To receive a presentation from the Chair of the Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership.  The Chair will be supported by Chief Superintendent Mark Turner, West Mercia Police.

The Committee received a presentation from Sue Fiennes, Chair of the Herefordshire Community and Safety Drugs Partnership (HCSDP) and Jane Rose, Partnership Manager.  Superintendent Shane Hancock, West Mercia Police, was also present to answer any questions that may arise under the remit of the Police.

Sue Fiennes explained that she was soon to be replaced as Chair of the Partnership by Geoff Hughes, Director of Adult and Community Services.  Chief Superintendent Mark Turner would be the Partnerships new Vice-Chairman.

The Partnership Manager explained that the Partnership took a multi-agency approach and was formulated by public, private and voluntary organisations.  Its remit was to secure sustainable reductions in crime and the perception of crime in local communities through community based measures.

The Partnership was governed by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which states that the Police are not the sole crime prevention agency.  The Partnership was made up of Strategy and Implementation Groups which had 3-year audit and strategy cycles.  The Partnership’s strategy was formulated through consultation work.  Some of the Partnership’s targets were enshrined in the Council’s Local Area Agreement.

The Partnership had many strategic priorities during the period 2005-2008 which included areas such as anti-social behaviour, domestic violence and drugs.  These problems were to be tackled through education, prevention, treatments and enforcement with a focus on victims, offenders and locations.

Examples of work which had been carried out by the Partnership included the following schemes:

·         Community clear ups to help reduce anti-social behaviour and increase community ownership of the local environment.

·         Sports Referral works with drug users to encourage healthier lifestyles and occupy people’s time.

·         Drug Intervention Programme worked with drug users recently released from prison to help prevent further crime occurring.

·         Domestic violence conferences to increase awareness of the issue and the strategies which people can use to get help or prevent it taking place.

·         Needle bins

The Chairman thanked the Partnership Manager for her presentation and opened the meeting to questions.

In response to a question on the perceived lack of action against crimes committed by the Police Superintendent Hancock stated that people’s perception of crime was not always focussed on their own locality but was often influenced by national events.  However he accepted that a persons perception was their reality.  He felt that outcomes of investigations were not always promoted as well as they should be and the Police’s Media Liaison unit were trying to address this.  It was difficult for Police Officers to do reassurance patrolling over and above their regular duties.  Community Support Officers (CFO’s) were now appointed throughout the County and their patrols were set to increase visible patrols and the gathering of local intelligence.  If a CSO was off sick then it would be necessary to reassign a CSO from another area to cover the absent CSO.  He was aware that long-term sickness of CSO’s could cause difficulties.

Superintendent Hancock explained that he would expect any Police Officer to challenge a cyclist using the pavement.  A prosecution would not always be made as it was important for the Police to prioritise their workload.  He stated that if incidents were taking place then they should be reported so that patterns could be picked up and issues dealt with.

The Partnership Manager explained in response to a question that the majority of HCSDP’s funding came directly from the Home Office.  Other funding was received through the Local Area Agreement, drug support agencies, health service and the organisations Partners.

The Council’s Representative on the West Mercia Police Authority commented that the Police had changed their patrolling methods due to changes in criminal behaviour.  There were more advantages to a Police Officer being mobile as they could respond to calls from a wider area more readily than they could if they were patrolling on foot.  He finished by encouraging anyone who wanted more information on the Police and the way they worked to attend their local PACT meeting.