Agenda item

Councillor David Mackintosh, the Leader of the Council, addressed the Panel and gave answers to the core questions.

The responses were as follows:

Serious Acquisitive Crime

1.    What activity as an organisation/department do you undertake to address/tackle issues of Serious Acquisitive Crime (burglary, robbery, theft from/theft of a vehicle)?

Most of the work in tackling issues is through the Community Safety Partnership which has been in operation since 1998. Work is also carried out by neighbourhood wardens, particularly in terms of providing advice etc. and some special behaviour units.

The Leader of the Council also has regular liaison meetings with the Police.

2.    What activity as an organisation/department do you undertake to prevent issues of Serious Acquisitive Crime (burglary, robbery, theft from/theft of a vehicle)?

There is rigorous data analysis of the reported crimes within the area, which allows hotspots to be identified and identification of problem areas .This and information from Neighbourhood Wardens is used by the Police to help target resources.

3.    What do you see as the main issues and barriers to successfully addressing Serious Acquisitive Crime within the borough of Northampton?

Resources are scarce for all organisations, but using the data analysis and working in partnership helps to make the most of the resources available.

There are also some historical geographical and infrastructure issues that cause difficulties in certain areas. Work has been in some areas via CASPAR Projects such as that carried out in Spring Boroughs. This approach has been rolled out to a Borough wide approach. All projects start with a complete environmental audit of the area. Work is currently being undertaken in the Spencer and Kings Heath wards.

4.    What activity do you undertake in partnership with other organisations/ departments to tackle issues of Serious Acquisitive Crime within the borough of Northampton?

The Leader attends regular Community Safety partnership meetings and has regular liaison meetings with the Police.  When specific issues are identified then there are meetings with the relevant ward Councillors and partnership agencies to try to identify actions.

5.    What do you see the role of the Police Crime Commissioner to be in preventing and tackling serious acquisitive crime and violent crime?

The role of the Police and Crime Commissioner should be that of setting the direction of policing in Northamptonshire and bringing partners together.  There also needs to be a further exploration of the use of restorative justice and the wider criminal justice system.

Violent Crime

1.    What activity as an organisation/department do you undertake to address/tackle issues of violent crime?

Neighbourhood wardens and the Licensing team act to enable early recognition of problems and try to prevent escalation of problems. Licensing works in liaison with partners to undertake inspections and enforcement.

The Council has played an important role in the enablement of data sharing, for example, on accident and emergency statistics enabling the Police to be able to quickly identify where they need to be deployed.

2.    What activity as an organisation/department do you undertake to prevent issues of violent crime?

The Council has an important part to play in awareness campaigns, for example the “tackle the problem before it kicks off” campaign which focussed on the increase in domestic violence during football tournaments.

The Council is also part of work done with Women’s Aid enabling victims of domestic violence to access a bed for the night and not to have to return home to an abusive partner.

3.    What do you see as the main issues and barriers to successfully addressing Violent Crime within the borough of Northampton?

Alcohol misuse remains at the centre of many problems associated with violent crime. People have changed their pattern of behaviour and are coming into the town centre later and having already consumed alcohol at home. Since the extension of the licensing hours the Police are no longer dealing with problems relating to closing time but a constant stream of incidents.

4.    What activity do you undertake in partnership with other organisations/ departments to tackle issues of Violent Crime within the borough of Northampton?

There is a lot of information available for all partners and members of the public. This enables partners to identify hotspots and target resources as effectively as possible.

Information on violent crime statistics and prevention advice experts is provided on the website.

Further to the responses the Panel asked additional questions and the main points of this discussion were as follows:-

• In response to a query regarding what happens when the Council disposes of an asset and  concerns that disused property is not made secure and becomes a target for vandalism and anti-social behaviour,  It was agreed that these sites needed to be protected or screened from the public and it was agreed that best practice advice should be sought. The Asset Management team was good at responding to problems but perhaps needed to be more proactive.

• There was concern over the role of the neighbourhood wardens, especially as the neighbourhood coordinators were being withdrawn. Members sought assurance that there was still going to be enough of a presence and that the wardens had the level of powers and authority that they needed. There was also some concern that they were only available during normal office hours and that problems tended to occur in the evening or weekends. Members were advised that additional neighbourhood wardens were being recruited and that this may allow for some flexibility in hours worked. In the light of new legislation the powers of the wardens would probably need to be examined and this would be actioned.

• There were issues in areas where fencing had been erected in order to try and solve problems and that these had not been maintained or panels removed to allow easier routes through. The Panel felt that this highlighted the need for ensuring that maintenance is on-going.

• Members asked how the effectiveness of CCTV was evaluated. They were advised that work was done alongside the Police looking at the data hotspots and including arrest information. Last year there was a consultation regarding a reduction in CCTV which was based on withdrawing the cameras in areas where there had not been any arrests.

• Members considered that if an environmental audit had been completed on an area then the relevant actions needed to be carried out. Allocation of resources should reflect the priorities of the Community Safety Partnership.

• Members asked for further information on the job description, role and training for neighbourhood wardens as they felt that there needed to be clarity on the role that they were being expected to fill. They were advised that training is carried out by the Police and that there have been occasions when they have worked outside of their core hours to assist in particular projects.

• Members also felt that there should be more use of strategic planning to try and design out some issues which can help to breed criminal behaviour.

Members of the Panel thanked Councillor David Mackintosh for the very comprehensive response to its core questions.