Agenda item

·         London Knife Crime Strategy

·         MOPAC Knife Crime and Serious Violence Reduction Action Plan

Ms Vagarwal spoke to the slides that were circulated with the agenda. As discussed at the July meeting of the Safer Communities Partnership Board (SCPB) the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) had asked all London Boroughs to develop a ‘Knife Crime Action Plan’ focusing on reducing knife crime and serious violence. Further to the input from all partners, six key themes, with around 40 actions, had been agreed for Barnet and forwarded to MOPAC:

·         Targeting lawbreakers – involving intelligence-led Stop and Search and Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO).

·         Keeping deadly weapons off our streets – addressing availability of knives including test-purchase operations and community weapons sweeps; knife arches in some schools

·         Standing with communities – neighbourhoods and families against knife crime; facilitating community involvement in Stop and Search

·         Supporting victims of crime – Art Against Knives and No Knives, Better Lives initiatives

·         Protecting and educating young people – recognising the importance of preventative education work – Growing Against Violence being delivered in Barnet schools; police cadet scheme

·         Offering ways out of crime – helping young people to move away from criminality.

Detective Chief Superintendent Rose stated that Section 60 had been needed less and less in Barnet and this was due to around 22 CBOs being actioned around the Grahame Park Estate two years previously. The amount of knife crime continued to be reducing.

Ms Vagarwal noted that work was ongoing with the Licensing Department and the retail industry to help to reduce accessibility of knives.

DCS Rose stated that in relation to the police’s work with schools, some schools had declined safety arches and also some were not keen on other knife crime prevention tactics. He agreed to inform the Community Safety Team when he became aware of schools not agreeing to any intervention where the police felt some was needed.

Action: DCS Rose

Mr Leader noted that there is no Cadet Scheme in Barnet with the London Fire Brigade but the service had capacity to develop one if needed.

DCS Rose noted that the Cadet Scheme in the Metropolitan Police in Barnet was working on a Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) project in relation to hotels in the area, to try to increase awareness of CSE amongst hotel staff.

Ms Vagarwal noted that Clinical Practitioners were now embedded in the Youth Offending Team (YOT). Fiona Bateman enquired how the outcomes of this were being monitored and how effective the Clinical Practitioners were at accessing support for individuals. She would be happy to take a lead on this as Chairman of the Adults and Safeguarding Board. Dr Djuretic and Ms Vagarwal would find out more about where it was being rolled out.

Action: Ms Vagarwal and Dr Djuretic

Ms Ansdell reported that the Safer Streets Initiative (focusing on 18-25 year olds and currently being trialled in Brent) would produce additional rehabilitation requirements. This would be rolled out across all London Boroughs within a year.  Ms Vagarwal would incorporate this in the Action Plan. 

Dr Djuretic noted that NHS England was also looking at ways to prevent violence and knife crime.

Action: Ms Vagarwal

The Action Plan would be updated on an ongoing basis and progress would be reviewed.

The Committee noted the report.