Agenda item

Meeting as the Crime and Disorder Committee, to receive a presentation on, and to consider:

1. The performance of the Community Safety Partnership in 2012-13
2. The Community Safety Plan for 2013-14

Meeting as the Crime and Disorder Committee, Assistant Chief Constable John Campbell, Chief Inspector Dave Gilbert, Timothy Wheadon Chairman of the Community Safety Partnership and Ian Boswell Community Safety Manager were welcomed to the meeting.

Ian Boswell, Community Safety Manager gave a presentation in respect of the performance of the Bracknell Forest Community Safety Partnership during 2012-13.  The presentation included an overview of the Partnership’s make up, priorities and challenges, resourcing and comparator data.

The Community Safety Partnership was a statutory partnership and one of the four key theme partnership groups that the Bracknell Forest Partnership was focused on currently. The Partnership was well supported by all agencies involved and both statutory and non-statutory partners were fully engaged with the Partnership’s work bringing their own areas of expertise to the table.

For the past few years, Thames Valley Police and the Community Safety Team had been focused on reducing crime levels across the area and tackling the public’s disproportionate fear of crime.  Work that was proving successful as crime levels continued to fall.  Total recorded crime levels were now at their lowest level since 1998 and between 2008/9 and 2012/13 there was a 39% drop in recorded crime. The innovative development of a Community Safety Team that was shared between the Police and the Local Authority and the strength of the Bracknell Forest Community Safety Partnership, which attracted government financial support of £53,000 per annum,  were considered to be key to this success.  Measures of note for the Partnership during 2012-13 included:

• 10.8% reduction in total volume of recorded crime
• 11.4% reduction in violent offences
• 28.7% reduction in burglary non dwelling
• 28.3% reduction in hate crime
• Significant reductions in metal thefts
• An increase in the domestic abuse detection rate from 37.1% to 46.8%
• A domestic abuse repeat rate of 44.8%

It was reported that when compared against the performance of the closest fourteen comparator police areas Bracknell Forest Local Police Area (LPA) was ranked second best for domestic burglary and recorded a lower than average 12 month rolling total of all crimes.  Although the level of serious acquisitive crime had risen slightly when compared to the same period the previous year Bracknell Forest LPA continued to perform better than its comparator LPAs and the Partnership was confident that the rise could and would be reversed.  At 30.1% Bracknell Forest LPA’s detection rate for burglaries was the best in the Thames Valley Police area.

The Partnership had been pleased to learn that the work that was taking place to tackle people’s perceptions of crime levels in the Borough was starting to pay dividends with the results of the 2012 Residents’ Survey putting the low level of crime as being the third best thing about living in the Borough, after parks and open spaces and the accessibility of nature.  In the previous Residents’ Survey the low level of crime had been ranked in sixth place.

 Key challenges for the Partnership during 2013/14, based on a strategic assessment, were:

• Keeping levels of crime and anti-social behaviour down
• Reducing levels of domestic abuse
• Working with the Police and Crime Commissioner

Tackling domestic abuse was a key priority area for the Partnership during 2013/14 not only because of the impact that it had on victims but also because of the impact that it would have on other priority areas. Domestic abuse had a broad definition that covered threats, harassment, fear of intimidation and violence against a person and whilst the statistics relating to domestic abuse were rising a significant amount of work had taken place to raise awareness of the problem and encourage reporting and the rise gave the police confidence that people were becoming more willing to come forward and report the problem. During the coming twelve months, the focus would be on developing and enhancing strategies to prevent repeat domestic abuse incidents.  Victims were provided with support from specially trained officers and cases were referred to Social Services for additional support.  If a victim chose to withdraw their complaint then the incident would remain on the Police database, a risk assessment would be carried out and the Police would continue to monitor both the situation and the perpetrator.   

Arising from Members’ questions and comments the following points were noted:

• Anti-social behaviour classifications were decided at a national level
• The moving annual total of recorded anti-social behaviour had increased slightly when compared to the previous year and a significant amount of work was underway to ensure that incidents were not been double counted when amalgamating the various data sources used to compile anti-social behaviour statistics
• It was acknowledged that a degree of crime did go unreported however statistics gathered by the Crime Survey of England and Wales, an independent poll of thousands of people across the country, were starting to show a correlation between data collated by the police on reported crimes and survey data on crime suffered by those surveyed. A factor that gave the Police confidence that reported crime figures were reflective of the true picture of crime levels.  Evidence that was further bolstered by data gathered through other methods for example the Residents’ Survey
• The excess on insurance premiums often deterred people from reporting vehicle crime
• There were no particular hotspots for thefts from vehicles currently however a recent spike in thefts from the Tesco Car Park had resulted in a piece of joint working with Bracknell and Wokingham College to develop equipment that would detect when car locking mechanisms were being blocked and two arrests had been made as a result of this work
• A significant number of thefts from vehicles related to the theft of number plates, a situation that was thought to be linked to petrol theft
• The Police were working with educational establishments across the Borough to provide support and advice to both students and staff to help address mephadrone abuse
• Crime data at a neighbourhood level could be obtained by signing up to Thames Valley Alert through the Police’s website, and the appropriate web links would be circulated to the Commission.  Those who were signed up would receive daily updates on crimes committed in their registered areas of interest
• Capacity issues currently prevented  the provision of neighbourhood data relating to anti-social behaviour
• The Strategic Assessment Analysis had given no indication that rural crime was an issue in Bracknell Forest however one of the challenges was defining rural crime and work was underway to improve this
• When a person was taken into custody their mental well-being was assessed, and if any potential issues for example autism were identified then appropriate adults were provided. In addition, Thames Valley Police had a Diversity Plan the implementation of which was overseen by a lead officer
• Conviction rates were not generally reported alongside crime levels and detection rates because they were a matter for the judicial system.  However regular reports on conviction rates were provided to the Criminal Justice Board which counted the Chief Constable as a member
• In addition to court convictions the Police had a range of sanctions that could be used when dealing with a perpetrator including cautions and community resolution.
• Restorative Justice was a victim-led approach and provided a proportionate approach for certain crimes
• All crimes occurring in the Borough in the previous 24 hour period were reviewed every morning at Management Team Meetings.  Members would be welcome to attend.
• The Police had sharpened up their responses in relation to metal thefts including spot checks and raids on scrap metal dealers and this had resulted in a 48% fall in the number of reported metal thefts across the Thames Valley region
• When someone was arrested they are taken to the custody suites at either Lodden Valley or Maidenhead Police Stations
• A lot of work was carried out to prevent raves from happening in the first place including working with third parties for example park wardens
• Threats made through social media were only prosecuted if they were considered to present a significant threat of violence.  The Community Safety Partnership worked closely with schools to reduce incidents of abuse through social media
• There was currently no specific definition associated with cyber crime and criminal acts were generally recorded according to their original status for example theft or fraud.  However it was a growing problem and the matter was being examined at a national level
•  

The Commission thanked Assistant Chief Constable John Campbell, Chief Inspector Dave Gilbert, Timothy Wheadon and Ian Boswell for their informative update and commended the work of the Community Safety Partnership.