Agenda item

Councillor Paul Convery, Executive Member Community Safety was present for discussion of this item and outlined the report.

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

·         Islington has seen a reduction of 4% in serious youth violence this year and also reductions in first time entrants to the criminal justice system which shows that more young people are being diverted away from crime

·         The introduction of Operation Attrition and Operation Omega had had a marked reduction on phone crime and other linked offences, such as the theft of two wheeled vehicles. However, towards the end of the year, a number of known young offenders were released from custody and despite active offender management, there has been a significant rise again in theft snatch levels, particularly during December 2015. These crimes have been committed by moped riders and by young people on pedal cycles

·         There is also a focus on adults who are recruiting young people into the community although there is a great deal of work still to be done in relation to this

·         Youth violence, robbery and knife crime have all seen continued reductions and in the second half of 2015 the number of knife related critical incidents has almost halved

·         The forming of the Integrated Gangs Team is now almost fully staffed with significant contribution from Children’s Services to support safeguarding and work around child sexual exploitation

·         There is a focus on known individuals and case management of a relatively small number of individuals and cross border work with Camden. It was noted that the gangs in Islington and Camden were of a different nature to those in Haringey and Hackney

·         Reference was made to the recent report of the Youth Offending service and it was stated that it had indicated a problem with the Police involvement but that Councillor Calouri would be attending the next meeting of the Committee to discuss the report, however there were good working relationships with Police in areas such as licensing and the Community Safety Unit. In addition, the Police were addressing the concerns outlined in the Youth Offending service report

·         In response to a question it was stated that there were a number of extremely young offenders and it is important to target these and it may take 3/4 years before the measures being taken are reflected in reductions in criminality and there is a need to stop criminal behaviour before it becomes prolific

·         It was stated that only 5/6 criminal behaviour orders were issued last year and these were linked to gang activity and serious criminality

·         Community engagement is taking place and youth crime and community engagement are the primary themes of the Islington Crime summit on 5 March

·         It was noted that a number of young offenders came from extremely damaged families and it is important to deal with these underlying problems as well as enforcement action being taken

·         A Member expressed the view that the gentrification of the borough and social widening of wealth may have contributed to the increase in crime. It was stated that the lack of family cohesion and disaffection, as well as the lucrative financial aspect of drug dealing also is a contributory factor

·         It was also stated that with the reductions in Police and Council budgets it would be increasingly difficult to reduce criminality

·         In response to a question it was stated that once gang leaders were imprisoned it often results in power ‘grab’ and gangs in Islington tended to be less hierarchical and more chaotic

·         In relation to a question it was stated that where there is well evidenced criminality by the Police the CPS would prosecute, however on a number of occasions there is no further action taken and the Borough Commander is keen to ensure that in such cases this evidence is left on file to improve intelligence

·         A Member referred to the fact that when Committee Members had met the Margate Task Force they had expressed the view that the Integrated Gangs Team worked better in Margate as a result of being located in a Council building rather than a Police station. Councillor Convery responded that the Margate Task Force were undertaking a slightly different role to Islington but as the situation evolved the siting of the team could be considered if there is a need

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted and that Councillors Calouri and Convery attend the next meeting of the Committee to discuss the Youth Offending service report