). Mr Leng agreed with this and noted that without going into the granular detail, there have been large numbers of adult-on-adult crimes committed.

Fiona Bateman commented that it would be useful from a Safeguarding Adult perspective to know if any of the victims or perpetrators of these offences have a disability, particularly the elderly and asked if this particular information could be reported at this Board or another relevant Board where this can be picked up and used.

ACTION: CI LYNCH

The Board noted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Chief Inspection Lynch updated the Board and noted the increase in crime represented across all of London. A continued focus remains on violence, robbery, violent hotspots and violence against women and girls and a number of measures were put in place for the summer period which will continue as further initiatives are developed.

The implications of being in special measures has hit the workforce quite hard and has been difficult however the implications of this locally have not yet been made clear but will be understood once the police know where the extra focus will be. There is also a continued focus of engagement with partners from the senior leadership team

CI Lynch informed that the focus going forward will be local policing and a more enhanced visibility throughout London with the new police commander and are looking at more staff development also. It was also noted that we are seeing a younger workforce in Barnet, Brent and Harrow with service levels of under 8 years. The policing brand has taken a huge hit, however there is a strong focus on professional standards and challenging their own standards and values as an organisation and a piece of work called ‘Not in my Met’ has been launched internally to help tackle these issues.

He continued that currently, the Met are changing the way they are implementing some of the technology and systems going forward with a number of major change programmes ongoing in the police, one of note called Connect which changes the way crime and ASB are reported with a number of the core systems feeding into this. It will impact staffing resilience over the course of months with a large amount of training to be delivered for officers.

Fiona Bateman noted the challenges to the Met Police brand and commented that the Safeguarding Board and Inclusion Barnet have a good, solid brand and offered assistance to help the police to achieve some of this work and to deliver good partnership working.

The Chair asked in relation to community days as part of police training and if any further information could be given to the Board on these. CI Lynch informed that colleagues in the learning and development team of the Met Police want to pilot community based training initiatives which involves community  based volunteers and practitioners to support police training and once this work is in progress an update will be given to the Board for their oversight and any opportunities that can come from this.

Declan Khan asked if there would be an opportunity for Community Safety officers to use the new systems that the Police are proposing once it is implemented.  CI Lynch commented that he has not yet seen sight of the new system therefore could not feedback on the way it operates however he agreed to check this and feedback as necessary.

ACTION – CHIEF INSPECTOR LYNCH

Inspector Zitver provided an update to the Board on the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign and noted that it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Board received an update from Tina McElligott for Quarter 1, specifically highlighting the activity that has arisen from the two core plans on Domestic Abuse Against Women and Girls which was launched on 8^th March and in June the Domestic Abuse Delivery Board signed off the action plan that sits against this including 5 objectives which include:

·         Early intervention and prevention of Domestic Abuse and VAWG

·         Support all victims and survivors to report, access help and recover

·         Pursue perpetrators and engage them in behaviour change interventions to eliminate harm to victims and their families

·         Strengthen the partnership response to improve multiagency working and information sharing to deliver improved outcomes

·         Working together for safer streets, community and public spaces

Lots of training has taken place for multi-agency partners including delivering independent domestic abuse violence advocate training with the focus to ensure that staff who are working with residents on the front line are upskilled to assist in responding to residents who are in difficult situations. The team have also delivered cohesive control and economic abuse training. Ms McElligott reported there had been good attendance for all of the training that has been carried out to date.  The White Ribbon Steering Group has also met and agreed an action plan and are currently developing policies within the Council to make sure all employees understand domestic abuse and how to respond to this appropriately. Within this the Council has also signed up to the Women’s Safety Night Charter and are hoping to access funding on this which will be taken to the White Ribbon Steering Group as there is a crossover .

Work has also been started with Barnet & Southgate College around working with some of their students who were involved in the consultation around the new strategy to develop better support systems within colleges and as well as bringing together public health and schools to prioritise healthy relationships and sex education programmes.

Ms McElligott informed that the team are currently looking at developing safer spaces schemes in the borough, including thenational schemes to develop in Barnet. They are also working towards developing a change in the reporting model on hate crime so they can report domestic violence in the same way. A survivor forum is also being scoped.

A further 3 years of funding in reducing conflict with relationship problems early was noted with the success of this programme being positive to date. Also noted was the delivery of the group work for CODA (Children Overcoming Domestic Abuse) who help children dealing with domestic abuse, with a good take up and many children and women attending. 

Ms McElligott also noted that she had appointed a victim coordinator role and the hope is for them to be in post soon to develop the victim hub for the next 3 years with funding.

A visit from Deputy London Mayor Sophie Linden took place in June to be updated on Barnet’s perpetrators focused initiative where we received very positive feedback on the MOPAC  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Chair introduced Paul Rich in the absence of Peter Curtin, Borough Commander who she had met with him recently and welcomed their focus on community safety collaboration. She continued that at the Policy and Resources Committee there had been a request from Councillor Whysall for an ‘extreme heat’ paper to be taken to a future meeting for information and to ensure preparedness for extreme weather conditions.

Mr Rich noted the increases overall across London which had been expected due to lockdown changes and public behaviour during the pandemic.

Emerging trends/patterns

·         Incident Increases

·         Fatal fires – 3 of these which is unusual however all fit with vulnerable at high risk, all of these have been submitted to the safeguarding adult review panel

·         Automatic fire alarms

·         Community safety

Future challenges

·         Identifying vulnerable people

·         High rise buildings – ongoing issue/legacy work

·         Community safety management plan

·         Staffing levels

Fiona Bateman informed that the Safeguarding Adult Board must carry out a review when an adult with care and support needs dies, though noted thatthe 3 cases that were referred did not meet the criteria. She added that there will be a deep dive on these 3 cases and that a much wider reach is needed on this and for partners to come together and be part of this to ensure this is across the board and understood. This work is starting in September and the Chair agreed for this information to be circulated to the Partnership Board members. The Chair also advised she would also inform Committee Chairs of this piece of work as this work cuts across a few of these. 

The Chair noted that the messaging around fires and the heat in general should be picked up as part of the work the Environment Committee does. It was also suggested to have communications about multiple plug use, using heaters and all risks associated with keeping warm this winter.

Tamara Djuretic asked if there is anything in place either at a local or London level to tackle preventing further fires going forward. Mr Rich commented that other partner agencies have been informed by the London Fire Brigade on prevention, for example keeping grass cut.

Matt Leng suggested the opportunity for community payback to assist with this and also the volunteering service which can be utilised to make vulnerable spaces safe again after an initial inspection is carried out. He also noted it would be beneficial to explore the gap between the Community Safety Team, the London Fire Brigade and the Police in relation to incidents around pump houses and officer incidents and if these are occurring in the same areas how can the CST team assist in prevention of this. He also highlighted the Autumn Nights work that will be carried out and offered assistance to the LFB on collaborating in the vulnerable areas to ensure safety of officers and the public by ensuring these areas are clean and cleared of any waste.

The Chair noted that in the forward work programme she  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Matt Leng, Community Safety Manager updated the Partnership Board on

the Council’s and partnership’s progress and achievements in tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Barnet and provided the Partnership Board with an update of how the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 tools and powers have been used in the borough.

Mr Leng highlighted the key points outlined within the report. 

The Chair thanked the team for the work carried out in relation to Anti-Social Behaviour and asked for this report to be circulated to all Councillors. She also discussed the possibility of online training to be carried out for Councillors to assist with casework.

CI Lynch echoed the comments of the Chair and welcomed the opportunities to look at the teams focus to connect going forward.

The Safer Communities Partnership Board noted the report.

Perryn Jasper, Prevent Education Officer presented the report to the board and highlighted that Prevent is a safeguarding process for vulnerable people and to prevent them from being exploited. 

Mr Jasper gave an update of Barnet’s Prevent Strategy 2021 – 2025 performance, highlighting challenges and successes, changes in government policy, that could affect local delivery, and highlighting any issues or areas of concern or opportunity.

Mr Jasper offered his assistance to attend team meetings to deliver awareness training and help communicate the work that Prevent does and the positive outcomes that can be achieved.

He noted that in Barnet last year, the highest threat to vulnerable people came from Islamic inspired ideology and much of this is online activity and 60% of referrals received reflect this which is higher than the UK average which is approx. 22%.

Mr Perryn also noted that 4 arrests were made last year in the borough in relation to counter terrorism acts and one arrest and conviction of a person wearing clothing bearing a logo that of a proscribed organisation.

Mr Perryn updated the Partnership Board about the work that Channel, an early intervention multi agency process that supports vulnerable people carry out and how each partner organisation can assist with individual cases and also highlighted the work that the Prevent Delivery Group carries out which includes strategically looking the delivery of performance and is also a multi-agency approach.

Mr Perryn commented on training that takes place in schools to raise awareness with school children developing critical thinking skills and resilience building and noted that over 3000 children have received this training along with 1200 professionals and 223 parents who have taken part in an online training session.

The Chair noted that the organisation Hope not Hate have many good resources that can be utilised and also asked for a repeat session for Councillors to continue to keep these issues on their agenda. Mr Perryn advised that there is a training session for members in September which will raise awareness and that he would be attending as part of this training.

The Safer Communities Partnership Board noted the report and agreed to promote Prevent to communities as a safeguarding process.

Maggie Higton Brown presented the report to the Safer Communities Partnership Board with a draft Community Safety Strategy for 2022 – 2027 and invited the Board to agree to the implementation of the new strategy for Barnet, as approved at the Community, Libraries and Leadership Committee in June 2022. She continued that the main things to note were the 5 Barnet priorities going forward which were formed in conjunction with the MOPAC priorities as well as carrying out our own analysis to put these together.

The 5 priorities include:

·         Tackling and Reducing Antisocial Behaviour 

·         Early Intervention and Prevention of Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls 

·         Reducing offending including Violence, Vulnerability and Exploitation (VVE), with a focus on acquisitive crime Safeguard and support those vulnerable to radicalisation Access to justice for those affected by Hate Crime 

Tamara Djuretic commented that when we look at the data there are very few drug offences however most of the causes include substance misuse, and it would be useful if this could be integrated in all priorities, in line with the Harm to Hope Strategy and the combating drugs group that will soon be set up. Ms Highton Brown confirmed that this could be formed as part of the outcomes that come from the priorities and will be used to drive the outcomes overall.

ACTION: MS HIGHTON BROWN

The Safer Communities Partnership Board approved and agreed the implementation of the draft Community Safety Strategy for 2022 – 2027.

Fiona Bateman would welcome an opportunity to present the findings of the workshop on financial abuse linking to domestic abuse as well as a short summary on the annual report for the Safeguarding Board, and will confirm this nearer the time. She also asked to bring a review in respect of a murder of a rough sleeper in the borough which will include likely lessons for the partnership board.

Tamara Djuretic asked for the combatting drug partnership to come to the next meeting in October and for the substance needs assessment to come to  the January 2023 meeting.

The next meeting was confirmed as the 28 October 2022, however the Chair noted that due to this taking place through half term a new date would be sought to ensure maximum attendance.