To update the Committee on the current priorities and issues for the Herefordshire Community Safety Partnership (HCSP) formally known as Safer Herefordshire. 

(Councillor WLS Bowen, declared a Personal interest by virtue of being the Council's representative on the West Mercia Police Authority.)

The Committee received an update on the current priorities and issues for the Herefordshire Community Safety Partnership (HCSP) formerly known as Safer Herefordshire and considered the refreshed Herefordshire Community Safety Strategy 2011 – 2014.

Superintendent Charles Hill introduced the item, as Vice-Chair of the Herefordshire Partnership Executive Group which has taken on the role and function of the Community Safety Partnership for Herefordshire.

He advised the Committee that the Community Safety Strategy had three priorities for 2012/13: Integrated Offender Management, Alcohol Harm Reduction and Empowered Localities.  The Partnership would also be developing an education package to inform young people on issues such as alcohol and drug misuse, road safety which can impact on their quality of life and long-term health and well-being. He also emphasised that Herefordshire was essentially a very safe county in which to live and work and this was the message he urged ward members to give to their communities.

He emphasised that as with other areas within the public sector, funding both for the Community Safety Partnership and individual partners was reducing significantly and that there was therefore a need to work together to maximise impact.  He also made reference to the Police and Crime Commissioner who would be elected in November 2012 and the need for the Community Safety Partnership to work closely with the Commissioner in the future to ensure that the community safety issues across Herefordshire were understood and addressed. Liz Smith, Head of Service in Herefordshire for the West Mercia Probation Trust, advised the meeting that Prolific and other Priority Offenders were being targeted and that there was very effective partnership working especially between the police and probation to tackle this issue.

Issues raised by Councillors included the rise in rural crime, particularly the theft of metal and scrap, concerns about unlicensed taxis, anti-social behaviour, especially linked to alcohol misuse, as well as speeding through rural areas, cold calling, concerns on the pricing of alcohol and the need for supermarkets to be more responsible about the sale of alcohol and the need to get reassurance messages out into communities.

In answer to issues raised, Superintendent Hill advised that the Police had instigated Operation Ignite to tackle rural crime.  He asked elected Members to advise local businesses and residents to use products such as SmartWater to forensically mark property and valuables.  He spoke of the partnership work taking place to address alcohol misuse with licencing officers and licensees.  He suggested that an approach to take in high crime areas, such as South Wye and parts of Leominster would be to set up multi-agency teams targeted on the most vulnerable, often with complex issues.  He agreed to take back the request for community speedwatches as a way of empowering communities to address speeding.

There was support for the work of the Community Support Officers (CSOs) across Herefordshire.  Superintendent Hill advised that the budget for CSOs would be held by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).  The Committee agreed that it would be important for the PCC to know the strength of support for the continued level of CSOs across the County.

There was also recognition at the meeting of the importance of an overall alcohol strategy which looked at both crime and health issues.  The Committee agreed to consider how this could be included in its work with the Health and Wellbeing Board. 

RESOLVED:

That    (a)        the Committee noted the content of the report;

            (b)        the Committee noted the refreshed Herefordshire Community Safety Strategy 2011 – 2014; and

(c)        the Committee would consider how to include community safety into its Committee work programme at their forthcoming workshop.