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Agenda item

Presentation - Executive Member Community Safety/Crime Statistics

Minutes:

Councillors Sue Lukes, Executive Member Community Safety and Councillor Michelline Safi – Ngogo Executive Member Children, Young People and Families were present and accompanied by Keith Stanger and Curtis Ashton

Detective Superintendent Dave Courcha was also present at the meeting to respond to questions

 

During consideration of the report the following main points were made –

 

·         Noted total crime figures had fallen in all areas, apart from racial and domestic violence offences – reduction of 24% reduction in crime overall, but this is slowly increasing again. Areas of concern centre around a small number of parks/estates, where established gangs/groups are causing issues with increased drug dealing and robbery

·         Huge uptake in services provision from street homeless, and drug users

·         Knife crime reductions sustained, and attributed to work of Gangs Teams, partnership approach to youth offending, and joined up Police and partnership work

·         Police have responded with a number of initiatives – creation of violence suppression unit, cross borough initiatives, weapon sweeps, higher level of NP patrols in high crime areas, multi-agency offender management, work with Pentonville Prison, and engagement in youth custody worker programme

·         Achievements – reduced number of first time entrants into the youth justice system, reoffending rates for young people amongst best in London, reduction in the number of people receiving a custodial sentence, and reductions in youth violence, and serious youth violence. Challenges include impact of pandemic on exploitation of children and young people, surge in violence after lockdown 1, organised crime groups, cross border crime. Work taking place with Haringey on cross border crime initiatives. In addition there were still high levels of moped and pedal theft

·         Initiatives being undertaken to support those subject to domestic violence, and violence against young women and girls. Challenges include ongoing impact of pandemic, safety of women and girls in communities, schools and workplaces, increasing criminal justice outcomes and awareness of young people as victims of domestic abuse. Noted a new Violence against women and girls strategy was being developed, and that Islington charged more perpetrators for Domestic Violence than any other Domestic Violence unit. Noted that the Police had established a new predatory offender unit, and that a violence and aggression unit was being relocated from Camden to Islington to offer a rapid response to violence and robbery issues. A Drugs Focus desk would also focus on drug dealing

·         In response to a question it was stated that caretakers and repairs staff did receive training to report any issues of domestic violence or other concerns

·         Reference was made to the increase in ‘cuckooing’, and that this had increased. These were often complex cases and the community MARAC was supporting victims

·         Noted that a mental health nurse would be embedded in the Police Control room in order to assist officers where there are issues of mental health with offenders

·         Measures taken to improve women’s safety, including the Safe Havens scheme, targeted communication campaigns, treating mysogyny as a hate crime, early intervention workshops

·         Delivering multi agency projects to reduce ASB and crime, including  tackling drugs and violent offending in south of borough, continuing to develop tri-borough partnership to tackle crime in Finsbury Park area, increased CCTV across a range of crime hotspots, and helping embed the remerged Probation service in June 2021. A Member stated that he appreciated the work that had taken place on Operation Perch, however there was a need to support the Chairs of the Police Ward Panels in their improvement and to ensure these Panels were more effective

·         Increasing confidence in reporting hate crime is a priority with a new hate crime strategy being introduced, successful hate crime awareness week, dip sampling of hate crimes to identify areas of good practice, and areas for improvement

·         Focus on exploitation and extremism

·         Street population team expanded with a dedicated complex needs women’s worker, funding application made for further funding as part of the Rough Sleeper programme, monthly street user outreach meeting. Numbers on streets are low, currently under 10, but numbers are not static. Housing first scheme expanded providing positive option for long term history of rough sleeping. Challenges include eviction ban being lifted and the economic situation may lead to an increase for services with increased complexity of needs. There is a challenge to deliver current level of support once funding ends, and an opportunity to review the current outreach offer during the procurement for service covering 2021/24

·         Noted that there is now a Daily Safeguarding meeting, rather than as fortnightly previously, and this was working well, and high numbers of residents had been supported over the previous year

·         In response to a question as to community tensions, it was stated that there was an issue with an increase of the far right, and this was being looked at and an organisation was doing a mapping exercise in the borough in this regard

 

 

The Chair thanked Councillors Lukes and Ngogo, Detective Superintendent Dave Courcha and officers for attending

Supporting documents: